Marilyn's Mystery Reads

Former police officer Evander “Andy” Mills is hired by the Mattachine Society in 1950s San Francisco, a group of gays working to “pursue equality for the homophile movement” according to Myrtle Bolton, a member of the Society.  She wants Andy to find three of the group’s members who’ve gone missing.

Myrtle explains that there was a conference between the San Francisco and the Los Angeles members, the two having very different ideas about what the Mattachines should focus on.  Since that meeting ended, three participants in the San Francisco group haven’t been seen.  She explains that because of official persecution and the fear of prosecution, she has no way of contacting the three; she doesn’t even know if Edward, Hank, and Daphne are their real names.

Since she has no addresses or phone numbers for them, Andy insists on attending the Mattachine’s next meeting in hopes that one of the group knows more about the three missing members than Myrtle does.  The members use code words, secret names, and masks to hide their identities.  Andy understands their fears, but their secrecy will definitely make his job more difficult.

After meeting with the San Francisco group and getting nowhere, Andy reluctantly decides he has to go to Los Angeles to continue his investigation.  He’s hesitant to visit the City of Angels for two reasons.

First, he’s happy in his San Francisco home, where he lives and has his office over the Ruby, a gay club where his boyfriend works; Andy has found a definite sense of community and friendship there.  He has no desire to leave it, even for a day or two.

Second, Los Angeles is where he grew up and where his mother lives.  She and Andy are not quite estranged, but they haven’t seen each other in a couple of years.  It’s a six hour car ride from his home, certainly doable, but Andy has been happy to keep their interactions restricted to a few phone calls a year.  His mother doesn’t know about his sexual orientation, and he’d like to keep it that way.  But he heads for Los Angeles in spite of his misgivings.

Mrs. Mills is delighted to see her son.  She is a nurse at a psychiatric facility and wants Andy to see the clinic, proud of the work they’re doing.  But when Andy visits it he’s disturbed and shocked by what he finds, and he determines to deal with it while he continues his search for Hank, Edward, and Daphne.

Mirage City is the fourth book in the Andy Mills series.  It’s a fascinating and disturbing look into 1950s culture, in which homophobia is rampant even in supposedly “enlightened” communities.  Sadly, these feeling are still present today, which makes this series an important read.  Andy is a realistic and engaging protagonist, forced out of his former career as a San Francisco detective when he’s discovered in a gay bar, and thus readers will understand his desire to stay within the Ruby community where he feels safe and respected.

You can read more about Lev AC Rosen at this website.