4.5 stars
This book (and series) take place in San Francisco in the early 1950s when being gay isn't a crime but things like dancing and hand-holding between same-sex couples are. Evander "Andy" Mills was a police inspector until he was caught in a raid in a gay bar and fired. He now works as a PI for members of the gay community.

Rough Pages brings Andy back to Lavender House, a home where all the residents and staff are openly gay and keep each other's private lives a secret from the outside world. This is the first time Andy has been back in nine months and he does it as a favor to Pat who is the butler there and needs his help. Pat's friends own a bookstore that has a book service mailing gay titles to subscribers, which was illegal at the time. The friends, along with the mailing list, are missing from the store. If this list has fallen into the wrong hands, everyone on it could be in danger. Andy becomes involved in a risky search for the bookstore owners and the list. This storyline is suspenseful and full of surprises.

Like the other books in the series, Rough Pages has historical details about the times and what it was like for gay citizens. This book especially ramps up the tension and through Andy, we see how dangerous it was to be gay and never being able to relax and live your life the way you want. His romance with Gene is progressing, but Andy is always worried his actions will put both of them in danger. It's sad that the part of the story dealing with book bans is still all too relevant today. The mystery is suspenseful and the characters memorable. Each book could work as a standalone, but I'm glad I read all three in order so I could see Andy starting to embrace who he is and enjoy life. I highly recommend this book and this series and hope it continues!

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, Forge Books, and Tor Publishing. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

"Set in atmospheric 1950s San Francisco, Rough Pages asks who is allowed to tell their own stories, and how far would you go to seek out the truth.

Private Detective Evander "Andy" Mills has been drawn back to the Lavender House estate for a missing person case. Pat, the family butler, has been volunteering for a book service, one that specializes in mailing queer books to a carefully guarded list of subscribers. With bookseller Howard Salzberger gone suspiciously missing along with his address book, everyone on that list, including some of Andy's closest friends, is now in danger.

A search of Howard's bookstore reveals that someone wanted to stop him and his co-owner, Dorothea Lamb, from sending out their next book. The evidence points not just to the Feds, but to the Mafia, who would be happy to use the subscriber list for blackmail.

Andy has to maneuver through both the government and the criminal world, all while dealing with a nosy reporter who remembers him from his days as a police detective and wants to know why he's no longer a cop. With his own secrets closing in on him, can Andy find the list before all the lives on it are at risk?"

A wonderful mystery that is sadly still very timely.

I had read the first 2 books in this series and was prepared to really like this one as well. And unfortunately I did not. The tone was very off and I did not feel myself being pulled in as much for this one as I had for the others.

From the first book in Lev AC Rosen’s Evander Mill’s series, I have adored the concept and look forward to new installments. The upcoming third novel, Rough Pages delivered above and beyond my expectations. Though he’s living his life more honestly at a personal level, Andy still struggles to come to terms with the threats he and those he cares for face every day – and with the number of people he cares about growing, his drive to protect those around him causes new tensions and frustrations. Looking into more ways the LGBTQ community was able to connect with one another while flying under the radar in the mid-20th century, Rough Pages continues to expand the world of the series with new characters joining established favorites and Andy finding more ways to keep his new business viable. Familiar faces from his past continue to threaten his future in new ways and while continuing to challenge what justice might look like.

It’s been several months since Evander “Andy” Mills started his detective business and as his reputation grows in the queer community grows, so does that business. What’s more, he’s taking fewer jobs looking into questions of fidelity and is instead helping to make opposite-sex matches for those who need a cover relationship to help insulate themselves from the inquiries of coworkers, family members, and others whose suspicions could expose the truth. But when Pat, the butler at Lavender House contacts Andy, desperate for help, Andy jumps at the chance to once again help those who supported him at his darkest hour. Their names are on a mailing list for a queer reading service and that list is missing, along with one of the owners of the local bookshop that runs the service. Pat fears the government has uncovered the nature of the material the bookshop has been sending out and that the feds might be coming for anyone on that list. As Andy investigates, it turns out other threats in the mix might prove more dangerous. There’s a nosy reporter willing to dig deep for a good story who starts shadowing Andy and it turns the missing bookshop owner has ties to members of the mob. Even if Andy manages to uncover the truth, will there be anything he can do to protect himself and those he cares about?

