I love the beautiful cover and the title of this book. They intrigued me right away. I love historical mysteries and really enjoyed this story. While it may have started a bit slowly, there was a lot of ground to cover to get us up to speed on the setting and premise. I thought the details about poisons were interesting. I also enjoyed the mystery and light romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Publication Date: June 7th, 2022.

I really liked this one. Although a bit slow moving at times, I enjoyed taking my time with the book and Saffron & Alexander. I also liked how their romance didn’t overshadow the mystery. I loved the academic setting, and made me realize how the light academia aesthetic fits so well with cozy mysteries such as this one. I'd say it's a perfect first book to a series, and I'm very much looking forward to the second one!

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a thoroughly enjoyable start to what promises to be a solid historical mystery series. The setting - 1920s London, and the scientific departments of University College London - is a rich background for the charming and determined protagonist, botany research assistant Saffron Everleigh. Despite sometimes unpolished prose, the plot moves along at a good clip and the romantic subplot is strong (I don't think we necessarily needed Alexander's POV scenes, but I did like him as a love interest and fellow detective for Saffron). While the actual solution didn't excite me particularly (it didn't seem like the kind of solution to make a reader go "I should have known!" as the best whodunits do), it was plausible - which seems like a low standard, and yet... On the whole, this atmospheric mystery kept me intrigued, and I look forward to more from this author!

Content guidance: Attempted sexual assault, workplace sexual harassment, discussions of PTSD from war.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This post-Great War London-set mystery features Saffron, a young botany academic striving for respect in a man’s world. During a faculty party to celebrate a forthcoming expedition, one of the wives fall incredibly ill. Evidence points to poison—and Saffron’s mentor. She enlists aid from a colleague in bacteriology, Alexander, and they nose about in deadly realms such as gossip and exotic plants to find who really is at fault.

I found the book to be a cute romp. The romantic element is light and proper, with plentiful fun banter. The mystery investigation proceeds at a good pace. The area of the novel that felt weak to me was Alexander’s point-of-view chapters, which never felt as realized and immersive as Saffron’s. That said, I enjoyed the read a lot and I hope this is the start of a series.

"A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons" is a no-murder mystery with an interesting background in academia. Saffron, the protagonist, works as an assistant to a professor in the Botany department while trying to get her own spot in this male-dominated scene, harder yet in 1923 in London.

The book's premise was interesting - there is an expedition set to happen to the Amazon and at a party celebrating the fundraiser for making the trip possible the wife of the expedition lead is poisoned. Saffron's professor is framed and she embarks on a journey to liberate him and save his reputation.

I liked the characters and their relationships, but some of them were introduced brusquely and not developed, leaving an empty sensation to their apparition, suggesting the author only wanted to create some diversion and plot options to keep the reader guessing. There were also too many names introduced at the same time, the party, and at the very beginning of the book. As a person with a bad memory this made the first few chapters a struggle.

A point that might be sensitive are the mentions to sexual and moral harassment in the workplace and the disregard for one's accomplishments due to gender. The first topic is mentioned a few times in Saffron's relationship with the Head of the Botany Department, and the second is mentioned briefly.

Overall, it was an entertaining read, even if a bit too long at times. In my opinion, the book got stronger in writing style and prose as it progressed. There were some passages in which the author used very short action-oriented phrases, using the protagonist's name several times in the same paragraph, which in my view is an editing flaw. Overall, those passages are easy to overlook if you're not a frequent reader, but they will annoy others - it did annoy me a bit.

I do recommend this book to readers looking for a non-murder mystery with a female lead that brings a feminism tone to the story. The book seems to be setting up a series with Saffron as the protagonist solving other mysteries, and I would pick up the next book.

My thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the e-ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

For the love of beautiful covers and Botany 🌱🧫

This book had such a promising start - a 1920s London academia setting, a time when women weren’t seen, or rather accepted to be competitive, ambitious and career-oriented and had to try hard, sometimes by giving into unfair methods to make their place. Then comes Saffron Everleigh, our protagonist, a futuristic woman who is all set to break stereotypes and do things her way. Wow!

