Saffron Everleigh a botanist researcher is decided to prove her tutor´s innocence of murder using her knowledge of botany. It is 1923 and there´s almost no women studying at college or being assistants but Saffron whose father was a renowned scientist could pursue her career though it is not an easy path. Her tutor is one of the few people who trust her so she won´t let permit to be in prison for something she is sure she did not do.

Set in London, in 1923, Saffron Everleigh is the first woman to hold a research assistant position in the biology department at University College London. Her mentor, Dr Maxwell, is the main suspect in the poisoning of a colleague's wife, Mrs Henry. Alexander Ashton, another researcher, helps Saffron with her sleuthing.

I liked Saffron, whom I found smart, genuine and straightforward. The mystery itself was engaging and I loved the frissons between Alexander and Saffron. An extremely satisfying read leaving me agog for book two.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Crooked Lane via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

There is so much to enjoy here. The story itself is great but add to that the interesting information on botany, the evocative descriptions of the era and a really compelling lead character and it becomes something really special. Recommend this for people who like to learn as they are entertained.

This was a pretty effective and fun mystery set in the aftermath of WW I. It took me a little while to read, but that is by no means down to the novel.

This was an enjoyable read for me. I like the characters quite a bit and I was very happy with the way the romance was not taking over from the mystery elements, but was just right. I felt for Saffron as she had to navigate a male-dominated environment, but liked how she was able to hold her own most of the time.

The mystery itself was interesting, even if Saffron and Alexander’s way of investigating was a bit gung ho at times.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery set at a botany department at a 1920s London University.

A Botanist's Guide To Parties And Poisons is the first book in the A Saffron Everleigh series by Kate Khavari. The series is set in 1923.

Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant in the Botany department at the University College of London. Mrs. Henry, the wife of Professor Henry, drops to the floor. It will be learned that she was poisoned. Saffron’s mentor, Professor Maxwell, had had a loud argument with Prof. Henry a couple of days before and soon became the prime suspect. Saffron wants clear her mentor's name, so with Alexander Ashton, they set off to determine who poisoned Mrs. Henry.

I very much enjoy historical mysteries, but this one wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into Saffron or Alexander. I enjoyed Saffron’s flatmate Elizabeth. For me, the book was a slow read.

Ohhhhhhh, this was so good.

Saffron is a botanist, and a very good one. Well, rather, she is a research assistant to a botanist, but Dr. Maxwell likes her and gives her much more leeway than most professors would. She is extremely knowledgeable in plants and when a woman drops at a party and goes into a coma, and her mentor Dr. Maxwell is accused of the poisoning, Saffron takes it upon herself to solve the crime when it looks like the police are uninterested in finding any other suspect. With the help of Alexander Ashton, another research assistant, they snoop, dig, creep and at one point run an extremely dangerous experiment, all to try and save Dr. Maxwell. There is quite a bit of shenanigans [which is glorious] and tons of poisons and plants and fun stuff like that. The reveal is edge-of-your-seat and I was thoroughly surprised at it all, which is just fantastic. When one reads as many mysteries as I do, it is always such a treat to not have a clue at what the heck is happening. :-)

Very well done and I cannot wait for the second book!!

I was also able to get the audiobook ARC of this book and I have found a new favorite narrator. Jodie Harris is delightful and I enjoyed the book even more because of her excellent narration of the story. She does excellent work of bringing Saffron and Co. to life and I will be looking for her narration in other books. Well done!

Thank you to Kate Khavari, Jodie Harris - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing this ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really good historical cozy.

1920s. science, competent characters, a couple to be that are fun to discover. Good and solid historical background, WW1 vets, women in academia.

A fun, entertaining mystery set in the early nineteenth century. I love Saffron! A great historical read.
Thank you NetGalley!

The premise of this book sounded so intriguing however I found that it fell flat in the execution. The beginning was very good and had me hooked however I found the middle part dragged on quite a bit. I expected more lavish parties and more poisoning. I did enjoy the whodunnit style to this book.

Thank you to netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Saffron Everleigh is in a race against time to free her wrongly accused professor before he goes behind bars forever. Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber, Kate Khavari’s debut historical mystery is a fast paced, fearless adventure.

Such an intriguing title but, for me anyway, the book did not quite live up to it. There were a lot of botanists but I can only recall one party and two possible poisons.

Set in the University College of London in 1923, the main character is Saffron Everleigh. She is the first woman research assistant appointed there and she feels her position as a woman in a man's world very strongly. She becomes involved in events surrounding a poisoning at a party and works with a colleague, Alexander Ashton, to solve the mystery of 'who dunnit'.

I have always assumed that researchers dealt in proof and logic but Saffron defies that and works mostly by instinct and rash decisions. Luckily Alex is there to save her and occasionally prevent her excesses and the pair have an interesting, developing relationship.

The botany was informative and not over whelming, the characters were well done and the mystery interesting and rounded off well. A good start to a new series and I will look out for the next book.

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons, research assistant Saffron Everleigh finds herself unexpectedly at the center of a murder investigation as she struggles to exonerate her professor. Help with her private investigation comes unexpectedly from the taciturn yet alluring Alexander Ashton.

I really enjoyed Kate Khavari's debut, which has elements of historical fiction, being set against the backdrop of post WWI London, as well as mystery. There is also a bit of slow burn romance between Alexander and Saffron.

Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was how elements of botany were skillfully intertwined into the plot. I love flowers and appreciated learning about some of the exotic plants in this story. I also thought the author did a great job of tackling difficult topics like discrimination and PTSD in her book. I could definitely, somewhat ironically, relate to Saffron’s struggles of being taken seriously in a male dominated field.

