This book has a gorgeous cover and I love the concept of a woman in science in a historical setting. Saffron uses her knowledge to track a poisoner, which is interesting, but at times the flow lags and some of the characters get confusing.


I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, opinions are my own.

A strong debut and an enjoyable read. Many twists and turns (won't give much detail to avoid spoilers)
A solid mystery with a touch of romance.

Can't wait for the next book to see how the romance evolves and what is in store for Saffron

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I think I was expecting a slightly different type of book to what this one ends up being. I found it to be enjoyable if not particularly memorable. The way the first scene is written at the party I felt like we were just given loads of names of characters with not much to pick them out from one another which was confusing when it came to knowing who who later on.

The cover of this novel is lovely and drew me to it in the first place.

Perhaps not the right novel at the right time for me but not all can be new favourites.

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poison is the first mystery in the Saffron Everleigh mysteries. I thought that Saffron was a smart young woman. She is the first woman to be a research assistant for the University College of London. She also has a passion for plants. Therefore, she seems capable of being a female sleuth. I also like Alexander. He seemed very mysterious. The mystery itself is pretty predictable. There was not much going on in terms of a plot. However, it was an excellent introduction to some fun characters. Thus, this novel seems like a good start to a promising series. I recommend this for fans of Tessa Arlen, Jennifer Ashley, and Victoria Thompson!

A thrilling murder mystery set in the academic halls of University College of London, post World War 2!

Saffron Everleigh is the daughter of a renowned botanist Thomas Everleigh who had been engaged in the enthralling (to her) pursuit of the pigmentation of different kinds of tropical plants.. A research assistant in a male dominated landscape she’s no stranger to the sexual harassment, the discounting and bullying that pervades her chosen discipline.
When a professor’s wife is poisoned at a cocktail party and her kindly mentor is accused of attempted murder it’s Saffron who desires to prove the Doctor could not have been the instigator.
Her knowledge of plants and toxins prove invaluable. She is assisted by another department member, the very interesting Alexander Ashton. The interactions of the staff, the politics, the dismissal of Saffron as a serious scientist with a focused intelligent mind, her pursuit of the truth about the poisonings add tension that engage. A solid read, I’m looking forward to reading future works featuring Saffron!

A Crooked Lane ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The cover is alluring and the title enchanting. The summary suggests a uniquely laid out plot filled with mystery and intrigue. Khavari gives readers a fast paced story right from page one. While the opening scene laid the much needed groundwork, it introduced way too many characters at once. Although all of the characters have distinctly different traits readers may have a hard time keeping them separate throughout the rest of the book. Something about the main character Saffron doesn't seem to have been fully explored/developed and therefore she seems a bit unmoored at times. What is unveiled about Saffron explains plenty about her determination level. Her inquisitiveness, curiosity, and dedication to unveiling the truth make for questionable decisions that ultimately make matters worse. Alexander Ashton makes a charming accomplice who balances out Saffron's compulsive side remarkable well. A mystery with plenty of twists and turns with a spark of romance on the side. A strong debut.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons is a historical mystery that is plenty entertaining. It’s 1923, and Saffron Everleigh is a botany assistant at the University College of London. At a dinner party to celebrate the college’s upcoming expedition to Brazil, a dinner guest falls into a coma under mysterious circumstances. When Saffron’s department advisor is under suspicion, she must race against the clock to clear his name before the expedition begins and the poisoner gets away scot-free.

This book was enjoyable, though not perfect. There are things Khavari does very well in this story, and things that are a bit lackluster. For one, Khavari does an excellent job of making the reader care about the characters. Saffron, Alexander, and Elizabeth all felt very real to me (if at times they weren’t the brightest). The main characters all felt like their own people, with their own motivations and quirks. I could see why they cared for each other, and that’s important to me as a reader. That said, some of the main characters did some pretty impulsive and even pretty stupid things. One of the most idiotic things Saffron does seems like a complete throwaway decision until it later comes into play, which makes it feel a bit predictable. Though the author did a fine job setting up this piece of plot so at least it made sense in the grand scheme of things.

