I am a big fan of Ms. Viets' prior series so I was excited to read this start to a new series. Unfortunately, I didn't really like any of the characters enough that I would want to continue.

Norah owns the historic Florodora apartments with an eclectic group of tenants. For years developers have tried to get their hands on the property, to no avail. An adult film star has been persistent about wanting to rent the vacant apartment and Norah has stuck to her guns that she would not be a good fit at the Florodora. Her parting words would be that she would rent this person an apartment "over my dead body, or better yours." So when this same person turns up dead on the property, Norah is the number one suspect. Coupled with finding a second body on the premises, Norah has to find out whodunit to save her beloved Florodora.

The cast of characters is certainly eclectic, which Viets is quite good at. I did not really care for Norah, who struck me as a poor little rich girl. While I appreciated her gumption to save her apartment building and her grandmother's legacy, there was nothing particularly striking that made me want to like her. I also thought her investigation of the murders was too far fetched to be realistic, since she did not have a good relationship with the detective and these random people she is questioning all seem to get angry and want her dead too.

My thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC.

In Elaine Viets' Sex and Death on the Beach (A Florida Beach Mystery #1), Norah McCarthy's quirky Florida apartment building, the Florodora, becomes a crime scene when the body of adult film star Sammie Lant is unearthed near the courtyard pool. Norah, who had a public argument with Sammie, quickly becomes the prime suspect. The discovery of a second body, seemingly connected to Norah's tragic past, further complicates the investigation. As Norah navigates eccentric residents and a clever plot that keeps the reader guessing, she must clear her name and uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath the sunny facade of South Florida.

Norah's interactions with her eccentric neighbors, from gossiping retirees to aspiring artists, add layers and unexpected twists to the investigation. The Florodora with its vintage charm and hidden histories provide a perfect backdrop for the story. This was an entertaining story with an unforgettable array of eccentric characters.

I would recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries who appreciate strong, relatable female characters, a touch of humor, and a distinctive setting like the intriguing Florodora. Sex and Death on the Beach is a strong start to the Florida Beach Mystery series, and I eagerly anticipate the next book!

Thank you to Severn House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me access this book!

Very much a chaotic and Florida-worthy cast and plot. I loved the references to Florida men and Florida women that I suspect were actual headlines from real life, not just the headlines in the book. Some of the more dramatic moments were a little hard to swallow given how silly some of the characters/build up to drama had been, but an ultimately enjoyable romp. The main character is quite hotheaded and sometimes acts in ways that are frustrating, but also feel realistic for someone dealing with the police and threats to her life and family/friends.

If a sequel were released, I would probably read it, especially if we get to spend more time learning about the residents of the Florodora.

4.5⭐ rounded up
Years ago, I read and enjoyed many books in Viet's other two series (Dead End Jobs and Mystery Shopper.) And after reading the first in her new series, I think this new one is my favorite. Great premise. Norah McCarthy inherited the Florodora Apartment building from her feisty and flamboyant grandmother. As there are a limited number of apartments, each tenant is specially chosen to fit in. And the criterion is being a Florida man or woman..IYKYK. When the body of an aging porn star is discovered in a pit by the pool, Norah goes on the offensive to keep herself out of jail. Clever with great characters. Can't wait for the next one. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the body of adult film star Sammie Lant is discovered buried near Norah McCarthy's apartment complex, she instantly becomes the prime suspect. Their past argument, coupled with Sammie's last public appearance, casts a dark shadow on Norah. However, the discovery of more bodies with links to Norah's past throws the investigation into disarray. The suspense builds as the question arises: is the killer closer than Norah thinks? Viets masterfully weaves a tale of suspense, leaving the reader guessing until the very end.

I want to start off my saying I really dislike giving bad / low ratings but this book was not for me

While this book was quirky with some entertaining characters, I just couldn’t get into it. The story left choppy and odd at times and I really didn’t care too much about anything that was happening

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Sex and Death on the Beach: A Florida Beach Mystery is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Elaine Viets. Filled with a host of colorful and eccentric characters, a great setting, a couple of mysteries, and plenty of humor, the result is a really good and highly entertaining cozy style mystery. All too soon the read is over leaving one wanting more.