Sadly, the excitement didn’t hold for long. The writing got draggy and a bit too simple, and there were far too many orchestrated romantic scenes that dulled the mystery for me. The references to plants and poisons were the best part - well researched and cleverly blended into the story, but other than that, nothing lived up to the expectations that the gorgeous cover and title had managed to set up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 7th, 2022.

Not a bad read, just not too exciting for a mystery.

TW: Workplace sexual harassment, Discrimination based on sex, Murder Attempt, and War.

Mystery, plants and poisons!
I know a lot of us became plant parents during the pandemic, tying it in with poison and a classic whodunnit mystery you got yourself a winner. ✨

I enjoyed the pace and the natural chemistry between certain characters. Another unputdownable read! Can’t wait for the second one. Make sure to grab a copy, you won’t regret it!

I unfortunately had to DNF this one very early on. I tried multiple times to get into it and it just never held my attention. I read a few chapters and had no idea what was even happening. It has one of the most beautiful book covers ever but sadly the rest was disappointing.

This book is a historical mystery set in the 1920s with a female protagonist – Saffron Everleigh, a botanist, the only female research assistant at University College London. After a poisoning at a dinner party, her mentor, Dr. Maxwell, is under suspicion due to his work with poisonous plants. Saffron is determined to prove his innocence, and with the help of her biologist colleague Mr. Ashton, she sets out to solve the mystery.

The trauma of World War I hangs heavy over several characters, particularly Alexander Ashton, our male protagonist. He mentions he struggles with “shell shock” - which we now call PTSD – but he seems to be managing his condition. Alexander has tremendous respect for Saffron as a scientist, something which many of his colleagues lack. He both respects her work and doesn’t come on to her, which, to her, sets him apart from most men at the University. I’m a sucker for a romantic subplot, so I enjoyed the bits of romance between Saffron and Alexander sprinkled in with the mystery. They’re cute, and they work well together.

There was a scene toward the beginning, after the dinner party, that had to do with drinks being refilled – and for the life of me, I could not track what was happening. I read it three times and couldn’t figure it out, so I tried to move on – but unfortunately, this proved to be an important scene, so I went back to read through it again. It took me a few more read-throughs to parse out who was refilling whose drink and when – I came to the conclusion that there may have been a sentence, or at least part of a sentence, missing. If you were as confused as I was, here’s what I think went on: Dr. Henry goes to refill his wife’s glass, but is interrupted by Dr. Berking. While Dr. Henry is distracted, Mr. Blake begins to refill her glass instead. (This action is what I think is missing, as it is not stated outright. Mrs. Henry tells Mr. Blake “thank you,” but we’re not told why. Also, Mr. Blake, up until this point, had not been participating in the scene, and had only been mentioned once, much earlier, so at first I was not sure where he had even come from.) Dr. Henry then snatches the glass away and refills the glass instead. It doesn’t read like this was omitted to create ambiguity – it reads like something was left out. Since this I read an uncorrected proof, I hope that this will be fixed before publication.

That was my only real complaint, though. The mystery wasn’t super enthralling but it kept my interest, and the romance between the main characters was an added bonus. I’ll be interested to see if it develops into a series. Worth reading!

Representation: main character with PTSD

CW: sexual harassment and sexual assault

I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What charming and wonderful historical fiction. I loved reading A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. Sad when the book concluded, can't wait for more books by this author.

Saffron has to prove that her professor is innocent in this fast-[aced mystery. The setting, London 1923 one of my favorite eras. She has just attended a dinner party expecting a nice quiet evening filled with discussions about the upcoming expedition to the Amazon only to see the wife of one of the professors drop dead. She had been poisoned and so the mystery begins. Happy to see the author did her homework in the mentions of poisons.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and hope to read more by this author in the future.

From the publisher: London, 1923. Saffron Everleigh is in a race against time to free her wrongly accused professor before he goes behind bars forever.

If you love historical fiction with a touch of mystery and romance, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poison might just be a book for you. Main character Saffron is an intelligent and talented woman constrained by the limits on women in the 1920s. Alexander Ashton, her companion in investigating a mysterious poisoning at a party, is a scarred and handsome veteran of the Great War coping with PTSD.

