Lavender House is a historical fiction novel following the murder of the rich owner of a soap company. With an entirely queer cast and a twisty, creepy mystery, this is one not to be missed!

Lavender House first attracted me with the beautiful cover, but it kept me hooked with vivid characters, an immersive setting, and a mystery that just keeps you guessing. Overall, I gave it four stars: Very good, but not quite perfect.
In Lavender House, we follow Andy, who has just been fired from his police job after being caught at a raid on a gay bar. In 1950s San Francisco, this has the potential to be not only career threatening, but life threatening. While dealing with the aftermath of this, he is approached by a woman who wants him to investigate what she believes to be a murder. She knows why he's been fired, but doesn't mind: the deceased was her wife. Andy takes the job and is instantly swept into a family full of flawed, sometimes volatile people who love each other very much. I saw bits of my own faults-and strengths- in many of the characters and found them to be realistic and believable.
The themes that reoccurred throughout the story were impactful. I found Andy's musings on the concept of family, pretend happiness, secrets, and taking risks to be relatable. The messaging was just a smidge heavy-handed at times, but managed to stay endearing for me. The story as a whole is quite cozy. It isn't full of shocking twists or particularly intense action; the focus is on the residents of the house. Each of them have their secrets and Andy is tasked with discerning which of these secrets are relevant to the murder at hand.
I am not a person who usually has a vivid mental image as I'm reading a book, but something about Rosen's descriptions enabled me to visualize much better than usual. I really enjoyed the details of character's outfits and mannerisms, but I could see how it would seem to slow the story down for some.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this--as well as listen to it! The audiobook narrator did a lovely job as well.

- LAVENDER HOUSE is a wholly unique book: murder mystery, gothic tale, queer historical fiction, and explorations of how much you're willing to give up for safety, along with what you owe others vs looking out for only yourself.
- Every time I opened this book the world around me completely disappeared and I sank fully into Lavender House and the people in it. Each character was fighting their own internal battles and I felt for them all.
- I think avid mystery readers will probably figure out whodunnit, but even once I got it, I was still on the edge of my seat watching it all play out.

While historical fiction is not my usual genre, I grabbed this one as it was a queer historical fiction of which we never have enough. Coming out and living freely is never really easy, especially in the 1950’s when there were no rights, Where gossip was enough to ruin a teachers career or fell a politician. Andy knows this only too well - as a police officer he was recently caught in a regular pre-Stonewall bar raid, lost his job and is now emotionally and physically adrift. Approached by an eccentric widowed woman looking into the death of her partner, a matriarch of a beauty product company he discovers Lavender House, a freewheeling and heartwarming community where people lived openly living authentic lives. It’s being described as a gay Knives Out, which is fine, if it garners more interest and more readers. Heartbreaking at times, I immersed myself into a time period when I was a young child, and was grateful I now live openly but now in an era when I could easily become hounded again.

Lavender House is a bingeable read that I couldn’t put down.

Rosen’s characters are complex, compelling, and offer readers a plain and devastating look at what it was like to be queer in 1950’s America. There was a strong theme of accountability throughout the story, with the message never feeling heavy-handed. Going hand in hand with that are explorations into the mentality that blending in with your persecutors will provide the ultimate protection, and the idea that freedom can sometimes end up as yet another kind of cage.

Readers who enjoy the found family trope will get great satisfaction out of this story, which proves that blood isn’t always everything. Sometimes- a lot of times- family is something that you have to make for yourself. The mystery aspect of the story played out well, and Rosen did a fair job of keeping me second-guessing my suspicions until they were ready to make the answer too obvious to ignore.

If you enjoy historical novels or whodunits (or both), and are always on the lookout for more LGBTQ+ representation, then you really can’t go wrong with Lavender House.