In the first two books of the Evander Mills series, Rosen pretty thoroughly established the professional, legal, and often physical threats those in the queer community faced as well as the emotional and mental damage of trying to suppress that part of themselves or hide that part of their lives. Andy spent so much of those first two books feeling the relief of acknowledging the truth of who he is and seeing it reflected and supported in ways he never imagined were possible. But the threat of exposure to the wrong people has also always hung over his head and in Rough Pages the tension between how important truth is and how dangerous it can be come to a satisfying clash with the introduction of the reporter character, Rose Rainmeyer. She embodies the ideation of the truth always being the most important thing but throughout her interactions with Andy, Rosen is able to highlight just how flawed that idea can be – the truth, after all, has consequences but the one exposing the truth isn’t necessarily the one who must live with those consequences. Where does the right to know something begin in contrast to the right to privacy or the right to personal safety?

That relationship between truth and consequences occupies a similar space to justice in Andy’s new role. While he too seeks to find the ultimate truth of a situation, what he does with that truth becomes increasingly dependent on the possible consequences of the truth being shared and who it is shared with. Because of the risks and who must bear them, agency in accepting them comes into play. While Andy is aware of the possible consequences, he isn’t always willing (or aware) of how often he undermines the agency of others when he makes his decisions. That acceptance of another’s agency is tied to trust which is where Andy is truly still developing and I can’t wait to see that develop even more as the series continues. He’s beginning to trust himself beyond just his investigative instincts and as that trust in himself grows, his trust in those around him blossoms too. But there will always be those where the trust is thin at best, especially with so much on the line and that’s part of what continues to make this series so compelling.

Rough Pages is available October 1. 2024.

This is the third book in the Evander Mills mysteries. This mystery series follows former San Francisco police officer Andy as he navigates his new life as a private investigator in the 1950s with an office above a gay bar that is owned by good friend and client, Elsie. You can certainly jump right into the series with this book since the mysteries are self-contained, but the recurring characters do have relationships that build over the series arc and I suggest you start with Lavender House.

This mystery finds Andy investigating the possibly missing owner of a bookstore frequented by Pat who works and lives at Lavender House. The family is worried about Howard because he also runs a mail order service sending queer titles through the mail using a mailing list. If that list of names falls into the wrong hands, it could mean blackmail or prosecution and possibly the loss of their newly adopted baby, Rina, since the family is still under the scrutiny of Mrs. Purley, the social worker who is evaluating the family for their appropriateness for adoption.

Once again, I immensely enjoyed the vivid characters and the relationships that they are developing over the course of this series. I love Andy’s friendship with Lee and his burgeoning romance with bartender Gene. The mystery of what happened to Howard and the mailing list had me curious and speculating throughout from mobsters to lovers and nosy reporters that turned up during Andy’s investigation.

Recommended to historical queer mystery lovers for the well-rounded community and complex characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forge Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

The third Evander Mills mystery has all the components of the first two: a troubled protagonist, found family, traumatic encounters with a homophobic culture, and a difficult to solve crime. This time Andy also has mafia and media to contend with. What I think works best about this series is that the slow and thoughtful (even plodding) detective work feels real, and that whatever mystery Andy is solving is maybe a third of the plot at best. These are books about family, fear, love, relationships, and prejudice. I had to read this in one day because I was so worried about the characters and how things would work out. I like how Rosen never wraps things up neatly. Bad guys are never uncomplicatedly evil, and good guys don't get an easy resolution. Andy, at the center of the novel, is constantly struggling to be a better person in a world that both frightens him and gives him fragile hope. His imperfections and his willingness to try make him a character we can both identify with (hopefully) and root for. I cried at the end. Another excellent entry in the series.

Rosen takes us back to 1950s San Francisco in another exciting entry in the Evander Mills series. The stakes in this mystery are personal and dangerous, driving the pace of the book forward and making it difficult to put down when the end of every chapter introduced another thrilling turn. Andy Mills gets involved with some dangerous people (for persepective, the mafia members seem downright amicable compared to others he comes up against). Rosen once more does a fantastic job of recreating the gay culture of the period, where homophobia can end jobs, relationships, and lives, but where queer people will still find ways to share their stories and find each other, creating pockets of the world where they can be themselves. The book-subscription mailing list warmed every bit of the historical-queer-book-culture part of my heart. This has been an enjoyable mystery series, and I'll always look forward to the next case.

