Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen – Book Review & Lovely Lavender Latte Recipe

Title: Lavender House
Series: Andy Mills, #1
Author: Lev AC Rosen
Publication date: October 18th 2022
Page Count: 288 pages
Age Range: Adult (period-typical homophobia, blood, violence, death,)
How I got my hot little hands on it: received a review copy
Publisher’s page: Lavender House

Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret – but it’s not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they’ve needed to keep others out. And now they’re worried they’re keeping a murderer in.

Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept – his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.

Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He’s seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn’t extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.

When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.

My Review

Set in 1950’s San Francisco, with all the period-typical homophobia of the time, Lavender House is a historical detective novel following disgraced detective Evander Mills, Andy, as he investigates the possible murder of Lamontaine soap empire matriarch Irene Lamontaine at the request of her grieving widow, Pearl.

Once a respected detective with the SFPD, Andy loses it all and barely survives with the shirt on his back after he’s caught by his fellow officers in a raid at a gay bar. Pearl finds him in another bar contemplating the end of life as he knows it. She manages to convince him to come to the Lamontaine estate, Lavender House, and use his investigative skills to find out the truth about her beloved wife’s death. 

Behind the gates of the Lavender House estate is like nothing Andy has ever experienced. The people at Lavender House live two sets of lives, in public vs on the estate. Here, Pearl has equal standing to Irene and was her wife in all but name, while in public she was her secretary. Likewise, Irene’s son and heir has to pass off his live-in boyfriend as his social secretary and his wife, the picture of the perfect society lady in the papers, has a girlfriend of her own, a notorious local nightclub owner. It’s a precarious balance they all walk, none of them happy to have a former detective poking around, even one that shares their secret. 

Lavender House has been described as Knives Out, but make it gay and it’s a very accurate comparison.

Andy as he investigates is smart and charming and very likable. The added layer of him contemplating who he was (a cop who never stuck his neck out for others in the gay community) and what his new normal might look like from here on out (his detective skills are pretty much the only thing he has left and he’s reliant on the kindness of the community he never fully embraced) makes him a very human and sympathetic character. 

Although I really enjoyed the unique and interesting cast of characters, and the investigation had me making guesses and turning pages fully engrossed, I have to say my favorite part of Lavender House was the worldbuilding. From the neon lights of early 50’s San Francisco nightlife to the art deco architecture of the Lamontaine Estate, and especially the fashion choices, I was pulled further and further into the time period, really creating an immersive experience that I didn’t want to leave. 

I really enjoyed this book. I may even go as far as to say Lavender House is my favorite murder mystery of the year. A charismatic detective, interesting characters, an engaging investigation, and nostalgic worldbuilding tarnished with the fear of the times kept me turning pages. A fantastic start to what promises to be a fantastic series. The next book in the Evander Mills detective series is planned to come out this fall and I absolutely can’t wait to dive right back in. 

Let’s Talk Coffee

I’m trying something different here and we’ll see how it goes (feel free to let me know your thoughts!). Instead of a coffee recommendation, I’m sharing a coffee recipe. With Lavender House, I’m sharing a very simple, easy recipe for the lovely lavender latte pictured above. The delicate floral herbal lavender flavor (and gorgeous scent) pair perfectly with this book largely set at the Lavender House estate, surrounded by the flowers for which it is named. You can find the full recipe here: Lovely Lavender Latte Recipe.