In 1952 San Francisco, homosexuality is against the law and largely frowned upon by society. But the gates of the titular Lavender House preserve an prolonged LGBTQ+ household safely tucked away from the persecution and discrimination of the surface world, capable of reside their lives with out judgment or reprisal. This shelter and sense of belonging comes due to their benefactor and matriarch, cleaning soap entrepreneur Irene Lamontaine.
If solely they had been capable of preserve their very own petty jealousies and rampant ambitions in test. But this isn’t the case in Lev AC Rosen’s twisty new thriller. Irene quickly turns up lifeless, and one of Lavender House’s denizens could also be answerable for her demise.
Enter Evander “Andy” Mills, an ex-police detective who was fired after being caught in a raid at a homosexual bar. Irene’s widow (in all however identify), Pearl, hires him to search out the killer of their midst. The thriller is informed by way of Andy’s level of view, and readers will share his fascination with the distinctive life afforded the inhabitants of Lavender House and deeply empathize along with his place as an outsider struggling to search out his personal place on the planet.
Lev AC Rosen is breaking new floor for noir.
Rosen shortly turns the Agatha Christie-esque parts of the thriller on their head with a dynamic forged of characters and an inimitable tackle hard-boiled noir that revels within the foggy environment of San Francisco whereas additionally highlighting the characters’ angst and internal turmoil. Readers aware of Rosen’s younger grownup novel Camp, which follows LGBTQ+ teenagers at a utopia-like conclave, will get pleasure from this deeper, darker examination of what it means to be a queer individual in a homophobic world.
In Lavender House, Rosen not solely completely entertains thriller lovers but additionally ups the ante by presenting a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be free to like who you like.
Discussion about this post