Atmospheric, thriller with an immersive plot that is part historical with a contemporary feel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this digital ARC.

I am a little late to the game but I really enjoyed Lavendar House. This historical fiction is set in San Francisco. After being removed from the police force for being caught in a gay bar, main character Andy finds refuge and friendship at the Lavendar House. He is invited by the matriarch of the Lavendar House to investigate the death of her wife. The Lavendar House is also centered around a soap making empire. This story is very quaint and there weren’t very many “twists” like a traditional mystery but good nonetheless. I am looking forward to the sequel.

This was a gripping historical fiction about lives that have often been pushed out of the limelight and the justice we all deserve. I really enjoyed how different types of people from the LGBT+ community were included in this found family, and the lengths people went to in order to honour their loved ones.

Agatha Christie? Knives Out? LGBTQ+? Sign me up! This book was everything and more. A queer mystery was just the cup of tea I needed when I read this. The main character was beautifully written with his quirks just like the rest of us. The plot developed so graciously in front of your eyes that everything just flowed and made sense. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. There was no point in reading this was I waiting for it to be done.

An absolute knockout mystery, with dynamic characters and a fully fleshed out historical setting. I am very hopeful this is the start to a new series!

I'm a huge supporter of any return to the who-dun-it, I think there's a big difference between a well foreshadowed ending and one that's predictable or boring. I want to be able to predict the end of a good mystery, it's not about not knowing the ending it's about how well the ending is executed. Lavender House works for me in a lot of ways because of that, the plot is a relatively straight forward mystery that comes to satisfying end. Not every mystery book needs a Gone Girl style twist, sometimes I do actually want to know what's coming and enjoy getting there.

The 50's setting added a pleasant bit of internal and external conflict, and it's an interesting decade to explore with a cast of queer characters. I don't know if the setting or Andy as a detective will be enough to carry this through another book or a whole series; frankly at least in this book Andy can be a bit bland, but if he gets fleshed out a bit more in book 2 he could be enjoyable to follow in the same way that Blanc and Poirot are.

Ok so I went into this book fully thinking this book was like YA fantasy for some reason? It is not. It is a queer historical fiction mystery?

Anyways, I thought this book was good! I enjoyed the main character although he did have his annoying moments. The cast of characters really was like a family (even though they often were at each other’s throats) and there was so much love and acceptance flowing through the relationships that were shown.

Overall, I think I would recommend this book to historical mystery fans? It’s not necessarily a cozy mystery, but it does have some elements that feel more cozy I think.

3.5 stars rounded up

Oh wow, I didn't expect to be finishing this one teary eyed and grateful for reading it the way I did tonight. This book was just what I needed when I least expected that I did and I hope that many, many others feel the same way I did about it.

Lavender House is a noir set in the early fifties and it's told through the eyes of a disgraced WWII vet turned police officer who looks up from the long descent he's been on since he left the force and everything he knew in life to meet the eyes of Pearl, a recently widowed stranger who wants to hire him to find out what happened to her wife.

You're going to go into this feeling like you're on familiar ground if you've read or watched much noir, but I assure you there are going to be many examples of unexpected and often very touching depth here. Lavender House is a house surrounded in secrets and mourning like many found in noir but it's also a home and the shelter of a very different sort of family, one that needs it's safety while feeling trapped by its walls. Who killed Irene and why? What cost will there be from her loss? Will these things undo them and Andy with them? There's a lot to unravel here and a whole cast of unique characters with several facets to who they are. I couldn't h ave asked for better from start to finish.

Lavender House is an excellent read for the right person. Rosen writes beautifully, and all the characters were very interesting. Several friends adored this one, but it was too graphically violent for me to finish. The violence made sense given the main character's situation and the time period, so I wouldn't call it gratuitous. Just not my cup of tea. I'm interested to try the author's next book.

This was a fun cozy mystery. While the actual mystery doesn't do anything entirely new, I thought the characters were what made this book shine. The inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in this historical story was new and fresh and effective.

