I really enjoyed this book about books and stories. Lev AC Rosen’s writing and characters really drew me in. The mystery Andy was working to solve was interesting to follow, and the twists were good. I listened to the audiobook version, and Vikas Adam’s narration is amazing! Some parts of this book were really sad while others were empowering as the characters worked to find and/or create their own truth and stories or discover that of others. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like the most direct story in the series so far - unlike the earlier books it didn’t feel quite so stretched thin. It also felt very timely (even though it’s set in the 50s) as it deals with queer books and the lengths people will go to prevent those books getting into the hands of people who need them.

Of course, we also had several layers of mystery. And I like that this one focused on Andy’s temperament and his ties to toxic masculinity (ie his hero complex).

Overall, this is a pretty cozy series with queer characters in a realistic 1950s backdrop that doesn’t shy away from murder, blackmail, corruption, etc