Title: Lavender House
Author: Lev AC Rosen
Publisher: Tor Forge
Length: 288 Pages
Category: Historical (1950s), Murder Mystery
Rating: 4 Stars
At a Glance: I’m not sure what the author’s plans are for Andy, but the Evander Mills Mysteries seems like a great title for a series, and Andy is a character I’d happily get to know better in the process.
Content Note: Suicidal Thoughts
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret—but it’s not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they’ve needed to keep others out. And now they’re worried they’re keeping a murderer in.
Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept—his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.
Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He’s seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn’t extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.
When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.
Review: The publisher notes that Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House “is Knives Out with a queer historical twist,” which sets up some significant expectations. As I was reading this book, I no doubt sensed some of those Knives Out vibes with the family dynamic, but it falls short as a true comparison. Evander “Andy” Mills is no Benoit Blanc, lacking his delightful quirks and abundance of charm. This book is also exceedingly more sober than darkly humorous. That said, ignoring the comparison, Lavender House stands well on its own right.
Soap heiress, Irene Lamontaine, has died in what appears on the surface to be an unfortunate accident. Her wife, Pearl, isn’t confident that’s the case, though, and is determined to unveil the truth, which is why she hires Andy to investigate Irene’s death—much to the disapproval of her family. Andy is the ideal man for the job, however, considering the secrets harbored within Lavender House’s walls. Pearl and Irene’s home became a safe-haven in which to build a family, a queer family who had to abide by society’s rules outside the grounds of the estate, but within could live and love freely with their chosen partners. It might have been a sort of Utopia, given the time period, but like any family, they had their fair share of friction, not to mention a healthy distrust of outsiders.
Andy’s utterly decimated reputation after being caught in flagrante in a bathroom—by the very men he thought he could trust to have his back, though being gay proved to be a bridge too far—complicates his investigation. Word travels fast and if not for the kindness of a stranger, he’d have been denied a key piece of evidence that proves Pearl’s suspicions have substance to them. It’s not the how, then, it’s the why that becomes the mystery. The unfortunate comparison to Knives Out means the perpetrator is obvious, despite the red herrings, but Rosen’s writing is engaging enough to forgive the “spoiler”.
I’m not sure what the author’s plans are for Andy. Lavender House isn’t listed as book one of a series, but it’s written as though it could be. The mystery is solved at the end, so I don’t mean that in a cliffhanger way. It’s simply that the Evander Mills Mysteries seems like a great title for a series, and Andy is a character I’d happily get to know better in the process. He has seen glimpses of a future where there wasn’t one before (CONTENT NOTE for suicidal thoughts), one in which he might even find someone to spend it with. I’d very much like to read that.
You can buy Lavender House here:
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