A queer knives out. Perfectly on target. I’ve been looking for a queer pulpy/noirish detective story and this delivered in spades! Great mystery and atmosphere. The end feels like the groundwork for a series and I would be very pleased to see more of Andy’s adventures.

The Lavender House is billed as a queer "Knives Out" and apart from the fact that Lavender House is set in the 1950s, this is an apt description—a murder happens on an estate in which any and all of the inhabitants could be at fault, having both motives and opportunity to want the victim dead. Much of the activity takes place on the estate property itself, but not all of it. We also see glimpses of society at the time, particularly how dangerous it was to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. I found the story well-plotted and mystery compelling, and thought the scene-setting was vibrant, engaging all the senses (soaps and scents play a big part in the story). Definitely a recommended read!

An absolutely amazing gay noir- it was fun, mysterious, and chock full of genre tropes. Plus the queer lit requirement of a weird found family.

One of my favorite books of all time was written by Lev AC Rosen, Camp. I read it every year and I continue to enjoy it more and more. This one did not do it for me. It just dragged way too much and I didn’t care about the mystery by the end of it. I did love the writing and some of the characters but I was expecting so much more to the story.

In 1950s L.A., Andy is caught in a raid on a gay bar and loses his job as an inspector on the police force. Thinking his life is over now that his secret is out, Andy is approached by Pearl to investigate the death of her wife Irene Lamontaine, owner of a famous soap company. Andy agrees and finds himself at Lavender House, a queer household made up of Pearl and Irene, their son Henry and his partner Cliff, Henry’s wife, Margot and her mother Alice and frequent visitor Elsie, Margot’s girlfriend. Even all the staff are queer. But in this supposed haven, someone has likely committed murder.

I really enjoyed a book focused on queer lives in a time in which queerness had to be hidden away. This aspect of needing to hide one’s self from the outside world played a big part in the lives of each of the characters. Although there were a lot of people living in the house, I never felt confused about who was who. It’s a slow-burner of a mystery that spends a lot of time giving voice to each character and their struggles- without being simply about their traumas as queer people. There are many glimpses of love and joy alongside the hard stuff and the relationships feel authentic.

Wow I procrastinated so hard writing this review because I feel totally inadequate to have opinions but this is definitely one of my top books of the year and I'm not just saying that because the endpapers are incredible.

This book is a murder mystery a la Agatha Christie and the classic claustrophobic "the killer is one of us in this here house" trope- but make it queer. I loved the ensemble cast and I truly didn't know whodunit until it was revealed- but honestly Rosen could have resolved the book with any of the characters being the culprit and I wouldn't have cared because reading the book was just fun from start to finish.

There's some tough (and unfortunately still very relevant) content around being queer in the 50s, I don't want to make this book sound like start to finish sunshine and bubbles. However, I don't read many murder mysteries so it was a refreshing change of pace (Refreshing? See, that feels like the wrong word to use in juxtaposition with this book- I told you I'm not qualified to review this!), the writing was sharp, the vibes were spot on, and there were some grossly perfect ick moments.

Read this one.

Can't wait for THE SEQUEL!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

This is a really interesting concept that explores a time period that I don't see often in fiction. I don't normally read mysteries, but I'm glad I read this one.

A very unique mystery! I loved the setting of an estate of queer people hiding in plain sight as a wealthy soap empire in the 1950s. Queer historical mystery? Okayyy sign me up. I loved the narrator detective. I loved the way the mystery played out and I loved the characters!! Such a great message about found family too. If you like Agatha Christie style mysteries this one is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

A stunningly beautiful thriller! Fantastic Bay Area and San Francisco setting that worked perfectly for the Queerness of Lavender House. Quirky characters and lots going on I loved it.

*I received an Advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was the perfect mystery with your classic 1950s murder mystery vibes. It being described as a queer knives out definitely sold me on reading, and was 1000% accurate. Overall it was surprisingly cozy and a very fun read! I’m looking forward to any future installments!