To be honest, I wanted to read Lavender House because the cover is pretty, I love anything purple and enjoy a good mystery. Being 100% heterosexual, I wasn't sure if I would like a book about a queer family. I'm not homophobic...I have many gay friends, but I AM very old fashioned. I loved the thought of this grand lavender mansion, giving it a little Gothic feel, but was quickly absorbed in the lives of these quirky, wonderful characters! While the PI is trying to solve the murder, your mind is trying to process everyone's stories and see if it can figure out who did it. It also gives you insight of how different being gay in 1952 was compared to our very liberal world we now live in. It kept me guessing right up to the end, as the killer could be any of the colorful characters in this story. Even if you're not completely comfortable with homosexual characters, don't let that stop you from this wonderful book. I truly enjoyed this one!