Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** spoiler alert **
Rosen’s writing is the kind that transplants me. It was easy to join Andy in the bar, the bay, in the drunken defense of a bothered woman, to spit on the injustice of a world where queerdom is shamed, beaten, fired, and then – lavender haze –
Andy is offered the perfect sidestep out of a work-driven, identity-masking brotherhood of police work into the freedom and horror of Lavender House. After being fired from the police force for being caught in the restroom of a gay club with another man, our protagonist is invited by the grief-stricken widow, Pearl, to investigate the mysterious death of her wife.
Enter >>> Lavender House. The house has the potential to be a character in and of itself, especially as Rosen builds this into a series (though I suspect he will continue to transport us out and beyond San Fran… Kentucky? praying for ARC).
There are some things that still don’t settle with me. What were they?.. Doesn’t matter! The book was fabulous. I read your backmatter! I agree with the rat scene staying.
Why was the fountain struck by lightning?
Why the Gleam scent?
Did Alice get real freaky in that last scene or what?! (superb) (EEK!) Is it really likely she totally lost her sh** over the grandchild / adoption / motherly relationship with the victim to the point of **ya-know**. Yow. That in combo with Cliff’s “push” incident? Brutal. I feel Lev’s offstage hand casting guilt, mystery and history over the entire story and all its compelling players. I love love love the romance buildup with the bar doctor (Lev captures the budding chemistry superbly in dialogue and prose) and the clear amount of research that went into pulling off this story. A+, Lev. Excited for the next installment! I miss Andy already.
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