3.5. I enjoyed Lavendar House. At the start, the author bangs us over the head with the fact that gay people had to remain hidden in the 1950s. But, point taken. As the mystery moves along, relationships are built, found family is explored, and I really grew to love each character. The end was satisfying and the door seems to be left open for more books with Andy. Definitely recommend for fans of noir and locked room mysteries.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. I enjoyed this mystery - such a noir feel to it. I am hoping that this is just the first in a series. I love books like this - well written, great storyline and fascinating characters. I will be recommending this book!

E-ARC generously provided to me by Macmillan/Tor-Forge in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4 stars. Perfumed with intrigue and scented with secrets, Lavender House is a compelling if a bit predictable queer historical mystery.

It's 1952, and Andy Mills is hired to investigate the death of Irene Lamontaine, the head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. At the surface, it seems like her death is an accident. But her wife thinks otherwise. After being fired from the San Francisco Police Department for being caught in a raid on a gay bar, Andy will take whatever cases he can get.

However, the little queer oasis the Lamontaine family has carverd out for themselves holds dark secrets. While they might be hidden from the rest of the society and able to be themselves, something more sininster might be going on. And it's up to Andy to figure out what.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for an advanced copy of Lavender House to review! I've read some of Lev AC Rosen's YA stuff, so I was interested in seeing how he moves to adult fiction. I am happy to say I wasn't disappointed!

This is being pitched as a queer, historical Knives Out, and I think that's the perfect description of this book. There's the murder mystery, things not quite like they seem on the surface. Before going in, know that there is a lot of homophobia depicted in this book, due to the time period its set in. The idea of a little queer oasis is fantastic, though. I'm sure this happened more than we think it did.

The characters are also really well written. Andy is a complicated protagonist, trying to figure out where to go now that he's been kicked out of the police force. There's a pretty large cast of characters, but they don't blend together like you might think they would. It's definitely a great book to read as we're right in the middle of spooky season.

All in all, if you love mysteries like Knives Out, you will probably thoroguhly enjoy this book!

Part mystery, part harshly honest queer historical fiction. I loved the concept and while the mystery didn’t knock my socks off, by the 30% mark I was there for the characters anyway. Great book.

Rosen is an American author who has written books for various age groups, his most recent being "Camp" which was an LGBTQ2+ romance. This new release is an historical mystery set in 1952. When Evander (Andy) loses his job as a cop after he is arrested (and beaten) at a gay club, he contemplated suicide. Instead he is hired by Pearl to look into the death of her 'wife', Irene, who was the head of a successful soap company. Andy is put up at their estate (Lavender House), which provides a safe haven for several gay couples to live freely, while masquerading as straight when out in the world. It should appeal to both the mystery fan and anyone interested in LGBTQ2+ fiction. This is a clever, somewhat cozy, mystery that also reveals the difficulties that gay people faced at that time.. I really enjoyed it.

I was so keen for Lavender House when I found out about it because queer historical mystery set in a house where basically no one ever leaves sounded like it promised a good, spooky time. Unfortunately that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lavender House was filled with characters who were completely interchangeable, and despite the narration being in first person, the MC was completely forgettable and tbh I barely remember his name.

There was also no mystery to speak of. Yes a woman died under mysterious circumstances but mystery novels are supposed to make you guess who it might be from the information given and lovely little red herrings and also INVESTIGATION. All the MC did was have little chats with everyone who lived at the house like he was just expecting them to confess to him 🥹 Considering he was a police investigator before taking the job at Lavender House he did exactly zero investigating.

There weren’t even any vibes to save this novel, and the way every queer man propositioned the MC after meeting him for the first time was tiresome. And so was the constant “I was a policeman to HELP people because I’m a GOOD PERSON” rhetoric.

All in all Lavender House was a bitter disappointment.

"A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.

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."

San Francisco, check, family legacy, check, queer historical twist, check, this is seriously checking all my boxes!

I liked this, but I didn't love it. I thought that the LGBTQ aspect would overshadow my distaste for historical anything, but unfortunately it did not. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the rep as a queer person myself, but the actual plot of the book was more akin to a cozy historical mystery and I just didn't love it. I can see where people will absolutely love this, it just wasn't really for me! This author is clearly talented, though, and I loved the LGBTQ+ rep, so I would love to check out more from them in the future!

