Review: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

Lavender House–Lev AC Rosen’s 2022 novel–is a country house murder mystery with an LGBTQ twist. Set in 1950s California, the novel revolves around Andy Mills, an inspector who has just been fired from the San Francisco police department after being caught in a compromising position during a raid at a gay bar. Andy is contemplating suicide when he meets Pearl Velez who hires him to investigate the suspected murder of her “wife” Irene Lamontaine– the owner of a soap empire. Irene recently died in what looks like an accidental fall but Pearl suspects that she was pushed. She takes Andy to Lavender House where he meets the rest of the family: Irene’s son Henry, Henry’s “secretary” (and boyfriend) Cliff, Henry’s wife Margo, Margo’s girlfriend Elsie and Margo’s mother Alice. Andy is intrigued by a place where everyone is queer and can live openly, at least behind the closed doors of the vast estate.  Yet, he also comes to feel that the environment is like a gilded cage.

The novel is a typical locked-room mystery. Andy quickly realizes that Irene was indeed murdered and that she was already dead when she fell. He begins to suspect the use of poison–Irene was known for smelling perfumes while she made soap– and realizes that the murderer was most likely a member of the family. I will not give away the murderer’s identity but it will suffice to say that it was not who I suspected.