A review by bibliomania_express
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

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

4.0

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen is a murder mystery set in the 1950s, where a queer, ex-inspector is hired to uncover the truth about the death of a soap tycoon. At the titular Lavender House, the Lamontaine family lives openly queer lives - but only within its walls. But Irene's death casts suspicion on everyone in the family. 

Rosen does an excellent job evoking the brutality of the 1950s and the importance of queer communities. Evander "Andy" Mills starts out isolated, ready to drink his life away after he's caught in a queer club and fired from his job. At Lavender House, he starts to feel a part of the community, and discovering who he is. I liked that this book touches on lots of different family experiences, and the toll hiding can take. 

On the murder mystery front, I enjoyed Andy as a detective. He's smart and tenacious, asking tough questions and drawing out secrets. With this being an isolated, closed-circle mystery, the murderer was rather obvious, somehow so much so that I initially discounted them, but it really couldn't have been anyone else. Still, there were interesting touches and some surprises. 

I'm very interested to read the next book and see what happens with Andy next.
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