ARC Review: Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen

Mirage
Author: Lev AC Rosen
Series: Evander Mills Mysteries (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 7, 2025)

Description: Lev AC Rosen delivers a new and captivating 1950s mystery in this dazzling, award-winning series

Private Investigator Evander “Andy” Mills’ next case takes him out of his comfort zone in San Francisco―and much to his dismay, back home to Los Angeles. After a secretive queer rights organization called the Mattachine Society enlists Andy to find some missing members, he must dodge not only motorcycle gangs and mysterious forces, but his own mother, too.

Avoiding her proves to be a challenge when the case leads Andy to the psychiatric clinic she works at. Worlds collide, buried secrets are dug up, and Andy realizes he's going to have to make some hard choices. With secrets, drugs, and doctors swirling around him, time is running out for Andy to locate the missing and get them to safety. And for him to make it back to San Francisco in one piece.

My Thoughts: Andy Mills is building a life for himself in San Francisco. He was drummed out of the LA police force when caught in a raid of a gay club. Now, he's a private investigator who often helps other gays build shadow identities. It's 1952 and being gay is not only against the law but downright un-American. 

When Andy is hired by the Mattachine Society to track down two missing members, he's compelled to travel back to LA to look for them. There he discovers a web of secrets, Hollywood coverups, and a doctor intent on curing homosexuality. He also runs into his mother who works at the doctor's clinic. His mother doesn't know that he is gay. Andy fears her reaction when she finds out since so many of his friends have been disowned by their families. 

The story was engaging. I loved the way people formed their own tribes of like-minded people. From the gay motorcycle club to the reserved Mattachine Society to those agitating for gay rights, there were lots of ways of dealing. And then there were the gays who decided to assimilate and hide their real selves.

Andy did find the three people he was hired to find, and he solved a murder too. This is the fourth book in a series and stands alone well. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.