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devh8su's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A complicated murder mystery that’s full of eccentric characters. The majority of characters in the story are LGBTQ+ and either have a privileged background or come from a difficult upbringing or challenged life they want to escape in one way or another. There are strong themes of learning to live authentically and finding acceptance that doesn’t come with too high a cost.
The story is set in the 1950’s and I thought the author, Lev AC Rosen, did a fantastic job creating the perfect atmosphere for this tale of murder and suspense. The main character is former San Francisco police officer, Evander Mills, struggling to find a new career after being released from the police force when his homosexuality was discovered. Evander is hired by a wealthy family to investigate privately the suspicious death of their matriarch and his character feels like that smart and reliable gumshoe from the early part of the 20th Century. He’s a very likable guy doing his best to solve the murder mystery regardless of any buried family secrets that may come to light.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Vikas Adam, was just perfect as the voice of Evander and they carried the overall tone of the story beautifully.
The story is set in the 1950’s and I thought the author, Lev AC Rosen, did a fantastic job creating the perfect atmosphere for this tale of murder and suspense. The main character is former San Francisco police officer, Evander Mills, struggling to find a new career after being released from the police force when his homosexuality was discovered. Evander is hired by a wealthy family to investigate privately the suspicious death of their matriarch and his character feels like that smart and reliable gumshoe from the early part of the 20th Century. He’s a very likable guy doing his best to solve the murder mystery regardless of any buried family secrets that may come to light.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Vikas Adam, was just perfect as the voice of Evander and they carried the overall tone of the story beautifully.
mweis's review against another edition
3.5
*I received an audio review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
It feels weird saying that this was a fun book because it is a murder mystery and it deals with some very heavy themes, but I did really enjoy it.
Lavender House is a queer historical murder mystery, set in 1952 San Francisco following Evander Mills who until recently had been a detective with the SFPD but was fired and evicted when he was caught in a raid on a gay bar and outed.
Personally, I found the mystery aspect of this novel to be fairly middle of the road. It is a fairly slow narrative and I didn't find the resolution to be that shockin; however, I loved all of these characters. Andy was such an interesting character to follow and I loved his journey throughout this book. From where he starts to his reaction upon learning about the family in Lavender House to where he ends up, it was such an evolution and the ending sort of sets up for potential sequels and I would love to see more of him and some potential cameos of characters from this book.
I also really loved the thematic unpacking of queerness in this book. Throughout the book we see Andy grappling with how to move on from his traumatic outing and we see how the residents of Lavender House feel about their situations (living openly queer at home but still needing to hide outside) and we see how Andy reacts to their lives. This story does not shy away from the homophobia and violence of the time period and it asks some interesting questions about queernesss in that era and I really hope we get to see more of it.
I also loved the audio narration. Vikas Adam is one of my favorite narrators and I thought he really brought to life the gritty noir detective feeling without being too over the top.
It feels weird saying that this was a fun book because it is a murder mystery and it deals with some very heavy themes, but I did really enjoy it.
Lavender House is a queer historical murder mystery, set in 1952 San Francisco following Evander Mills who until recently had been a detective with the SFPD but was fired and evicted when he was caught in a raid on a gay bar and outed.
Personally, I found the mystery aspect of this novel to be fairly middle of the road. It is a fairly slow narrative and I didn't find the resolution to be that shockin; however, I loved all of these characters. Andy was such an interesting character to follow and I loved his journey throughout this book. From where he starts to his reaction upon learning about the family in Lavender House to where he ends up, it was such an evolution and the ending sort of sets up for potential sequels and I would love to see more of him and some potential cameos of characters from this book.
I also really loved the thematic unpacking of queerness in this book. Throughout the book we see Andy grappling with how to move on from his traumatic outing and we see how the residents of Lavender House feel about their situations (living openly queer at home but still needing to hide outside) and we see how Andy reacts to their lives. This story does not shy away from the homophobia and violence of the time period and it asks some interesting questions about queernesss in that era and I really hope we get to see more of it.
I also loved the audio narration. Vikas Adam is one of my favorite narrators and I thought he really brought to life the gritty noir detective feeling without being too over the top.
mweis's review against another edition
3.75
*I received an audio review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
It feels weird saying that this was a fun book because it is a murder mystery and it deals with some very heavy themes, but I did really enjoy it.
Lavender House is a queer historical murder mystery, set in 1952 San Francisco following Evander Mills who until recently had been a detective with the SFPD but was fired and evicted when he was caught in a raid on a gay bar and outed.
Personally, I found the mystery aspect of this novel to be fairly middle of the road. It is a fairly slow narrative and I didn't find the resolution to be that shockin; however, I loved all of these characters. Andy was such an interesting character to follow and I loved his journey throughout this book. From where he starts to his reaction upon learning about the family in Lavender House to where he ends up, it was such an evolution and the ending sort of sets up for potential sequels and I would love to see more of him and some potential cameos of characters from this book.
I also really loved the thematic unpacking of queerness in this book. Throughout the book we see Andy grappling with how to move on from his traumatic outing and we see how the residents of Lavender House feel about their situations (living openly queer at home but still needing to hide outside) and we see how Andy reacts to their lives. This story does not shy away from the homophobia and violence of the time period and it asks some interesting questions about queernesss in that era and I really hope we get to see more of it.
I also loved the audio narration. Vikas Adam is one of my favorite narrators and I thought he really brought to life the gritty noir detective feeling without being too over the top.
It feels weird saying that this was a fun book because it is a murder mystery and it deals with some very heavy themes, but I did really enjoy it.
Lavender House is a queer historical murder mystery, set in 1952 San Francisco following Evander Mills who until recently had been a detective with the SFPD but was fired and evicted when he was caught in a raid on a gay bar and outed.
Personally, I found the mystery aspect of this novel to be fairly middle of the road. It is a fairly slow narrative and I didn't find the resolution to be that shockin; however, I loved all of these characters. Andy was such an interesting character to follow and I loved his journey throughout this book. From where he starts to his reaction upon learning about the family in Lavender House to where he ends up, it was such an evolution and the ending sort of sets up for potential sequels and I would love to see more of him and some potential cameos of characters from this book.
I also really loved the thematic unpacking of queerness in this book. Throughout the book we see Andy grappling with how to move on from his traumatic outing and we see how the residents of Lavender House feel about their situations (living openly queer at home but still needing to hide outside) and we see how Andy reacts to their lives. This story does not shy away from the homophobia and violence of the time period and it asks some interesting questions about queernesss in that era and I really hope we get to see more of it.
I also loved the audio narration. Vikas Adam is one of my favorite narrators and I thought he really brought to life the gritty noir detective feeling without being too over the top.
harussell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
bookish_riz's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
candiecane333's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Cozy mystery, interesting storyline & setting. Was a little slow & not super easy to predict early on
socolorfull's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I'm not a big fan of mystery novels. The characters are always somewhat two dimensional and 9 times out of 10 the mystery is not all that mysterious. But maybe if the P.I. is a gay cop, that might be a little more interesting right?
Eh. Not really. The book tries to mix in sentimental, sweet tidbits of found family in between a very formulaic murder mystery and it felt too forced for me to really enjoy it.
All that said, I do think murder mystery fans will like this one. It's just not for me.
Listened to it on Audiobook, and the narrator was great!
Eh. Not really. The book tries to mix in sentimental, sweet tidbits of found family in between a very formulaic murder mystery and it felt too forced for me to really enjoy it.
All that said, I do think murder mystery fans will like this one. It's just not for me.
Listened to it on Audiobook, and the narrator was great!
symbra9's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0