Rough Pages (Evander Mills, 3)
Gay private investigator Evander “Andy” Mills returns, briefly, to the Lavender House in the latest installment in this gripping, queer mystery series. The Lamontaine family has recently adopted a baby, doing their best to appear like straight couples with live-in servants instead of the queer bunch they are. However, Pat the butler finds himself caught up in trouble that threatens their newfound bliss. The owner of a bookstore, which secretly ships books with LGBTQ themes to closeted buyers across the country, has gone missing along with his list of customers. His shop appears to have been ransacked. Pat was the one shipping the books. He fears that the federal authorities have raided the shop and taken the list, on which his name appears.
Thus, he asks Andy to help him figure out what occurred—both for his own sake and that of the Lamontaine family. After all, the child might be taken away if the authorities know they have a live-in gay butler. Andy soon discovers that the mob are involved, rather than the feds. Meanwhile, Andy finds himself being followed by a woman journalist who seems dangerously interested in his latest case.
The mystery is solid, though not impossible to guess in advance. I did not figure out where the story was going until relatively late. As with all the Andy Mills mysteries, there are more gay characters than straight ones. The immense difficulties queer people faced in the 1950s are portrayed realistically and movingly, with just enough hope to keep the book from being painfully grim. Andy’s sweet romance with his boyfriend also provided moments of levity. Overall, an enjoyable read, if not as strong as the previous two entries in the series.
