4.5 stars -- best one yet!

I love this series and I was thrilled to receive an ARC of the fourth installment. Andy is back on another case: hired to find three missing members of a local gay organization, which sends him back home to Los Angeles to investigate.

For the first time in seven years, Andy is back in his childhood home with his mother -- forcing him to lie repeatedly about his life back in San Fran. But when his investigation leads right to the front door of the clinic she works at, his personal and professional lives are about to collide in a way he's not prepared for.

Equal parts cozy mystery + important history -- this is not a series to be missed!

Mirage City, the fourth book in the Evander Mills series, follows our MMC as he journeys from San Francisco to his hometown of Los Angeles on a case to find three missing people.

When Andy is enlisted by a local hidden LGBT group to find three missing members he finds himself mixed up a crime involving drug deals, biker clubs and a mysterious clinic with ties a little too close to home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 4⭐️.

I have read each one of these books as soon as they have published and enjoyed each one, but think this one may be my favorite. Not only was this a quick read but I really enjoyed the increasing sense of dread I felt through most of the book. While it was easy to guess what was happening and what the actual mystery was it was handled in a way that I knew what to expect but was worried for Andy the entire time.

I would recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys California, film noir, LGBT leads and anyone who loves a good found family story. I look forward to posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) closer to the release date.

Mirage City is a fantastic queer noir mystery. The latest installment in the Lev AC Rosen’s Evander “Andy” Mills series has plenty of plot twists in an intriguing mystery, all while emphasizing the perils of being queer in the 1950s.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Andy has settled in as the queer PI who makes his home above The Ruby nightclub, with his bartender boyfriend Gene working just downstairs. His friends are even throwing him a birthday party. But when a woman hires him to find three people who’ve recently gone missing from their secretive queer rights meetings, the clues take Andy away from San Francisco and back home to Los Angeles. There he finds queer rights activists, a gay biker gang, and his mother too. Can he solve the case, and make it back in time—and in one piece—for his party?

I love how Andy’s journey home to Los Angeles helps him realize just how much his found family in San Francisco means to him. It was fun meeting new characters, but some of my favorite parts are when Andy calls home to Gene, Elsie, and Lee. As much as he used to hide his true self, these people have become *his* people.

I’d say this particular mystery is a little darker than the earlier series installments. But that may be because it’s terrifying to think that some of the same perils exist today for the queer community. Most of the topics are time period specific, but I wish they didn’t feel so relevant.

Mirage City is another terrific installment in the Andy Mills series. If you are a fan of noir mystery, with a queer found family at its heart, Lev AC Rosen’s entire series is a must read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In Mirage City, Lev A.C. Rosen returns to the smoky, neon-lit world of Evander “Andy” Mills with a noir that doesn’t just echo the past—it interrogates it. This fourth installment in the series is a masterclass in genre subversion, where the shadows of 1950s America are peeled back to reveal not just crime, but the cost of survival for those forced to live in the margins.

Andy Mills, once a disgraced cop and now a private detective navigating the queer underworld of mid-century New York, is no longer just solving crimes—he’s solving himself. Mirage City finds him at a crossroads, both professionally and emotionally. The case at the heart of the novel—a missing person who may not want to be found—mirrors Andy’s own struggle with visibility, identity, and the illusion of safety.

Rosen’s prose is as crisp as ever, but here it takes on a dreamlike quality, as if the city itself is slipping between realities. The titular “Mirage City” isn’t just a place—it’s a metaphor for the double lives queer people were forced to lead, the façades they built, and the truths they buried. The mystery unfolds like smoke curling from a cigarette: slow, seductive, and laced with danger.

What sets this installment apart is its emotional resonance. Andy’s relationships—with his lover, his community, and even his enemies—are more layered than ever. Rosen doesn’t just write queer characters; he writes queer histories, embedding each interaction with the weight of secrecy and the ache of longing. There’s a tenderness beneath the grit, a vulnerability that makes Andy’s hardboiled exterior feel like armor rather than essence.

Supporting characters, especially those from the drag and underground bar scenes, are rendered with empathy and complexity. They aren’t just colorful sidekicks—they’re survivors, each with their own mirage (and dignity) to maintain.

The plot is tightly wound, with Rosen playing fair but clever with the clues. Yet the real mystery isn’t just who did what—it’s why people disappear, and what it means to be truly seen. The resolution is satisfying, but it leaves a lingering melancholy, as if justice in this world is always partial, always compromised.

Mirage City is not just a continuation of Andy Mills’ story—it’s a deepening. Rosen has crafted a noir that’s as much about identity as it is about intrigue, as much about love as it is about loss. It’s a book that understands that sometimes the most dangerous thing isn’t the killer in the alley—it’s the truth we hide from ourselves.

If you’re looking for a mystery that challenges conventions while honoring them, that wraps you in atmosphere while cutting to the bone, Mirage City is your next stop.

I simply adore this series with my whole heart. I hope Lev AC Rosen writes approximately 8,000 more of these books. The mysteries are engaging without being too stressful, which is the sweet spot for me when it comes to murder mysteries. I love all of the characters and enjoy seeing how their development plays out. Furthermore, every book illuminates a part of queer history that I'm not super familiar with, and also manages to deal with heavy topics while remaining hopeful. I love that there is so much on-page queer joy and self-acceptance in each of these books, regardless of the circumstances of the world at that time. I also shudder to see parallels between the US's current swing to the right and reactionary anti-LGBT+ legislation and the world of the 1950s.

Arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another book from the Lavender House series that did not disappoint! Evander Mills is such a comfort character to me, and the newest edition of his story was one of my favourites. I think this series is at its best when the focus is on Andy and his struggles within the community and working towards acceptance and self love. I think this book did a great job of having a compelling mystery but focusing on the difficulties the queer community have of going back home and not having a sense of belonging. I hope Lev Rosen continues to write these stories cause I will always come back to them!

I’ve loved every book in this series, and this latest installment is no exception. As long as the author keeps writing Evander Mills books, I’ll keep reading them. This time, Andy travels from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a missing persons case. The storyline is engaging, the mystery is well-crafted, and the characters are as likable as ever. I especially appreciated getting more insight into Andy’s backstory in this one.

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review!

“Mirage City” is Lev AC Rosen's fourth and latest book in the Evander Mills mystery series. Like its predecessors, it is a queer, hard-boiled detective novel set in 1950s California.

As a big fan of the series, I was excited to get my hands on this ARC, and it did not disappoint. It captures a noir-inspired feeling while also conveying deep emotion. The protagonist and the supporting cast are caring and empathetic, even if they are morally gray—aren’t we all?

This well-plotted book is a true page-turner and centers on queer themes. Since Rosen addresses the homophobia of that time and location, some readers may want to check CWs beforehand.

I would recommend this novel, along with the entire series, to fans of queer fiction, detective stories, and historical fiction. Readers who enjoy the works of Cat Sebastian and KJ Charles may especially appreciate this book. Thank you to St. Martin’s, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.