Read as part of CBR15Bingo: dwelling. The story is titled Lavender House and is mostly set in the titular location.
I’m going to give this book four stars against my better judgment. It was not a four star read. Let me explain.
For like 70-80% of these ratings, I take them seriously. I really do want people to know how I feel if they are considering whether or not to pick something up. Reading is awesome and we only have so much time in this life.
This is one that is a 3-star read. But I’m giving it 4 for a few reasons…
-I think it’s a good first effort and I usually give freshman efforts a 1-star bump. Writing a book is hard.
-I think what Rosen is trying to do is interesting, if a bit too high concept for a first book. But I admired the effort.
-There is a lot to like individually about the book: the hardboiled nature, the queer atmosphere, the ambiguity.
But the last line is part of the problem: Rosen’s book about the characters and his book about the mystery are two separate things. He cares a lot about the characters and wants us to do the same. The problem is, they’re all involved in a murder mystery so it’s hard to disassociate from them to consider whether they are or are not killers.
I really think Rosen wanted to write more about the people that populate this wonderful house where gay, lesbian and queer folks can feels safe than he did about the crime. So what happens is an overwritten tale with spotty prose that drags a lot. I found it hard to focus for large chunks of this book. But I really liked some parts of it.
So overall, it wasn’t the best reading experience but I think Rosen is on to something. He does need to pick a more streamlined story if he wants this to be an effective sequel for his protagonist, Andy Mills.