I’m no expert on England in the 1920s, but nothing in the narrative struck me as outlandishly out of touch with the times. An author’s note discusses the research the author did in her attempt to be historically accurate.

The characters and story reminded me quite a bit of the opening scenes of the recent Disney Movie Jungle Cruise. Saffron is plucky and doing what she must to advance her skills and knowledge as a botanist while fending off the inappropriate advances of her department head. Alexander is brave and thoughtful and does not dismiss Saffron’s ideas and theories because she is a woman.

I was somewhat dismayed at the clichéd climax of the mystery, involving our heroes tied up and in peril and the villains, now revealed, all but frothing at the mouth in their madness. I think it more likely they would simply have tried to escape with the ill-gotten gains of their evil deeds, but it certainly would make an exciting scene in a movie. I see a sequel to this book in the future, and I will read it if there is one.

I read an advance reader copy of A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons from Netgalley, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it in print, audio, and ebook after its release date on June 7.

1923 London botany research assistant Saffron Everleigh is working to make a career for herself and is the only woman in her department. At an evening university networking event to plan an Amazon expedition, someone is poisoned.

The beginning was a slow, with a lot of characters thrown at us at once, with similar names, and not much to distinguish between them. Being told Saffron’s activities and reflections on her past and present filled the first quarter of the book. Alexander, a Great War veteran suffering from PTSF and new biologist intending to go on the expedition, didn’t share the POV until chapter 4 and it was a little jolting. He didn’t get nearly as much pov time as Saffron did.

Out of 24 chapters Alexander’s point of view was in:

End of 4
10
End of 12
Half of 15
Part of 16
Part of 19
Part of 20

I feel like if a character is going to share the point of view it should be nearly as equal to the other pov character. At the very end we spent some time in the inspector’s and then his sergeant’s head, and that was even more jarring.

The two characters are well drawn although this one was overwritten and the ending a mess. If it becomes a series, maybe the following books will be a little smoother and faster-paced. I liked Saffron and Alexander enough to give a second book a try.

London 1923

Saffron Everleigh is well on her way to fulfilling her dream to become an esteemed botanist like her late father. After earning her botany degree, Saffron was hired as a research assistant by her father’s friend Dr. Maxwell. Surviving in academia is never easy, especially for a woman in science in the 1920s. Luckily, Dr. Maxwell has always been supportive of Saffron and her aspirations.

After a dinner party ends in a gruesome poisoning, the police fixate on Dr. Maxwell as their primary suspect. Determined to prove her mentor’s innocence, Saffron begins her own investigation complete with nosy questions, multiple break-ins, and perhaps a poisoning or two.

I’m really excited about this new series! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in 1920s academia before, so that was a new perspective for me. I like Saffron and Alexander and am interested to see what happens next for them. I also love Elizabeth and hope she’s a little more involved in Saffron’s future investigations.

*Trigger Warning for sexual harassment in the workplace and attempted sexual assault.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good read! The story was interesting and easy to follow, the characters were realistic, the romance was a nicely done slow burn and by the end of it, I was pining for their first kiss to finally happen.
Growing up on Nancy Drew books, this takes on all the elements that that series misses and twists them up into a lovely bow. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Saffron Everleigh follows in the botanist footsteps of her father -who died during the First World War-, but before that worked as a university professor as a botanist.

Saffron has yet to graduate and has been hired as an assistant to Professor Maxwel. It is 1923, the beginning of the 20th century and the universities are still a male stronghold. It is therefore not easy for Saffron to finish her studies. Her proposal for a project is brushed aside, Dr. Berking is much more interested in Saffron as a woman and assaults her. Something that is covered up.
At a party celebrating an upcoming expedition, Ms. Henry, the wife of expedition leader Dr. Henry, is poisoned and Professor Maxwell is blamed. Saffron has gone to great lengths to prove his innocence, even by experimenting with a new poison. She gets help from Alexander Ashton. But her search for the true culprit is not without danger.

