Reviews posted on May 21, 2022

I am not usually a big fan of mystery books, but I actually had a lot of fun reading this one and defiantly felt invested in the plot and the characters. I think there was a good balance between the plot and characters, which I tend to feel is missing from mystery books.

The mystery felt very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's books and Knives Out. I liked that there were so many moving parts and so many characters to blame the crime on. I don’t think anything was particularly revolutionary or done better than others, but it was still a fun mystery to try and figure out with the characters. The ending wasn’t super predictable, but it also wasn’t out of nowhere. I like that it was a nice in-between.

What stood out for me in this book was that the author really focused on developing the character's personalities and backstories. This allowed me to care about what happened to them regarding the mystery but also allowed me to care about their personal lives.

Overall a pretty solid read, but nothing that blew me away. If you are a person who enjoys mystery books, I think you will really enjoy it, and if you are looking to get into this genre, I think this is an excellent introduction.

This was a great story with great characters. Saffron was someone I would've totally been friends with! She's a badass!! Mystery, thriller and romantic novel all in one. Loved it!!

Saffron Everleigh serves as a research assistant in the biology department at University College in London. As the department members prepare to embark upon a scientific expedition, mysterious circumstances evolve and Saffron is caught in the midst of them. A poisoning at a faculty party sets off the action at the outset of the novel. Saffron uses her knowledge of poisonous plants in an attempt to clear the name of her beloved professor and mentor. A touch of romance, some evil educators, and a race against time add interest to this quickly moving story. The academic setting forms a fitting background for the shenanigans of the many characters. The wrap up at the end provides enough chills to keep readers turning pages.

Readers who are looking for a mystery with a twist will find some unique themes and story lines in this novel. However, as a heads-up to readers with a sensitive nature, this book contains graphic violence at the end, so be ready. Those expecting a "cozy" mystery will not find it among the pages of this intriguing offering, the first from this author: but hopefully not the last book featuring Saffron Everleigh. The author has provided enough cliff-hanging clues to skillfully transition to the next book in the series.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

A BOTANIST'S GUIDE TO PARTIES AND POISONS is a charming and engaging historical mystery that gives exotic plants and all their dangers a spotlight, which I really enjoyed. As someone who has always wanted to see a poisonous garden, the accessible but educational information about poisonous plants as potential murder weapons in this book was very fun. I also really liked our protagonist Saffron Everleigh, a research assistant at a 1923 University who wants to become a valued member of academia much like her late father, and who has to face hurdles in place due to her gender and the time period. I also liked the themes of WWI and the fallout on Britain as a whole, but also on various characters. Whether it's Saffron who lost her father and her betrothed to war, her friend Elizabeth whose family lost their social standing and wanted to marry her off to bring it back, or Saffron's fellow researcher Alexander who suffers from PTSD, the War is a lingering presence that isn't overwrought but does carry weight. As for the mystery, it's serviceable and entertaining enough as Saffron tries to clear her mentor's name in the poisoning of a fellow Professor's wife during a department party. I liked seeing Saffron experiment with various plants, and get closer to Alexander as they worked together to try and gather clues towards who the real culprit is.

I plan to continue in this series, as A BOTANIST'S GUIDE TO PARTIES AND POISONS is a grand start to a new historical mystery series!

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari transports the reader to 1920’s London, the stuffy rooms of academia, and the rampant misogyny against women. With the last part of that sentence you would think this book could get heavy handed, but the way Saffron and Anthony handled it shows the reader that they were ahead of their times.

I really enjoyed how Khavari was able to intertwine the analytical mind of a scientist and have Saffron use those abilities to help her solve the mystery. Sometimes with how quickly her mind worked it would led her into troubling situations before she actually slowed down to think of what might happen. This led to some interesting and fast paced scenes.

Besides writing very layered characters, especially for a first book, Khavari’s descriptions of the college campus, the architecture, and dress styles of that time period were done exquisitely. As an herbalist, I was fascinated with all the science surrounding the various plants and felt that Khavari was able to make it interesting for the reader and not dry like some scientific writing can be. And the mystery was well written with numerous suspects and some red herrings.

