Murder on Sex Island

A Luella van Horn Mystery

By: Jo Firestone

Narrated by: Jo Firestone

A sexy reality show. A missing contestant. A one-of-a-kind detective.

"Bless Jo Firestone's quiet, mad genius . . . Hilarious and completely brilliant, [a] bloodstained love-letter to reality-dating television." —Vulture

When a cast member goes missing from the hit reality show Sex Island, producers hire detective Luella van Horn to go undercover as a contestant and solve the case. What the producers don’t know is that the enigmatic Luella van Horn is actually a woman named Marie Jones, a divorced ex–social worker from Staten Island attempting to lead a double life as a private eye. The local press couldn’t get enough of Luella . . . until she horribly bungled her last case and a murderer went free.

Unable to resist the opportunity to be a part of her favorite trashy TV show, travel to a remote island, and embark on a journey for redemption, Marie-as-Luella takes the case. But the more she learns about Sex Island’s dark underbelly, the harder it gets to make it out alive. She encounters shady producers, sleazy directors, contestants willing to do whatever it takes to win the $100,000 grand prize—and the dead body of the show’s missing fan-favorite in her bathtub.

Will she find the killer? Will she find herself? Will she find . . . love?

Find out now, on Sex Island’s most dramatic season yet.

Critic reviews

“Once again the incomparable (and unhinged) Jo Firestone proves that she is damn funny.”—Ziwe

“Bless Jo Firestone’s quiet, mad genius. . . . Hilarious and completely brilliant, [a] bloodstained love-letter to reality-dating television.”—Vulture

“A humorous whodunit.”—US Weekly

“A delicious debut mystery . . . Both as sharp social satire on the illusions of so-called ‘reality TV’ and as a wickedly funny bit of entertainment on its own, Firestone’s novel is quick, smart, and silly and a great, if temporary, escape from actual reality.”—The Boston Globe

“Firestone writes comedy for TV [and] it’s hilariously obvious here. Wear protection while reading (sunscreen, I mean).”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“A deliciously clever murder mystery drenched in scandal, satire, and sheer fun. Murder on Sex Island is an absolute riot from start to finish. I loved it!”—Joanna Wallace, author of You’d Look Better as a Ghost

“The perfect combination of three incredibly addictive ingredients: murder, reality television, and Jo Firestone’s brilliant comedic mind. Murder on Sex Island is a fun, fast-paced mystery that’s also jam-packed with hard jokes. I laughed out loud so many times reading it. Jo is a genius and my hero—there is truly nothing she cannot do.”—Taylor Tomlinson

“Comedian Firestone’s debut is hilariously absurd and over the top, showcasing Sex Island as a nightmare fantasy world . . . Luella is a fantastic and funny narrator whose can-do attitude frequently places her in bizarre and dangerous situations. With a long list of suntanned suspects, the true identity of the killer remains a mystery right up until Luella puts the pieces together. This silly and surreal cozy mystery is truly unlike anything else.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A hilarious cozy . . . Firestone scores major points with her outrageous premise, laugh-out-loud one-liners, and fast-paced plot. It’s a tropical blast of sun, sex, and sleuthing.”—Publishers Weekly

“A clever, broadly funny mystery . . . Fast-paced fun that will appeal to fans of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan and Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Meddelin Chan.”—Library Journal, starred review

Hilarious

Hilarious. Fresh. Smart. With enough depth and warmth to make it a meaty, enjoyable read. Audiobooks narrated by the author often don’t work - I had no doubt this would not be the case with Jo Firestone, and her excellent narration adds a lot to the read.

Such a Fun Read!

I loved this book! Highly recommend. It took me a bit to get used to the narrator’s voice but once I did I loved the rest.

Fast paced, hilarious and suspenseful

Love Jo Firestone - this was a very fun, entertaining listen. Can’t wait for her next book.

More Luella please

I loved this book! It’s funny and intriguing. I hope there’s another adventure for Luella Van Horne

Narration was fantastic.

The story was so kitche and fun with all of the detective whodunit beats but dripping with satire and quirkiness.