Furthermore, some of the side characters felt a bit “mustache-twirly,” though all in good fun. In my opinion, this is more of a light-hearted mystery than Sherlock Holmes level sleuthing. Therefore, the stakes are moderate and everything Saffron unravels is believable. It’s less “unmatched genius” and more like stubborn-expert-in-the-discipline-who-sees-things-the-cops-don’t-know-that-they-don’t-know. What I’m getting at is that Saffron is clearly an expert in her field, but she wouldn’t do much good in an investigation that didn’t involve botany or her workplace. (Though she does certainly Nancy Drew her way into situations, so maybe she could.)

The characters also do a few very dumb things, and that could be a bit annoying.

Another thing Khavari does well is anchoring the reader in time. I’ve read books that are SUPPOSED to be set in the 1920s (*cough* These Violent Delights) that are indistinguishable from any other time or place. While reading this book, I felt as though we were firmly in the 20s.

Overall, this was a perfectly good time for me, but nothing revolutionary. If you like fairly uncomplicated/light historical mysteries with just a touch of romance, you’d probably have a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons’ by Kate Khavari in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first title in Khavari’s Saffron Everleigh Mystery series set in 1920s Britain. The title and striking cover art highlights its botanical theme.
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London, 1923. Saffron Everleigh has recently begun working at the University College of London as a botanical research assistant. She attends a dinner party where she expects to engage in conversations about the university's upcoming expedition to the Amazon. Then one of the guests drops to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. The main suspect is Saffron’s mentor.

As evidence mounts Saffron decides that in order to clear her mentor’s name she’ll have to do it herself. She is joined by dishy fellow researcher, Alexander Ashton. Saffron uses her knowledge of botany to uncover the truth.

As with many amateur sleuths before her, Saffron’s efforts are not welcomed by the police detective leading the official investigation and she is repeatedly warned off.

This was an interesting mystery especially given the botanical aspects, which is a subject close to the author’s heart. While it might seem a cosy, some of its themes were outside of cosy territory.

While I enjoyed the central mystery and felt Saffron was a promising new character, I didn’t feel that the historical period was particularly well realised. The date was only mentioned in the publishers’ summary and while there were references to the aftermath of the Great War, there seemed little else to portray London in the early 1920s.

Still, this might be due to caution on Kate Khavari’s part. In her Author’s Note she indicates that she was striving for historical accuracy and gives thanks to the University College London library services for providing resources that allowed her to portray it as it was in 1923. She may have wanted to keep a tight focus to avoid potential missteps that might of occurred if she’d looked to depict the broader society of the day.

Overall, I found ‘A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons’ an engaging historical mystery and a promising start. I look forward to more adventures for Saffron Everleigh.

London, 1923. Saffron Everleigh works as a research assistant for the biology department of University College of London. She is the only female currently employed by the department, and as a result, a subject of jokes between some of its male employees.

The academics from the University are preparing for a six month expedition to the Amazon led by Dr Henry. During a dinner party for the University, champagne flows in abundance until Dr Henry’s wife suddenly drops to the ground, unconscious. The woman falls into a coma and soon Saffron discovers that the woman had been poisoned by an unknown substance.

The police are quick to arrest Dr Maxwell (Saffron works for him) and as he is like a father figure to Saffron, she is adamant to prove his innocence. Another academic, handsome Alexander Ashton offers his assistance, but can Saffron trust him?

I really enjoyed this book. Saffron is a character ahead of her time, she wanted to prove her worth as a botanist, and to leave a mark in the academic world. She experienced sexual harassment and sneer comments from her co-workers, but she persevered and carried on regardless. I despised Dr Berking, he was a truly despicable character and his treatment of Saffron was appalling.

Saffron took some extremely dangerous risks – I don’t think I would have had the courage to poison myself in order to prove someone’s innocence!

This book leads us into a world of poisons, hybrid plants, embezzlement, and how far some people will go to achieve their aims.

I loved the amateur detective duo of Saffron and Alexander. I am secretly hoping there will be another book in the series. The two characters are certainly worth developing further.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

A new mystery set in the 1920s at a university. When a woman ends up poisoned, Saffron and Alexander get drawn into a dangerous investigation into botany professors who are up to no good.

Set in London, 1923, as a group of botanists are planning a trip to South America to "discover" new species of plants, a party goer is murdered and Saffron Everleigh's mentor is the prime suspect. This is a bit of a period piece, a bit of a parlor murder mystery and there's a hint of romance throughout. I'm not a regular reader of this genre, but this was a great change of pace for me. The characters are wonderfully developed, author Kate Khavari does not rely on any tropes or stereotypes. I liked the characters, I enjoyed the plot and I really enjoyed the setting of a science department. Highly recommended and I thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little cozy historical mystery! It looks like the first in a series of mysteries about Saffron, a botanist researcher's assistant who happens to be around when a colleague's wife is poisoned. This, and a tumble of other events, lead to her investigating the poisoning to clear her boss's name, and then to solving the case.