Soap is dirty... you can't always wash away secrets it turns out, the bubble up somehow! (wink)
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen, thank you to TorForge/Macmillan for the review ebook. This is a fascinating story, one that was for me more character based than plot/mystery based. The noir vibe is strong and effective, the secondary characters engaging, quirky, and well developed, and the focus on queer identity and experiences is valuable and nuanced. I particularly appreciated the examination of being able to be yourself, be queer, in terms of how Evander found an openness to be both a detective and queer while investigating a murder in a way he could not be in when he was working for the police. There is a timely elegance to these themes.

I did though find the pacing to be a bit too slow for me at times, I lost interest in the mystery (never really felt sucked into that plot), and more interested in the characters and setting and interesting focus on soap. Not a criticism per se since this is a really atmospheric and well written story but more a comment for readers/potential readers looking for a noir or cozy mystery: this is a character/context study more than a mystery (in my opinion). I personally enjoyed the read once I let go of the mystery expectation and let the characters lead the way.

Recommended!

Book is objectively ok, I’m just not the audience for it. I probably should have suspected something was up when it was only tagged “Historical” and “LGBTQIA+”, despite the blurb calling the author “a new voice in suspense.” There’s a big difference for me between “suspense” and “cozy mystery,” and sadly this one leans more toward the latter, which I am sadly not a fan of.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Explicitly queer Clue meets Agatha Christie. This was a *ride.* The mystery part of the aspect was really fun but what really makes this book shine as opposed to others in the same genre is the fact that it's a queer historical fiction. Given the time period (early 1950s), there is content that is difficult to read so go into this with that expectation. That being said, I don't think it was too heavy handed and Lev AC Rosen handled the nuances of queer identity beautifully. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I absolutely loved this sharp murder mystery, with its gritty noir vibe that also incorporates a sensitive, often painful depiction of gay life in 1950s San Francisco. The mystery itself is clever and compelling, and the characters are well-developed and distinct. A must-read from a very talented author.

In an earlier time, when being gay was a sin and a crime, this story takes place. I will admit there are parts of this book, aspects of life in that time that were difficult to read and I usually don’t have trouble reading difficult topics.

Rosen does a fantastic job painting a picture of Lavender House and the extravagant acceptance that happens inside. It is a home and a safe haven for queer people, but it can also be a prison…

Lavender House is the home of Pearl and her wife Irene. Irene is the genius behind a soap empire, but she has fallen to her death and Pearl believes it may have been murder. She hires Evander “Andy” Mills, freshly exiled from the police force due to his predilection to the same sex, feeling that he is a safe bet to keep their lifestyle a secret, while still being able to get to the truth of what happened to her beloved.

I liked seeing Andy go from reserved and closed off in personality and fashion to more free while being in the house. It was a total transformation. I loved the odd dynamic between the many individuals living inside Lavender House. They are a big family of sorts and I really enjoyed them all, even if it took longer for me to warm up to some of them.

The way this story unfolds was so entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely!

This gave me Clue (1985) but queer(er) vibes and I ate it up. Everyone has also compared this to Knives Out but I am old and sticking to my Clue comparison.

I feel in love with Rosen's writing when I read Camp last year, and this go round had me falling even harder.

I love the idea of a safe haven for queer people in a time where no where else was publicly safe. Lavender House felt like somewhere you wanted to be, even with its quirks and flaws. Like a real family, these people were something else!

I found myself not wanting anyone to be the murderer because I felt so much for every person in the house. The characters were real, flawed, queer people just trying to get by and love the people the loved.

Evander (my love) was the perfect character to narrate this story. Hiding in plain sight, joining up with the enemy in hopes to keep his secret more closely guarded, or maybe just because he thought it was the safest route- I loved his journey to accepting it was the wrong move and that he'd been complicit in his life for too long.

The vibes, as the kids say, of this one are immaculate.