I enjoyed Lavender House, the first Andy Mills mystery, but was still holding out a bit wanting to see where the story would go next (assuming there was a next). The Bell in the Fog more than met my hopes.

This series is very noir. It really couldn't be anything else, set as it is the the post-WWII red scare/lavender menace panics. A book set during this time with primarily queer characters that ignored the threats and abuses would be unacceptably light, a willful covering of the eyes. But those times also saw an emerging queer community that was increasingly asserting its right to exist and refusing to settle for pariah status, and Lev A.C. Rosen shows us both sides of the coin.

Andy Mills, the P.I. in these books, is gay and was a sonar operator during WWII. When he left the Navy at the war's end, he joined the San Francisco Police Force—thinking the best place to hide himself would be the spot no one would ever expect him. When he was brutally ejected from the force, he began his P.I. work, setting up shop in an office/apartment above one of the city's gay bars. He's not warmly embraced by the community, though he does have friends. With regular raids of gay gathering spots and police brutality, any former cop is going to be looked upon askance.

The plotting in The Bell in the Fog is tight, with enough information doled out to make the question of whodunnit at the fore, but not obvious. Andy's surprised when a former lover with whom he sailed in the navy (the promotional materials aptly describe him as "an old flame from the war who had mysteriously disappeared") shows up seeking help to identify a blackmailer and to get back photos being used to blackmail him. This ex didn't leave the military, climbed through the ranks, and is now being considered for a promotion that would be scuttled if word got out about his identity.

In this volume, Rosen displays a particular skill for providing endings that turn out not to be endings, but rather transitions into deeper layers of threat. I don't want to say more than that because of spoilers, but, if you like books that pull the rug out from under you a few times over the course of the action, you'll be delighted by this title.

You don't need to have read Lavender House in order to enjoy The Bell in the Fog. Rosen deftly provides contextual information where it's needed without being at all heavy-handed. In fact, I would suggest starting with this volume as its definitely the stronger of the two.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
A mystery, an obscuring fog, a gay private investigator trying to find a new path in 1950s San Francisco…Lev AC Rosen’s The Bell in the Fog is an engrossing story replete with a noir setting that really satisfies.

Andy Mills is a former WWII Navy man & a cop who was fired from the force after being caught in a raid targeting queer people.

Now he’s trying to start a new life for himself, a task that’s more difficult with the arrival of an old love who just disappeared one day.

In addition to solving a mystery surrounding said old love, Andy also has to reckon with his past as a police officer who is also queer when the police force was and is aggressive about targeting the queer community.

If you like flawed characters who are put into difficult situations this is a great book for you. The consideration of queer people just trying to find joy & live their lives as they are & as they please is moving & also ties compellingly to the mystery itself.

Add to all of this a budding romance & it’s even better.

4.5⭐️. Out 10/10.

CWs: Mention of "whites only" bar. Homophobia. Violence. Murder. Blackmail.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a green dress, stands in a field holding the ebook. A blue sky with clouds is in the background.]

Even better than the first book.
After finishing Lavender House I hoped for a sequel and possible series. The Bell in the Fog did not disappoint. Rosen has created a great character in Andy Mills.

His former lover is being blackmailed and asks Andy to find the incriminating pictures to save his Navy career. His investigation unearths devastating secrets from Andy’s military service during the war which greatly impacts his ability to think clearly concerning many of the possible suspects.

It is not necessary to read Lavender House to enjoy The Bell in the Fog, but you will want to in order to enjoy all the complex characters and found family Andy has created at the Ruby bar.

This time period (early 1950s San Francisco) and this group (homosexuals trying to live and love under the Lavender Scare) are not usually seen in mysteries. These stories are so compelling, I am glad they are being told in such a sublime way by Lev AC Rosen.

Thank you NetGalley and Forge Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Darker than the first book and much more of a traditional noir. The setting continues to be fantastic. I felt it dragged slightly in the middle, partly because the interior conflict and monologue remained quit stagnant. Unlike traditional noirs, the protagonist is growing as a character and not just descending into misery which is lovely for this world but may be part of why the messaging felt so blunt at times. That said, I'm still so happy to come back to this set of characters and would be very happy to see this series continue.

This is an excellent sequel to The Lavender House. The noir factor ratchets up several degrees as we see our detective pounding pavement in a foggy city, chasing down people of interest in bars, and recovering from a beating in his combination office-apartment. The juxtaposition of the joy of queer community with the bleak miasma of noir could have felt jarring in less capable hands, but Rosen makes it feel so natural for both to coexist at once. I cannot wait for further entries into this series. I may or may not have teared up at points and said out loud to myself “oh good, Andy is making friends”.

4.25 stars

After solving his first successful case as an independent detective, Andy Mills has set up shop above the Ruby with his own PI business as an alternative to the police for the gay community. When a ghost from his past shows up needing help, Andy will go on quite the journey to solve this case.