I’m looking forward to more adventures with Saffron and Anthony, and hope you’ll pick up this book and give it a read.

This book is basically a terrible tale of what it was like to be a pretty woman in academia in 1923 in the sciences (this was before women could even vote in England!). The main character was harassed by male professors, treated as a glorified note taker, and mostly frowned upon. And this was all before the wife of one of the most prominent professors was nearly murdered, which is what the story is actually about!
I liked Saffron Everleigh (what a name!). She was determined to earn a place for herself in the botany department at the University College of London, defying the will of her wealthy grandparents for her to marry well. Instead she would rather study plants, following in the footsteps of her deceased father. During a dinner party for department members and those going on a research trip to Brazil, Mrs. Henry, the wife of the philandering though prominent Dr. Henry, is poisoned. Unfortunately the suspicion falls on Saffron’s mentor, Dr. Maxwell, who had recently argued with Dr. Henry and had access to and knowledge of a deadly array of plant specimens. Saffron promptly sets out to clear Dr. Maxwell’s name and find out who really tried to murder Mrs. Henry - was it a jilted lover or perhaps the poison was intended for Dr. Henry?
The mystery aspect was less of the Sherlockian variety and more a slow untangling of the complicated social and professional history within the university. Saffron does a bit of snooping and solving, but mostly she eavesdrops and chats up various people who might have information, all while swooning over the handsome Alexander Ashton. I appreciated Saffron’s dedication to her mentor and her determination to become a successful, respected researcher in what was primarily a man's world at that time. I also enjoyed the slowly building relationship between her and Mr. Ashton - it was cute and satisfying.
This was an enjoyable read, though it doesn’t rank among my favorite mysteries. To me the plot felt a bit contrived at times, but I did think it was quite fun and it wasn’t a heavy, stodgy read. Once again, this was a good choice for a vacation read. It wasn’t a stressful book where your favorite hero is in dire peril (or horridly embarrassing themselves) and while clearing someone’s name and figuring out who’s the poisoner is high stakes, it’s not saving the world!

I had very high hopes for this academic historical mystery, but alas, I found myself disappointed in the end.

The concept and setting for this are great, and the characters are fine, but the plot (though it begins with potential) is an illogical jumble with several elements that absolutely tanked an otherwise promising concept.

This book has the feel of a romp, which makes the constant threat of sexual violence against the protagonist both as gross as it always is and distinctly out of place in tone. It doesn’t fit with the otherwise adventuring feel of the narrative, and I don’t care for plot devices that place female characters in perpetual danger purely because they are female, particularly when the plot leaves plenty of room to avoid this (in tone, in subject, in narrative arc). It just feels unnecessarily gross and like a lazy way to create tense atmosphere.

I also don’t love faux academics and fake science in a book that is not fantasy and takes much of its tone and atmosphere from its academic setting. Using a fake plant or poison in a real-world setting always feels like cheating, and the way the author explains this in the end note just made it bug me more.

The cartoonish incompetence of the villains at the end of the novel didn’t help, especially when it was paired directly with the icky and lecherous threat of rape.

I loved the setting for this and the idea behind it was good, but the book itself disappointed me greatly.

Mystery meets history with a twist of romance in Kate Kmhavari's novel.
Gorgeous cover and the potential for a sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc of this book.

I was intrigued by the cover of this book when I spotted it on netgalley, its absolutely stunning and the book sounded just as promising. Set in 1920's post war London, the story is centered around a budding botanist called Saffron Everleigh who is trying to make her mark in a very much male dominated environment. It is among her colleagues that Saffron finds herself caught in a murder mystery of sorts and has to use her knowledge and wits to solve the crime.
This was very much a cosy mystery set in a post war historical fiction backdrop. I really enjoyed the botany references and found that side of the book very well researched and informative.
I also enjoyed the characters themselves, particularly Saffron, they were all very individual and it reminded me very much of watching a episode of Poirot on TV, I think this is the start of a very successful series.