Norah McCarthy owns and operates the apartment building known to all as “The Florodora.” Inherited from her grandmother, Norah keeps the traditions surrounding the building alive and well. This happens even though developers want the place and there are issues with upkeep of the building and the grounds. The place is over one hundred years old. That means history is everywhere inside and outside of the building. Located in Peerless Point, Florida, a beach town between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the place is full of a cast of characters who are renters and also family.

History is important and part of everything at The Florodora, but the kind of history that has been just uncovered is the kind of history that Norah McCarthy could really do without. The pool is broken. Again. The Sykes brothers have been using a mini excavator to tear up the courtyard so that they can get to the pipe problem. Again. They still have not gotten to the pipe, but the work is done for now.

They have found a buried body.

All indications are that the body is of Sammie Lant. A notorious porn star who had recently been riding a wave of publicity built on her riding a certain college athlete on the beach. The video went viral and the public went crazy.

She also had tried to rent an apartment at The Florodora only to have Nora McCarthy emphatically tell her no. Sammie had tried again two more times and had gotten nastier each time. The last time, back in April five months ago, the two women had a very loud and very public argument which had resulted in the police being called. Eventually, a local cop, Jordan DeMille, escorted Sammie off the property as Sammie loudly complained that Norah had threatened her life.

She had.

Now Sammie lies dead in a hole near the pool at The Florodora. As it happens, the same cop who heard Norah threaten Sammie months ago is a Detective. Norah, who is worried that one of her residents might have done the dead, never thought of herself as a suspect. In the eyes of Detective Jordan Demille and other members of the Peerless Point Police, she most definitely is a suspect. Not the only one, but a suspect of significant importance.

Now Sammie is dead and buried on her property and that is a huge problem. If only Liam and Lester hadn’t found the body. But, they did, and the media is soon all over everything and hounding residents. With things getting worse by the hour and day, and DeMille and crew seemingly focused on her, it isn’t surprising that Norah starts investigating as best as she can. The goal, with a little help from her friends, is to clear her good name and restore peace and tranquility for all at The Florodora.

Way easier said than done.

Sex and Death on the Beach: A Florida Beach Mystery is a highly entertaining cozy mystery read. Plenty of eccentric characters, a complicated backstory, and lots of action and suspense make the read a real page turner. This fast read with plenty of humor hooks the reader into various mysteries, past and present, and gradually reveals them all. Strongly recommended.



Published by Severn House, I picked up my reading copy via NetGalley without any expectation of a review. I went and got the book last week after I read the guest post by Elaine Viets for my blog where she provided the first chapter.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

This one was just not for me. COVID was a difficult time for everyone, and politics are always a touchy subject, so both of these things being central to this book just wasn't a hit.

Elaine Viets delivers a fresh, witty mystery in Sex and Death on the Beach, set against a unique and vividly drawn coastal backdrop. With a cast of quirky, memorable characters and a smartly written plot full of twists and red herrings, this book keeps the pages turning. (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own..) Viets’ signature charm and sharp storytelling make this a standout read—fun, clever, and thoroughly entertaining.

Elaine Viets wrote one of my favorite cozy mystery series of all time so you know I am excited for her latest series! Norah McCarthy is definitely a worthy narrator and I am excited for more in this series. The setting is great and it reads just like a classic Elaine Viets cozy mystery! You won't be disappointed!

Sex and Death on the Beach comes out next week on June 3, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

If you drive past the Florodora on South Ocean Drive, you'll see the old white apartment building looks much the same as it did during the roaring Twenties. It's shaded by palm trees and surrounded by a coral rock wall with purple bougainville spilling over the top. The Florodora is set back from the sidewalk by a courtyard cooled with a jungle of tropical plants.

The courtyard's centerpiece is a swimming pool with a flirty Twenties' bathing beauty in mosaic on the bottom. Most days you'll find the apartment's carefully curated collection of misfits sunning themselves by the pool.

