Lavender House is one of my favorite reads of 2022 so far — it’s the perfect fall read. This mystery is a blend of Agatha Christie and Knives Out — there are so many layers to the storytelling and to the twists and turns in the narrative. I kept feverishly flipping pages into the night, ignoring the late hour in order to find out what would happen next. The foggy atmosphere of San Francisco and the historic setting perfectly compliment the noir framework — the writing is so vivid, I saw the details play out like a classic whodunit movie in my head. In addition to the gripping story, the characters are finely drawn and relatably flawed. While the novel has some hard scenes (the reality of being a queer person in a homophobic world are very present), I felt that they were handled deftly and with care. This novel is exquisite inside and out. I’m eagerly awaiting what Rosen writes next!