The atmosphere in this novel with the 1920s London university setting and a mystery involving a poisoning feels like a dark, rainy evening in the best way possible. You know that kind of evening when you have nothing to do other than listen to the rain and read under a blanket. Then to add a little brightness to that, the novel has the loveliest main character named Saffron and a cute little romance. And the cover looks pretty as well!

Definitely would recommend and will be picking up the next book (which apparently comes out next year)!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Historic fiction, cozy mystery, and academic. What more could you ask for?!

This is a super fun murder mystery taking place in 1920’s London. The story follows the only female botanist at her university trying to earn respect among her peers. The main characters are excellent, intelligent, and witty. Also lots of fun botanical info! Also didn’t expect the plot twist!

This was an awesome cozy who done it mystery mixed in with some historical fiction. I enjoyed this but I felt like it kind of dragged on towards the middle with waaaay too many orchestrated romantic scenes. It started to feel a little dull to me. I’m a huge plant lady so I really enjoyed the references of them and poisons though. I get like the author did a great job with the research on that part.

This review is published in Goodreads May 12 and will be on B&N on the release date.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for giving me this ARC, and this does not influence my review. This novel was a fascinating fast-paced female STEM read blended with a historical mystery. I love how only 8 pages in we were introduced to Alexander;) but one downside was that all the characters’ introduction was too fast but slightly difficult to keep up with all the names in the beginning (although it gets easier throughout the book). The POV was 3rd person which I didn’t like, but it was plot-based and it worked out good (mostly Saffron’s POV). I LOVED the simmering, intoxicating slow-burn romance, and I hope there’s more books. There was hardly any spice, but the romance was well done, it was hilarious when Saffron’s best friend <spoiler> saw Saffron and Alexander in the apartment and said “I’m wrong to think that you’ve made up with your biologist and you were in here studying… biology?” Elizabeth didn’t try to hide her grin. </spoiler>

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons is a book that will keep you turning the page!

I had a strong feeling I would like this book, and I was very much right. I love mysteries where I don’t see the end coming. It was a fun cozy thriller with a world I could easily get lost in.

This book is set in the 1920’s and features a very feisty and fiery main protagonist named Saffron Everleigh. I really came to enjoy her character. The romance is fun, it has some tension, humor, and a bit of angst.

The story moves really quickly and I never felt it dragged which is a huge plus for a mystery. It also felt light, yet it had depth.

I can’t wait to for the second book. I’ll for sure be reading it as soon as it comes out.

My on.y criticism would be I would like just a bit more botany and plant talk.

Overall, this book is a solid 4 stars maybe 4 1/2 stars. I highly recommend it.

3.5/5⭐️

First in a new historical mystery series set in 1923 London.

Saffron Everleigh is a new research assistant in the male-dominated botany department at University College. While attending a work party to celebrate an upcoming Amazonian research trip for some of her colleagues, the wife of a professor is poisoned. Her mentor and friend is accused and arrested. With the help of a fellow researcher, she must uncover the real culprit within her workplace amidst a myriad of motives.

While this was rather simplistic in the writing and plot, Saffron was engaging enough that I’d be willing to try the next one.

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing the free early arc of A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Saffron Everleigh is a new research assistant at University College London where she is pursuing her interest in botany despite the prejudices of the men in her department. Her father was in the apartment before he lost his life during World War I. Some of the men feel that she's playing on her father's reputation for her place.

She is invited to attend a dinner party celebrating an upcoming expedition to the Amazon where she meets a new researcher in bacteria Alexander Ashton. In fact, they are talking when she overhears the wife of one of the prominent professors in the department making cryptic remarks. A few short minutes later, she and Ashton watch as the woman collapses to the floor after drinking some champagne.

Saffron's mentor Dr. Maxwell soon becomes a suspect both because of his knowledge of poisons and because he has argued with the prominent professor about the Amazon expedition.

Saffron is determined to save her professor's reputation and clear his name. Along with Alexander Ashton she does all sorts of things including searching a number of offices, experimenting on herself with poison, and crossing paths with a variety of villains on her quest to clear her mentor's name.