This one wasn’t for me. I almost never DNF books, but I came really close with this one with the line “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saved the day in the Sunshine State” when referring to removing Covid restrictions in May 2020. I wasn’t enjoying the book to begin with, but that completely took me out of it.

I went into this one expecting a Melrose Place type murder mystery, about a building’s residents, and it ended up being more like the Melrose Place reboot that got canceled before the first season even finished.

I've been a fan of Viets and was looking forward to this but no. Not interested in politics about COVID. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fantastic thriller novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

DNF... The author's bullet-list approach to infodump right from page one cost it any good will I had going in and killed my interest right off the bat. Seeing other reviews talking about this book's praising of Ron DeSantis's handling of the COVID pandemic definitely doesn't give me any hope that this may get better. I'm out.

When the body of adult film star Sammie Lant is found buried next to the courtyard pool of the Florodora, Norah McCarthy’s apartment complex, she quickly becomes the police’s prime suspect.
Norah was witnessed having an argument with Sammie six months ago, the last day Sammie was seen alive – the day she gained notoriety for a shocking public stunt with a college football player.
But events take an even darker turn when more remains are unearthed – ones with an apparent connection to Norah’s tragic past. Is it pure coincidence that more than one person was buried by Norah’s pool? And is the killer closer to home than she thinks?

This was an easy read but didn’t set the pulse racing. It felt like there was a lot of padding of the story. Characters who were there but had no real role in the story. It was okay which is the most I can say about it. I found it a bit tedious at times.

From the first page to the finale, I was immersed in all aspects, quickly becoming a page-turner as I had to know how this was going to end. In this well-written drama with a solidly wicked plot, we are introduced to Norah and her tenants --an eccentric and quirky group that will have you wanting to reside in the Florodora. The mystery was staged to include a pool of suspects floating with clues that would rise to the surface and the determination of our main protagonist to solve this crime. Friendship, idiosyncratic *family* dynamics, humor, and playfulness were in abundance in the telling of this tale. There were a few twists and turns which added to how well this story was being told. With visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue, I felt like I was in the middle of all the action while rooting for Norah and her friends. Overall, this was an enjoyable and fun book to read and a nice whodunit.

The story begins as a playful and lighthearted tale, but evolves it evolved quickly into an intriguing story that explorer the dynamics of an unconventional family.The authors skillful storytelling weaves together. multiple Characters creating a rich and immersive reading experience.
It seems like multiple individuals may have met there demise in Noah's pool. As investagation continues it seems l the may be closer to home than believed.Thanks Tom
net galley and Elaine Viets for the opportunity to read and review this book which publishes 6/3/2025.

One thing I have learned about the types of books I enjoy reading is that they are typically actual crime books. This, however, was a book that was such a good read. It allowed me to imagine that it was an actual crime book and was hard to put down. For those who love the show Dexter, this book reminded me a great deal of it. I'm eager to receive the book and reread it this summer.

DNF’d at 40% as soon as I read the false narrative “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saved the day in the Sunshine State. In May 2020, DeSantis removed many of the worst restrictions.”
Do NOT applaud that Governor’s careless behavior when COVID deaths were spiking at such an early time in the pandemic. I’d hardly call that “saving the day.” And saying “worst restrictions” implies negativity when those restrictions were in place for a reason and very much needed for prevention.

Thank you #NetGalley for the eARC of #SexandDeathontheBeach by Elaine Viets!

Florida, am I right? The sun is blazing, the neighbors are eccentric, and apparently, there are bodies buried under your pool. This first installment in the Florida Beach Mystery series is a chaotic, cozy whodunit.

Norah McCarthy never asked to be the murder suspect of the week, but when an adult film star is discovered buried in the courtyard of her inherited apartment complex—Florodora—she’s suddenly in the hot seat. As if that weren’t enough, another body turns up, dragging Norah’s own haunted past into the spotlight. Now she’s playing detective to clear her name.

The plot isn’t the twistiest ever, and some of the humor is a bit corny, but Norah is witty and grounded, and the setting is quintessential Florida.