Thank you Forge Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. More Evander Mills makes me so happy!! Andy is finally returning to Lavender House and all the occupants are happy to see him. The only thing is he didn’t return just to see them, Pat needed his help. In his free time Pat works for a book store where they ship queer books, an illegal act. And now the owners are missing. If someone finds out what they’ve been up to then all the Lamontaine’s could be in trouble. Andy sets out to find out where Howard and DeeDee , the bookstore owners, are at. But this case brings him closer to the Mafia and the FBI. Both dangerous entities for a gay detective to be around. When a dangerous person from his past returns things could be even more difficult for him and those he loves. Then there’s the reporter who believes in getting to the truth known matter the collateral damage. Can he save everyone he loves? Will he find Howard and DeeDee? Or is this the case that will come crashing down around him? My favorite thing about Lev Rosen’s books is that readers always get some historical knowledge about the queer community, something most of us have no clue about. And Evander’s series is full of historical knowledge about laws and treatment of the community during the 50’s. An old school detective who’s case all revolve around the queer community makes this read unputdownable, I finished the bulk of the book in one day! Plus I loved learning more about publishing books, especially small publishing, back then! I love that Rough Pages centers books, it added a level of intrigue for me! It’s also frustrating how much Andy and company have to let go. Because of the way the world worked then they didn’t have anyone they could turn to without having to worry that their worlds would burn. Fun, mysterious, historical, intriguing, heartbreaking, with a touch of romance! If you haven’t read this series then I highly recommend checking it out and you have time to read book 1 & 2 before this one comes out!!

Another interesting mystery set in 1950s San Francisco. As always I love all of the characters and always rooting for them to have a happy ending. The mystery in this one wasn’t as compelling as book 2, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. And the subplot with the reporter was excellent at depicting the constant fear that LGBT+ people lived in during this time period (and still do, in many parts of the world).

I love Rosen’s Evander Mills series. Lavender House was good. I liked The Bell in the Fog even better. Rough Pages takes the best elements of each and runs with it.

In our third book, Andy is asked to look into the disappearance of a queer bookstore owner whose mailing list could ruin a lot of lives if it falls into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, a reporter is interested in the case as well. Andy has to find the missing man, shake the reporter, and make sure nobody is outed in McCarthy-era San Francisco.

I love seeing the characters grow and Andy come out of his shell. Gene gets more time on page, and Pat makes a reappearance. The censorship plot line, timely as ever, is handled well without being bludgeoning the reader. It certainly makes me realize how incriminating my shelves (and Kindle) are.

Overall, I’m pleased with how the series is shaping up and looking forward to each new release.

CW: homophobia, racism

*slight spoilers for earlier books in the series*

I loved this book! My favourite in the series thus far.

In this installment we have Andy tracking down a missing bookseller, so may have gotten into trouble for selling and sending obscene materials through the mail. I don't know if this is super accurate with the post office (I assume it is?), but now, you can send whatever you want in the mail, as long as it's in an envelope; if the post office doesn't know what it is, it's none of their business.

I really loved how Andy continued to evolve as an out (or at least not actively hiding), queer man, as well as how his relationship with Gene is developing. I really appreciated Gene putting Andy in his place about his hero complex; not everyone needs to be saved by Andy Mills, despite him thinking they do.

I was also so happy to have the family from Lavender House back in this book. They felt like such an important catalyst to Andy's introduction to the queer community (in book one) and I had hoped that they would be in book two more than they were. It was great to catch up with them again and see how Andy can fit into their little family.

But, but, what I really loved about this book, is that it's a book about books. There are so many times that they are discussing the importance of books, especially queer books, and what they were saying is still SO relevant today (70+ years later). How it's important to see yourself in books, how you can learn about yourself from reading books, how books make you more empathetic towards others whose background you don't share, etc. This quote in particular is just so, SO good:

Pat laughs. “No, no, Andy. Books are dangerous.” I turn to him, surprised. “What?” “It’s just about who they’re dangerous to she was wrong about. She meant her, Howard maybe. If people are afraid of you reading a thing—a reporter, the mob, the government—that means they’re afraid of reading it too. Afraid of knowing what’s in the book, whether it be some personal secret, or just some story of love that could make someone feel less alone. Books are just as dangerous to the people who don’t want us to read them as they are to us. Because they make us less alone. They make us see ourselves. They make us realize what we deserve. And sometimes they make people who aren’t like us realize it, too. That’s why they’re dangerous. And that’s why we all have to live dangerously—so we keep reading them.”

I do have to say that the homophobia was especially difficult to read in this, even though I'm sure it's historically accurate. It's also a big part of the plot, so it kind of has to be there, but it was still super uncomfortable to read. Even though I really disliked reading it, I did really appreciate how Rosen wrote it, which probably sounds weird! He didn't write any slurs (Andy does refer to himself as an f-word, once) and one side character referred to an unnamed queer person as a fairy, but I think that if the language had been historically accurate, it would have likely been a lot worse. The same goes for the racism in the book; yes, folks in the early 50s were super racist, but no slurs were used.

