{"id":27476,"date":"2026-09-03T16:53:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=27476"},"modified":"2026-09-04T17:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T21:18:09","slug":"rough-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27476","title":{"rendered":"Rough Pages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rough Pages<\/em><\/a> (2024) Lev Ac Rosen<\/a> (Evander Mills #3)<\/p>\n

\"Rough<\/a>Set in San Francisco in 1953<\/p>\n

Andy is finally accepted by the community, and slowly coming to believe in his own worth as he solves problems for those who can’t turn to the authorities.<\/p>\n

He also ends up–with Lee–with an unexpected title. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve even made a healthy business as a matchmaker, helping folks who need dates and cover stories for outings with the company or family.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But when he finally heads out to Lavender House, or dinner with the family to celebrate the adoption of a new baby, he has a second reason for making the trip he’s avoided for months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope they don\u2019t think of death when they see me.\u201d I\u2019m surprised when I say it. I hadn\u2019t meant for that thought to escape my head.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pat might be in trouble–they all might be in trouble.<\/p>\n

Sending obscene material through the mail is a federal offense, right?\u201d He lets the cigarette fall from his hand and it lands with a splatter of red embers. He stomps it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, but how would that be bad for you, or the family?\u201d<\/p>\n

He swallows and looks up at me. Pat is usually so filled with mirth and mischief, but now he looks truly scared. \u201cDon\u2019t you get it? We mail subscribers the books. That means we need \u2026 their names, addresses\u2026\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Honestly, it’s surprising how much I’m enjoying these books, considering the constant reminders of what it was like to be queer in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could just trace where that number goes. Mention it to some of the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys already found me once, Chief. Cracked a few ribs, but I lived.\u201d It comes out angry, and he turns to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you expect them to do?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And how much we have failed to learn from the past.<\/p>\n

Books. Imagine if they went into every house in America that had one of the books in that pile there, and dragged the occupants out in handcuffs. There wouldn\u2019t be anyone left who ever read anything. But \u2026 maybe that\u2019s the idea, you think? First get rid of the queer books, then all the rest of them?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This story also involves the mob, and a reporter who I really really<\/em> don’t like.<\/p>\n

Privacy is \u2026 an old-fashioned idea. The truth belongs to everyone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bentham and Mill and Machiavelli were wrong. The ends never justify the means.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Evander Mills, Elsie Gold, Gene Manalo, Stan, Lee, Margo Lamontaine, Cliff Carbury, Henry Lamontaine, Pearl Velez, Rina (Irene) Lamontaine, Pat, DeeDee (Dorothea) Lamb, Howard Salzberger, Rose Rainmeyer, Tim Rainmeyer, Joshua Cantor, Oscar Santos, Elena Moleno, Joseph Aldermann, Michael (Bridges) Parisi, Merle<\/p>\n

Cover illustration by Colin Verdi<\/p>\n

Publisher: Forge Books<\/p>\n

Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rough Pages (2024) Lev Ac Rosen (Evander Mills #3) Set in San Francisco in 1953 Andy is finally accepted by the community, and slowly coming to believe in his own worth as he solves problems for those who can’t turn to the authorities. He also ends up–with Lee–with an unexpected title. I\u2019ve even made a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[191,292,33,207,8,43,148,936],"tags":[979,978,544],"class_list":["post-27476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-5-10","category-ebook","category-historical","category-mental-health-rep","category-mystery","category-private-eye","category-queer","category-single-point-of-view","tag-evander-mills","tag-lev-ac-rosen","tag-mm"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-79a","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27401,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27401","url_meta":{"origin":27476,"position":0},"title":"Lavender House","author":"Michelle","date":"August 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Lavender House (2022) Lev AC Rosen (Evander Mills #1) Set in San Francisco in 1952 Evan Mills has been dismissed from the SF police department after being caught in a raid at a queer club. Caught--quite literally--with his pants down. Now with no job, and no home (he was thrown\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lavender House","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lavender-House.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lavender-House.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lavender-House.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27431,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27431","url_meta":{"origin":27476,"position":1},"title":"The Bell in the Fog","author":"Michelle","date":"August 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Bell in the Fog (2023) Lev Ac Rosen (Evander Mills #2) Set in San Francisco in ~1952 The story takes place several months after the events of Lavender House. Evander Mills is trying to make his way as a queer private detective, but as he was once a copy,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Bell in the Fog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Bell-in-the-Fog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Bell-in-the-Fog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The-Bell-in-the-Fog.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25925,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25925","url_meta":{"origin":27476,"position":2},"title":"The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association","author":"Michelle","date":"March 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association (2025) Caitlin Rozakis Vivian discovered magic existed when her daughter was attacked and changed into a werewolf. Now they've moved to Veilport and Aria has a scholarship to The Grimoire Grammar School and Vivian is even more overwhelmed. She wasn\u2019t weeping. That was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Grimoire-Grammar-School-Parent-Teacher-Association.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Grimoire-Grammar-School-Parent-Teacher-Association.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Grimoire-Grammar-School-Parent-Teacher-Association.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/46","url_meta":{"origin":27476,"position":3},"title":"Thieves’ World: Enemies of Fortune","author":"Michelle","date":"January 2, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune (2004) edited by Lynn Abbey I still haven't completely decided how I feel about this series. The stories are good, and I enjoy them, but they're not quite the old 'Thieves' World' and I'm not quite sure what it is that's missing. As I said,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/01\/Enemies-of-Fortune.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25944,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25944","url_meta":{"origin":27476,"position":4},"title":"Mercy Blade, Audio Book","author":"Michelle","date":"March 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Mercy Blade, Audio Book (2011) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock #3) Here we meet Gee, see Reach for the first time, learn of the vampire-witch negotiations, become suspicious of Evangeline, and, yeah, the were-creatures come out to the public. 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