Parts of this felt laggy to me, but overall, I'd say this was a fun read, especially the second half when things really started rolling.

If you're into plants, like low-stakes but high-risk mysteries, and enjoy historical fiction, then this might be the book for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the e-ARC!

When I saw this gorgeous cover and intriguing title I just knew I had to read this book so many thanks to the publishers for an advanced peek at this new release.

It’s 1923 and Saffron Everleigh is one of the few female botanists and research assistants at University College of London. When one of the professor’s wives is poisoned at a faculty dinner party and Saffron’s mentor is accused of the crime, she becomes to determined to find the real culprit.

I love a transporting historical mystery from time to time and this one was good fun. Saffron is an entertaining protagonist (if maddeningly impulsive at times) and I appreciated getting a look into the wild world of botany though her eyes. I also enjoyed her fellow sleuth Alexander Ashton and their budding partnership.

For those of you looking for a cozy mystery I must warn you that Saffron is the target of sexual harassment from one of her professors and is threatened with sexual violence several times. The mystery itself also left a little to be desired. It was solid but lacked a certain panache while our sleuths remained rather passive in the final reveal.

Nevertheless, I liked this book and I think I’ll stick around for the sequel to see what Saffron gets up to next…

A murder mystery set in 1920s London academia. Mysterious poisons and clandestine party rendezvous. On paper, extremely my shit.

Because the topic was so up my alley, I think it helped me push through this. Because this book is paced pretty slowly!! The solution to the mystery also wasn’t that surprising; I had guessed part of it early on. It also switches POVs inconsistently.

But I liked the main character Saffron - her quick thinking and ability to stand up for herself as the only woman in the botany department. The romance was sweet, and the end leaves room for more adventures, which I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to reading. Just some tightening of the narrative and these stories of poisonous plants have a lot of potential.

Saffron was fabulous

A Botanist Guide to Parties and Poisons was a fascinating book, it was a wonderful novel that kept me hooked throughout.

This is one I would without a doubt recommend to lovers of historical fiction.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted e-copy.

This was a absolutely wonderful historical mystery, with a fantastic main character in Saffron! Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. It was a quick read that kept me interested throughout the story. I did think there would be more parties and poisons, but it was still a fun story. I liked the main character and supporting characters.
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I received a digital arc via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant who has always wanted to be able to advance further into her career though she knows she is against quite the obstacles with being a male-dominated University and having to deal with Dr. Berking who is a head of his own department, also an advisor to many including Saffron, that thinks he's a smooth one for the Ladies but is really just a jerk and should not be in the position he's in.

When Saffron's mentor Dr. Maxwell is accused of poisoning a colleague's wife while at a party that was supposed to be celebrating the send off party for a group of people to head of to the Amazon to do some studies, she knows that it can't be true.

Finding herself partnering up with the engaging Alexander who is one of the people meant to go on the trip, she will soon discover that her hunch about Dr. Maxwell being innocent will lead her down quite the winding path and that not all is as it seems.

This story was full of mystery, plenty of botanist lingo, a budding romance, a heavy dose of danger, a dash of poison and plenty of surprises.

This was such a fascinating book and I loved Saffron, Elizabeth (Saffron's best friend), Alexander and the rather grumpy but also sweet old caretaker who has a soft spot for Saffron.

I'm so excited to see what next is in store for Saffron and that ending was so sweet! I highly recommend checking out this book!

This book came to me at the wrong time. I’d just read the newest Deanna Raybourn and Jenny Elder Moke’s Rise of the Snake Goddess - both of which feature a character from a similar background or in a similar situation to Saffron in Khavari’s debut effort. Unfortunately, that made Saffron fall flat for me.

I think there’s great potential in this series but everything seemed so much like others in this genre. This is one I will pick up again once it’s published and give it another try.

Saffron and Alexander look into the poisoning of Mrs. Henry to prove Maxwell is innocent. Sneaking into offices and gardens looking for answers. Taking poison willingly to prove it isn’t the poison used. These and more are ways she drags Alexander with her on her investigation.
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