This was a perfect follow-up to Lavender House. I found the mystery in this one to be a bit better (aka it was a bit harder to guess), and I enjoyed reading how Andy is learning to fit in with his new community and found family. With some familiar faces and some new, the Andy Mills world really expands in this one. Hoping for more books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Just as with Lavender House, this book was everything I love about detective fiction, and queer to boot. Again, as with its predecessor, this book did not shy away from period accurate depictions of queerness and the context in which queer people survived together but to do anything else would have been a disservice to the characters. While there's definitely a place in some historical genres (such as historical romance) for escapist revisionism (although blatant anachronism grates on my nerves) this book does not flinch. It adds to the book in my opinion - a lot of detective fiction is gritty and dark for its own sake, dimly lit streets and fog and shady alleys an aesthetic choice, but because of Andy's gayness, and the queerness of his case, and the real threat of what might happen if even the perpetrators are discovered by the police, it takes these hallmark atmospheric elements and makes them integral. The consequences for leaving the shadows are real. Andy's grit is real trauma, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way that past was busted wide open in The Bell in the Fog. I loved Lavender House infinitely, but I actually think this story is a better crafted mystery. I knew who the murderer was in Lavender House about a third of the way through the book, but the twist in this book blindsided me. Pepper in mysterious figures from Andy's past, a tentatively burgeoning romance, and dazzling but down-to-earth drag performers to make this book is a perfect continuation of Andy Mills' story, and I can't wait to hear about more of his cases.

I was hoping that there would be a sequel to Lavender House—I liked it a lot, but I was hopeful that a second book would feel a little more like classic detective fiction while still retaining the elements that made Lavender House special. I was absolutely not disappointed! Andy’s character has developed really nicely, and I really liked the full cast of characters. I could see this series running for a long time and I’m very excited to see what comes next! There is a real lack of queer detective fiction like this and I’m so glad to have this.

I loved the first Andy Mills mystery, LAVENDER HOUSE, and the second is just as satisfying. Rosen has crafted a deeply relatable and nuanced noir protagonist in Mills, caught between two identities and two groups-- the police and the queer community of San Francisco-- that both distrust him for different reasons. He is alienated, and sometimes alienating, but deeply empathetic, one that you root for not despite but because of their flaws. I love this series and I cannot wait to see where it continues to go.

A great continuation of the Andy Mills series, with more of Andy’s own personal story to explore. This story is slower paced than Lavender House and I didn’t love the quick wrap up at the end, but I loved the historical research that the author included with this story. I hope we see more of Andy’s personal life as this series goes on!

The Bell in the Fog is even better than its prequel Lavender House and Lev A.C. Rosen’s best book so far! The Fifties, a disgraced detective, diverse characters; this series is so good! And The Bell in the Fog is also perfectly readable as a stand-alone.

Books with chilling atmospheres enlighten me. I love main characters who are guarded about what might happen. I love tension that’s palpable on every page, even though nothing is happening (yet). I love waiting for eerie moments to come.

The uneasiness in Lavender House was fantastic, and I adored it even more in The Bell in the Fog. That fog in the title perfectly describes this book. It’s like a seemingly hazy day with mist hanging above the water. A chilly day, and shivers might run down your spine. Then the sun pokes its rays through the clouds and slowly burns the fog away. Suddenly there’s so much warmth and beauty to find. Until the darkness and the chill get back, and the mist starts coming in again. It’s tangible in Andy’s love life, his feelings for both James, the man he once loved and who left him without notice, and Gene, the man who might be his future love. It’s noticeable in the mystery parts of the book and the clubs and the bars, with both the queer joy and the terrible raids. And it’s even visible in the setting, San Francisco, one of the foggiest cities on earth but also beautiful with breathtaking views until the mist sneakily creeps up again like a thief in the night.

I loved, loved, loved this book and can’t wait for part three!

this was such a great historical mystery novel, it has a great suspenseful atmosphere that I enjoyed a lot. It does everything that a good mystery should and I was invested in trying to solve what was going on. The characters worked with the historical period and I had a great time reading this. Lev AC Rosen does a great job in creating this story and I look forward to more.

Detective Andy Mills has settled into his PI office but hasn’t recovered emotionally from the events of Lavender House. Not everyone in the queer community is ready to accept his past as a police officer. Bills are piling up, and no one trusts him enough to hire him. When an ex from his Navy days resurfaces asking for help, Andy is plunged into the relentless riptide of personal history and reckoning for the decisions they and other service members made to survive. In spite of the danger, Andy resolves to make choices he can live with this time around.

While noir fans can enjoy this book on its own, the character arc is more satisfying if you’ve read Lavender House. The introduction of new (and hopefully recurring) characters sets up promising storylines for future installments.

Thank you Forge Books and Netgalley for the eARC, these opinions are my own! I’m so glad we get more of Evander Mills, I loved Lavender House and Lev AC Rosen keeps the mystery going with The Bell In The Fog! Andy is back, he’s struggling to get his PI business going mostly doing work for people who believe they’re being cheated on. Then one night who should come into his office but an old flame, James, a blast from the past. James is being blackmailed and needs Andy to help him find get the photos back. They paint James in a compromising light and he’s up for a promotion in the Navy. Only problem is Andy’s one lead has disappeared and the guys sister just faced tragedy. Can Andy find the blackmailer before he meets the same fate? Can he keep the past from blurring the present? A perfect second book that had me devouring it in one day! I love Andy and his drive to make things right! The book will give you twisty turns, laughter, fun characters- both old and new, and so much important queer history! I highly recommend reading this book, start with Lavender House if you have read it yet! I can’t wait till I can read this again!