Although the mystery was wrapped up at the end, Saffron and Alexander’s story seemed unfinished so hope the author will continue with their story in subsequent books

I am a big fan of Deanna Raybourn so when I saw the description on NetGalley saying this was for fans of Deanna I thought well then I must read this! Plus have you seen the cover it is beautiful!

This was a great start in this series, and it kept me intrigued from the moment I started reading it. It has been a while since I have read a book this fast. The book flowed nicely and the pace worked well. You felt like you were working alongside Saffron and Alexander to uncover who was really the poisoner instead of the gramed Dr. Maxwell. I thought the plot was similar in the sense of the type of book, however, I think it was also unique because you have a botanist who is a female working hard to make a name for herself and is getting to use her knowledge to help solve a crime. There was humor, adventure, mystery, and some slight romance in this story, so it had a lot of everything.

The characters I thought were well done. I liked Saffron she stood up for herself and didn’t let anything keep her down. I was definitely rooting for her to succeed. I like that even though you can tell the Inspector doesn’t really believe/like her you get glimpses that she is growing on him and by the end I think he knows her value. Alexander I also thought was a good character and I liked how he played an important part from the beginning and it wasn’t just purely for romance purposes. It is good that you get some background on him and Saffron, as well as I really like Saffron’s friend and roommate Elizabeth she made me laugh with some of her interactions.

I think overall this was a really fun read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing what mystery Saffron, Alexander, Inspector Green, and Elizabeth will be involved in. I hope Elizabeth comes along for more of the adventure just because I really liked her character. So definitely check out this new series you won’t be disappointed.

A fabulous, gripping mystery, with just the right amount of love interest without overdoing it! So well-written and had me riveted from start to finish, and I adored having the point of view of a female scholar in botany before it was widely accepted.

Saffron Everleigh, a recent botany graduate and now research assistant to her mentor Dr. Maxwell, attends a dinner party focused on the University College of London's upcoming expedition to the Amazon. She hears things she shouldn't and is then a witness to the expedition leader's wife's poisoning. Saffron and her colleague, bacteriologist Dr. Ashton, then team up in a race against time and a murderer to prove Dr. Maxwell's innocence through scientific research and criminal investigation.
It took me a little bit to get my bearings in this book--both the time period and the various characters seemed a bit muddled for a while. I appreciated very much how the details and character development happened organically, rather than being laid out all at once, but even so it seemed that there were missing details that were alluded to later. But once it got going I appreciated how it highlighted the realities experienced by women at the time, especially women working professionally.
The two perspectives through which we see the story are those of Saffron Everleigh and Dr. Alexander Ashton. Saffron is intelligent and accomplished, but inexperienced. She is impulsive and passionate and works very hard to move forward in a male-dominated field. The second perspective is that of Alexander Ashton. He is more methodical and experienced, but he struggles with an anxiety disorder which is related to, if not caused by, his service in World War I.
I found the writing to be excellent, even if the plot was at times slow and repetitive. I appreciated that the heroine and hero were both relatable--in different ways--and it turned out to be an enjoyable "whodunit." I would definitely be interested in reading more by Kate Khavari when the time comes, and I recommend this as a fresh voice and plotline in a popular genre (and even time period).I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I just reviewed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari.#ABotanistsGuidetoPartiesandPoisons #NetGalley
This review is also posted on Instagram and BN.com as of today.

Such a great book! I'm making all of my friends go pick it up! I really loved the main character and it also gave me a hp kind of vibe. I give this one about a 4.5 stars!

Yes, please! I loved everything about this book: the time period, the dual narrative, the friendship blooming between Saffron and Alexander, and the potential for what mysteries our duo can solve next (well, at least after six months).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

It was nice to step out of my comfort zone with this book. It was a poison mystery (like a murder mystery but different).

The main character Saffron is in a man’s world in Academia. She’s a botanist/research assistant in a purely male dominated department. Throughout the book, she works hard to prove herself as an asset to the department by trying to solve the fishy poisoning of Dr. Henry’s wife.

There were times where she made stupid decisions to help the case and at those times, I disliked Saffron a lot. She was headstrong and stubborn. But her heart was in the right place.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this!

I really enjoyed reading this book and while I enjoy historical fiction, this one was a little different from what I normally read. It was a bit more academic, as it focused a lot on botany and research into various poisonous plants, but I found it to be very interesting and informative.

Of course when you throw a little mystery and romance into the mix, it proves to be a more well-rounded tale. I loved Saffron (especially her name) and thought she was a perfect lead for this story. Her camaraderie with Alexander and the slow burn of their budding relationship was a welcome addition to break up their not so pleasant task of uncovering who poisoned Mrs. Henry.

Overall, I thought it was a wonderful mystery set during a time when women were just beginning to get recognition in a male-dominated academic world. I found the suspense to be a little slow-paced at times, but when the truth came out regarding Mrs. Henry’s poisoning, I was a bit surprised.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves mysteries intertwined with an academic and historical setting.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4756791783

A historical cozy mystery set in 1923 London where Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant at University College of London. She attends a dinner party with faculty and one of the professor’s wives, Mrs. Henry drops to the floor, having been poisoned by a mysterious toxin. Her mentor, Dr. Maxwell is the chief suspect.

Saffron decides to clear Dr. Maxwell’s name and take matters into her own hands. Along with the help of her fellow colleague Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany to investigate the murder. Will she find the killer or become a suspect herself?

My thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded dup to 4 on Goodreads)

This was an interesting story and really started out strong. I love stories set in academia and the details about the world of botany were fascinating.

What I enjoyed was Saffron’s character. She was a strong female trying to make her way in a male dominated field. The reason for my 3.5 stars was the slow, slow burn romance and plot. There were parts that were just too long and tedious. However, the writing was well done and I would definitely check out the next book in the series.