BOOK REVIEW: Lavender House

Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen

Lavender House cover

Noir meets 1950s gay clubs meets found family in this thrilling new addition to Lev A.C. Rosen's repertoire. With the sequel coming out this year (!), now is the perfect time to head back into America's alleged golden days to catch a killer.

Andy Miller has only ever wanted two things: to be a cop and to keep his rendezvous with other men a secret. His cover is blown when he is caught, quite literally, with his pants down by his police colleagues. Fired for breaking the laws against homosexuality, Andy is on the verge of hopelessness when a new opportunity waltzes into his life and sits next to him at a dive bar. Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire, has been murdered, and her widow wants answers. Andy is the only person she trusts to find them.

Andy has no idea what to expect when he agrees to take the case at Lavender House. There, he meets a family unlike any has ever known: Irene's son, Henry, and his partner Cliff; Margo, Henry's legal wife and her girlfriend Elise; three household staff; and Margo's mother, Alice. No one in the house wants to face the truth - that someone among them might have killed Irene.

And they might kill again.

Lavender House was so much better than I expected. Though I've long been a fan of mysteries, Lavender House gripped me in a way that most thrillers don't. The gilded cage of the Lamontaine mansion - both a haven from an unaccepting society and a sort-of prison for those within - created a fantastic setting for intrigue. I suspected most of the characters at one point or another and loved Andy's narration. I was engaged from start to finish! Good queer historical fiction is tough to come by, and Lavender House will likely be a re-listen for me.

Book or Audio?

Per usual, I listened. I really enjoyed the reader, and the chapters seemed to fly by. I was able to finish this one over a weekend.

Overall:

Gayness: almost all characters, plus a lavender marriage

Trauma scale ranging from low stakes to trauma porn: 7/10

My rating: 7.5/10