I enjoyed the setting of this story despite the role women were allowed to play at the time. Saffron is smart and determined and perhaps braver than good sense would demand. Alexander Ashton was also an interesting character who fought in WWI and came home with various war injuries including a new case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I will look forward to reading more of Saffron Everleigh's adventures.

A shocking murder attempt, poisonous plants and a determine botanist. I really wanted to read this and was excited to receive an advanced copy. The cover is gorgeous and I love the title.

Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant at a university for Dr. Maxwell. At a party another professor's wife drops to the ground and ends up in the hospital, it turns out that she's been poisoned and Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect. Dr. Maxwell is Saffron's mentor and she's determined to clear his name. Saffron teams up with Alexander, another researcher from the university. Time is running out and they must find the actual poisoner.

I found this to be very slow paced and was bored at times. I thought this was going to be more dramatic but it felt like the pacing was off. The ending had a lot of action but otherwise it felt kind of slow paced for a murder mystery novel. I think there was also supposed to be romance between Alexander and Saffron but I found it to be lukewarm at best. I liked the premise of the book and the academic setting but felt the execution wasn't the best. I wanted more drama and action, considering this is supposed to be about solving a crime. Overall, this just fell flat for me and I think it can be skipped as there are much better mysteries out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Botanist's Guides to Parties and Poisons is a fun historical mystery set in the 1920s in England.

Saffron Everleigh is fascinated by plants and plans to pursue a career as a scientist/professor. She is the assistant to Dr. Maxwell, helping him with his studies on chloroform, but also has applied to do her own research project in the coming year. Unfortunately, not every professor is as wonderful as Dr. Maxwell. The department head, Dr. Berking, sexually harasses her when she presents her project to him.

The book begins with a dinner party to celebrate the upcoming expedition to the Amazon. Saffron overhears some of the other guests talking about infidelities and conflicts, and by the end of the night, one of those guests has been poisoned. Dr. Maxwell is accused of the crime, and Saffron and her new friend, Alexander Ashton (also a member of the biology department) fight to clear his name.

This is an enjoyable story with just the right amount of romance and intrigue. Saffron is feisty and determined to clear her mentor's name, and is willing to go to great lengths to prove that, including sampling a poison herself!

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advance copy of a wonderful beginning of a series! I can't wait to read the next installment!

I was first drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover, closely followed by the title and intriguing description. Saffron Everleigh is the only woman in the Botany department at the University College of London in 1923, braving the censure of her family, harassment by some colleagues and disdain from others to follow in her father's footsteps. When the professor she is research assistant to is accused of attempted murder in the poisoning of a colleague's wife, Saffron is compelled to investigate to identify the real culprit. Along the way, she finds an ally in Alexander Ashton, a fellow researcher and possible love interest. Written in the style of a classic historical mystery with a cast of characters & suspects worthy of an Agatha Christie novel, I devoured this book in about a day. I thought the plot was well-paced and the resolution of the mystery surprised without being unbelievable. Saffron is a smart and resourceful heroine who I hope to see again soon.

Set in 1923 London A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is absolutely brimming with hijinks, charm, wit and intrigue. All this from an author who clearly has researched botany which is a key part of the puzzle. As a Master Gardener I am smitten with plant talk and became immersed in the story immediately. Not only is the story itself enchanting but the characters are varied and fun, particularly Saffron Everleigh, a botanist and research assistant. She and fellow research assistant Alexander Ashton are up to their necks in investigative adventures after Mrs. Henry is poisoned at a party. Saffron's mentor is accused and Saffron refuses to believe he is guilty. Mayhem ensues.

Kate Khavari's writing is simply marvellous! Her historical details made me feel as though I was a fly on the wall, privy to secrets, mysteries and sizzle.

Historical Fiction and Mystery fans ought to prioritize this book which I easily read in one sitting. It is addictive and difficult to put down. Pure escapism.

My sincere thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful, wonderful book. I eagerly await the next in the series!