I absolutely devoured this book, I actually read it almost in one sitting, which I haven't done for quite some time. Even though this one isn't out until October, I'm already hoping for a fourth book!

Surprising absolutely no one, this was such a fantastic book! This series, and Lev’s books in general, just so perfectly hit a blend of queer history and queer politics that I just cannot put the books down. And seeing a continuation of Andy’s story is just, I love the development and the relationships and the mysteries are always so good! This series just continues to improve and I cannot wait to see what’s next for Andy and his family and friends!

Andy and his crew make their return in this third entry into this post-war San Francisco noir series. After a long absence, Andy returns to his friends at the Lavender House. A new baby has arrived, but her place at the House is tenuous because of strict adoption protocols that would never place a child with an known homosexual, let alone a house full of them. When Pat, the butler, confesses to Andy that the whole family may be in danger due to a book club mailing list going missing, Andy takes the case pro bono to protect not only his friends, but an entire community. This book is a love letter to stories and a beautiful reminder of how important books are. For many people across generations, books were the often the first, and sometimes only, place people saw their queer identities reflected. Knowing you are not alone, knowing you are not bad or wrong, is an incalculably valuable experience that several characters mention throughout the book. The themes in this book could not be more timely. Censorship, racism, and reactionary politics are, unfortunately, evergreen topics. Lev AC Rosen better do his finger stretches because I need him to type as many of these books as quickly as possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forge for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions found within are my own.

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Above all, this is a book about books, a book about stories. About the way telling a story can either save or ruin lives, and the empathy necessary to understand and care about which it will be.

Rosen's always been a good writer, but he's in particularly fine form here in Rough Pages. Multiple lovely lines and snippets of haunting imagery jump off the page at me. Though I particularly love "the cigarette smoke still writes eulogies in the air." Peak noir.

His cast of characters, too, is better than ever. I loved Pat in Lavender House and was glad to see him again. The new ensemble is human and moving, often heartbreaking. But in particular, I want to highlight Gene and the way Rosen deepens his relationship with Andy. To be honest, I was dubious about them in The Bell in the Fog. The relationship felt too conventional and blah, with Gene playing the part of "the boy back home" more than anything else. And then, this book goes and deconstructs that, and I couldn't be happier. I do wish we'd get to see Gene get more involved in the mysteries. He's a medic, it wouldn't be a stretch. But I do like what Rosen is doing with him here.

Also of note is Rose, the reporter introduced in this book, with her hard-nosed callous idealism making her a great foil and antagonist for Andy, where in another book she might have been the hero. I can't say I like her, but I love the energy she brings to the story.

Because this is also a story about fear. And I love Rosen for taking his characters' fears seriously instead of spackling them over. There's a lot at stake if the wrong stories - the wrong truths - see the light of day, and no one embodies that fear better than a reporter with poor boundaries.

The mystery itself was deceptively straightforward. I did not call the culprit at all - and in fact totally fell for an eleventh hour misdirect - but when you know everything, it falls into place. Of course that's what happened. It was the only thing that could have happened, but god, that was a painful one.

To sum it up, this series just keeps getting better and better. I gave Lavender House three stars. The Bell in the Fog got four. And now I'm proud to give this one five.

Another excellent installment in the Evander Mills series.
I absolutely adore the characters in this series! Each book makes me love Andy and his ever growing family even more.
As is usual with these books, the twists are exciting but not wholly unexpected. Somehow Rosen manages to keep these somewhat low stress and joyful while sending the cast through the ringer of persistent homophobia. The case in this book was quite enjoyable - Who doesn’t love a bookshop/publishing/mobster mystery?!
I cannot wait to see what will happen next in this series

Thanks to Forge/Tor and NetGalley for the ARC!
4.25/5

I was so excited to see the eARC for this on NetGalley on Monday. Rough Pages was an excellent mystery with solid twists that don't come out of no where but that I didn't find too predictable. I really enjoy this series, the historical details, the honest way the characters come across, and the unflinching messiness of queer life, particularly post WWII America. It deals bluntly, graphically with homophobia just like the other two books in the series, but it also shows queer joy and queer community in the face of violent homophobia.

It's wonderful to watch Andy come into his own as a gay man, to see his support network, and the networks the other characters build for one another. It's also refreshing to read a mystery that isn't copaganda, and in fact show the police to be a corrupt and messy organization of men.

I really look forward to seeing where this series goes.