
Evander Mills - Book 1
Lavender House
“Terrific…Rosen’s novel is a winning homage to old-time crime fiction.”
San Francisco Chronicle
An October 2022 LibraryReads Pick
A Library Journal Best Books of the Year Pick
An Amazon.com Best Books of the Year
A CrimeReads Pick of 2023's Best Books
Among longlisted titles for Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2022
Among longlisted titles for Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2022
Among longlisted titles for Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2022
Among longlisted titles for Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2022
"This is a beautiful, satisfying listen."- AudioFile
"Most audiobook readers are familiar with Vikas Adam’s work. He’s a prolific narrator in the YA and romance space and the perfect choice for Lavender House....The narration kept my attention all the way through!"- Bookcrushin'
A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.
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.
A Macmillan Audio production from Forge Books.
Praise