It's a cozy crime, with a lot of detective work within a university. The location is well worked out so it is not difficult to visualize everything. Saffron is a nice character, although you don't get to know her very well. Just like the other characters, who play a clear role, but the motivations of what they do and why remain in the middle. It is therefore mainly about solving the mystery and in the meantime we, as readers, learn something about, greenhouses, and how things went within the university and the preparations for an expedition to Brazil to discover and research new plants.

A fun story, which is easy to read and has an exciting denouement.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons was a quick read that tied together aspects from historical romance and mystery-thrillers. It follows Saffron, a research assistant in the botany department of London University in the 1920's as she works to unravel the mysterious circumstances under which a faculty member's wife was poisoned. The mystery was intriguing and the incorporation of botany and plant poisons into the plot was what compelled me to reach for this book in the first place.

Overall, I thought the plot was solid. It played with darker themes but tied in light-hearted moments to push the story forward. I didn't necessarily see the need for a romantic side plot but I enjoyed it nonetheless. There were parts of this book that felt overly dramatized but I think that a lot of this came from how the characters were written compared to the actual plot itself. I would have loved to see more of the academic side of things play into the story because there were moments where I forgot that this was all taking place in a university setting. I know that Saffron was limited on her ability to move within societal parts but I think that with the incorporation of the second perspective of a male character, I would have liked to see him delve more into those things. It was surprising to me, though, just what Saffron was able to get away with. I think that this is more of a personal problem I have with mysteries like this, I just don't understand how any of these characters get away with meddling in investigations and come out of it with seemingly no consequences! But I digress.

In terms of the characters, I did unfortunately think they were all flat or caricatures. Saffron was a "not like other girls" academic and her roommate was a girly socialite. Saffron had issues with a member of the biology department who behaved highly inappropriately in an over the top way and we had little understanding of how that dynamic played into any parts of the day-to-day runnings of the department. I think that's what a lot of it boiled down to. There were numerous characters who all seemed to be able to fit into the same sort of role but as readers we were expected to see them as these fully fleshed out individuals. From a surface level, I thought that this book was fine but looking deeper into it, I can't help but wish I got more out of it. The "whodunnit" aspect was a unique follow-through and it was interesting to piece together the mystery as I read.

I would recommend this book to fans of lighter historical novels. If you've previously read and enjoyed books like The Lost Apothecary, or any books by Kate Quinn, this may be worth checking out.

☠️ That cover! I love covers like this… and it has a creative title to boot!

☠️ Initially I was drawn into this story; however, and sadly, I quickly lost interest. I never really engaged with the plot or the characters. I thought the story was a bit too repetitive and the characters were cliche and stereotypical. Everything just felt a little flat to me.

☠️ Saffron (our protagonist) is a pioneering female in a STEM field dominated by men (at the time)!! I love that! I should have loved her… but I found her a bit too one-dimensional and a tad boring. I’m actually a bit devastated I didn’t engage with her more.

☠️ Despite my negatives, the book isn’t terrible. I don’t regret reading it and I will gladly read this author’s next book with zero reservations.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an arc of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I received a copy of this book pre-release from NetGalley for an honest review. The cover art for this book was beautiful and definitely drew my attention. However, I found the story to be slow moving. The story was set in a university where Saffron Everleigh was carrying on her father’s legacy in the field of botany. The scientific references were detailed and well researched. Saffron becomes involved in the investigation of a poisoning at a dinner party when her beloved mentor is accused of the crime. I wanted to like this story but I found it to be slow moving and a bit predictable.

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity.

I jumped into A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons based mostly on the cover and title. I knew there was going to be something special about this book. I heard no hype and went in with zero expectations. Once I started, I finished it in two days.

Kate Khavari's debut novel is an engaging mystery that maintains the reader's interest throughout. Saffron Everleigh finds herself investigating a poisoning to clear the name of her boss. She also cares a lot more about finding the truth than the detectives.

Soon she has the charming Alexander Ashton as her assistant as they leave no room un-examined to find the motive of the guilty party. From the mysterious incident, it keeps the reader guessing both the identity of the culprit and their motives. An impressive debut and promising start to a new series.

Review will also be shared on Twitter and posted to Amazon after publication.