Marvelous: A Novel by Molly Greeley

  A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

Title:  A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons
Series:  A Saffron Everleigh Mystery, book 1

Author: Kate Khavari
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers 
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages: 265
Date of Publication:  7 June, 2022
My Rating:  4 Stars

My Thoughts 

A cozy historical murder mystery? Set in London during the 1920’s? As anyone who knows me knows, it’s a given that that’s a book I want to read. And that cover?! That gorgeous, gorgeous cover ❤️ Such was my attitude when I began A Botanist’s Guide and that attitude served me well as I really enjoyed this smart and wonderfully written story.

Clever and fun with wonderfully developed characters. I’m so glad I read this and I’m already looking forward to the next Saffron and Alexander novel. 

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this title. Opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my reading experience.

Description

The Lost Apothecary meets Dead Dead Girls in this fast-paced, STEMinist adventure.

Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London.

Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues’ beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not so subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.
 
When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. 

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher--and potential romantic interest--Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name.
 
Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations.