What the world needs now is more queer historical mysteries, and thankfully Lev AC Rosen is doing a wonderful job of delivering exactly that. The fourth, and best, in the series (Lavender House, The Bell in the Fog, Rough Pages) follows Evander “Andy” Mills, an ex-cop and current private eye—it’s the early 1950s—who takes on a case that forces him to leave his beloved San Francisco for Los Angeles. Andy is hired by members of the Mattachine Society, an early gay-rights organization, to find several of their members who have gone missing. Locating men, and one woman, who are already super low-key, keep their sexual identity under wraps, and are terrified of the cops, makes for some especially challenging detective work. Fortunately, Andy is able to track down some great leads, from a gay biker club to a lesbian pharmacist (a useful career in drug-addled Hollywood). But most shocking of all, Andy sort-of reunites with his mother—although that’s all you’ll hear from me on that. This book moves nice and fast, stays completely on point, and provides an ongoing romance that is totally delightful. Book group alert!
