Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Lavender House

It's the 1950s, and an ex-cop who was just fired for being gay get hired to investigate a murder in a place that is secretly full of queer people. I thought the mystery was interesting and the main character was developed well through his internal conflicts. He has guilt over not doing more to help queer people when he was a cop, and he's also conflicted about finding the murderer in the first queer chosen family he's ever seen. There is some graphic homophobia portrayed in this story, but it's not just there for the sake of the setting. It serves a purpose in showing us how characters react to it.

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lovelyandmorbid's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Gay PI mystery is one of my fave micro genres, can't wait for the next book, please rec more books like this to me.

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kj468's review

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1.5

I did not like this; it did not make me feel good. I probs should have known better than to read a story about an ex cop (who JUST stopped being a cop), especially during a time when homosexual acts were illegal. Police brutality is graphic and discussed too much for my comfort. I didn’t love any of the characters. The method of murder was interesting, but that was the most interesting part of the mystery. The whodunit part was lackluster.

It’s a mystery, so obviously I wasn’t expecting the vibes of a romance novel, but they were still darker than I prefer. Other people with different tastes will probably like this better; good on them.

Also — I found it really boring and only finished to see the resolution of the murder plot, skimming the last 40% of the book. I genuinely wish I had dnf’d at lie 10% — or better yet, page two when he’s having suicidal thoughts. I stuck it out mainly because 1) I bought the book and 2) I read and loved another book by the author (Camp) so I had some misguided trust in the author.

Cw for graphic violence, police brutality, pervasive homophobia throughout the whole book, injury (due to police violence), and suicidal thoughts.

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craftyhilary's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This slow burn mystery is rife with the homophobia of the period and centers the challenges faced by its predominantly queer characters. The keen despair of disgraced former police officer Andy Mills, recruited to investigate the death of the wealthy matriarch Irene Lamontaine, is hard to bear, as is the emotional and physical violence he and others experience both on page and off. But the payoff is well worth it, and I am excited to see what the future holds for this series.

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livelaughlavalamp's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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