Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen

I've seen a lot of books comparing themselves to Knives Out but a lot of the time, what they just mean is that it's a locked room mystery. Knives Out has a very specific vibe and tone, and when those vibes aren't there in a book, the comparison falls way short. Out of the dozens and dozens of comps I've read, only two books have really nailed the Knives Out vibe: Rachel Hawkins's THE HEIRESS... and this book, LAVENDER HOUSE.

From start to finish, I adored LAVENDER HOUSE. The hero, Evander Mills, used to be a cop. But it's the 1950s and people still regard homosexuality as a criminal act. When he's caught at a gay club by his now-ex colleagues, he's booted off the force and essentially turned into a pariah. When we meet him, he's drowning his sorrows in a bar, which is how he's approached by Pearl.

Pearl is the secret wife of a soap making magnate, Irene, who just died suspiciously. Pearl thinks it was murder, but she can't quite bring herself to face the truth, because in her house-- Lavender House-- she and her found family have created a safe progressive haven that protects them from the homophobia of the outside world. She and her wife were the matriarchs, and then their gay son lived in secret with his boyfriend, Cliff, and his "beard": Margo, and her girlfriend, Elsie.

Even their staff are gay!

Evander is fascinated by the dynamics of Lavender House and part of him wants the murder to have come from outside the house as well. Because he's already haunted by the demons of having turned against his own people for self-gain, and the knowledge that nobody can be trusted kind of cements the grim feelings he already has about the world: that maybe, everyone is in it for themselves and you can't trust anyone.

The film noir vibes of LAVENDER HOUSE were everything. I've read Rosen's YA and loved it, and he brings the same energy to the table with this adult novel. Evander is morally grey and sometimes unlikable, but all of his decisions make sense. I also adored how this book is so steeped in San Francisco Bay Area history. It was fascinating to see this little glimpse into what San Francisco was like in the 50s. He clearly did so much research and I felt like he really brought the setting to life.

I'm already reading book two in the series.

5 out of 5 stars