Liked the main character Saffron is a female scientist, who goes on the case of finding out who killed her mentor. A quick pace book. Look forward to the second one.

X is for xolotl. Despite the title, there are not a lot of parties in this book, there are however plenty of botanists and poisons. The book does start with a fashionable party, where a group of academics and others have met for a fundraiser to support an expedition to the Amazon. At the party one of the guests, Mrs Henry, wife of the expedition leader is poisoned. A room full of botanists would have several experts knowledgeable about poisons. The initial suspicions fall on Dr Maxwell, who has cultivated a toxic xolotl plant from Latin America in the university greenhouses. His assistant, the botanically named, Saffron Everleigh is determined to prove his innocence and starts her own sleuthing with the assistance of the charming Alexander Ashton, a bacteria specialist, who has some residue PTSD from the Great War. The setting is at the University of London in the early 1920s, an era when Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers were also focused on mystery writing and well versed in poisons, setting a high standard for subsequent authors. This cozy mystery doesn't have the intricate twists of a Christie novel. After the excitement of the party, the pacing of the novel slows, only to pick up in a slightly far fetched ending. There is romantic chemistry between our two amateur sleuths "Surely it was the heat from the sun coming through the window that made Saffron feel so warm." I am no botanist, so terms like "foliaceous stipules" mean nothing to me but the book does have a gorgeous cover. The historic setting was well done, it felt like academia of the 1920s, with dusty cluttered offices and the library described as "soaring stacks standing sentinel over the students." Saffron as the only female research assistant in the botany department often feels as though she is "hung under a magnifying glass" like a specimen. I would have liked for the mystery to continue to the Amazon, but maybe that is for future books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review which I submit voluntarily.

This is a cute little detective story that takes place in a London University circa 1920, and I like the premise and the characters,. I especially enjoyed reading about the exploits of daring girl grad student/amateur sleuth detective Saffron Eveleigh and her dashing beau/ fellow researcher Alexander as they try to solve the mystery of who poisoned Ms Henry, while flirting with one another.m. Seems that academics is rife with dastardly fellows, trying to claw their way to the top. I rated 3 stars because I felt that the story was overly long and I had a hard time keeping some of the professors straight.

An intriguing mystery, interesting characters, and a satisfying ending. What more can a mystery lover ask for? I enjoyed Khavari's writing and I look forward to a potential sequel.

This one feels a bit like a cozy mystery full of poisons set in academia. Saffron is a thoughtful academic, unfortunately limited by being a woman but that also allows her some other opportunities. What happens when there is a poisoning? What can Saffron uncover? If you like cozy mysteries, poison, some light romance and academia, this one is for you. It moves a little slowly, but that just offers more time to hang out in the cozy, poison and plant-filled world of the novel.

This was just a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and frankly, the ending was spectacular. I love a good mysterious, dark book, and this just had so many great twists. Quirky, light-hearted, a joy.

I really enjoyed this book. I think people who enjoy books like the lost apothecary will enjoy this book. I rate it a four out of five stars.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Set in London, 1923, Saffron Everleigh is a botanist and the only female assistant working with Professor Dr. Maxwell on the campus. The same Dr. who got arrested for murder of Cynthia Henry, the wife of Dr. Henry. The same two Dr. who were seen having a conflict a few days prior about a Brazilian expedition. Our protagonist, Saffron is convinced he is innocent and will try to prove his innocence with her own investigation.

As she uncovers several truths, Dr. Alexander Ashton will help her, not really of his own will and has his own fights. They’ll use their knowledge in botany to identify the poison and the murderer at trhe same time.

I like that this is the beginning of a series yet the case is solved, I was scared to be left on a big cliff-hanger and hang there but no and yet there’s enough questions left for a sequel. The characters are interesting and Alexander I would love to know more about him. Saffron can be quite frustrating as she’s more of a “act first, think later”. She’s great to follow and doesn’t suffer from the fact saying she’s an expert in her field but her action also follows it. It showed how much research there is for the book, it was really nice to read even knowing nothing about botany.

There was this casual attitude of all men condescending toward Saffron as she’s a woman and showing they don't all respect her work and the usual assumptions for women able to have a decent career. It was disheartening to see but still present to this day at some levels and was important to show I think.

First off, I just want to say: This has to be one of my most favourite covers – it’s absolutely gorgeous!

I’ve been following Kate Khavari and her novel on Instagram for a while and instantly fell in love with Saffron Everleigh’s story. So, you can imagine that I was incredibly excited when I was given the chance to read an ARC. It did not disappoint!

The story takes place mostly over a little more than week in 1923, starting with a party and a poisoning. Saffron is the sole female in the botany department at University College, treated unfairly by most, save her mentor, Dr Maxwell, and the awkwardly charming Alexander Ashton. When Maxwell is accused of attempted murder, she takes it upon herself (and a reluctant Alexander) to clear his name and find out the truth.

Saffron is a very entertaining main character. She’s determined and feisty, but not without her faults (like *occasionally* jumping to conclusions). Also, sometimes her judgement just isn’t where it should be. Although she’s faced with misogyny, rumours and unwelcomed male attention, she never doubts her abilities as a botanist.

I adore Alexander’s character and can’t wait to get more of him in the second novel. I hope we can dive deeper into the effects the war had on him and find out more of his background (but also, we only know as much as Saffron does about him and they hadn’t been acquainted for very long).

The pacing, I found, was very good. Yes, for those who read a lot of mysteries, they might think it dragged, but as an avid reader and writer of historical fiction, I think it worked (it does well to remember that Agatha Christie was writing of the time period she was living in, so she didn’t have to spend time setting up the historical aspects of her plots). The world of London in the 1920s had to be set and the author made me feel as though I was there alongside the characters. And the descriptions! I could vividly picture every scene, room and plant.

The only thing I know about plants is how to efficiently kill them, but I feel a bit smarter regarding botany after finishing this novel. It was very well researched and the author definitely knows her stuff.

It’s been a while since a book has left me feeling so excited and wanting for more. Whenever I wasn’t reading, I constantly just wanted to go back to it to see what would happen next, but at the same, I never wanted it to end. You can see the amount of love and time that went into writing this novel.

I did find the last chapter a bit rushed and would have liked to see more interaction between Saffron and Alexander.

I really can’t wait for Book Two to see what Saffron and Alexander get up to next (and to see where their relationship goes!).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this book. More importantly, I loved the characters. circa 1920's heroine and hero, set in academia in London.

I love how the author was authentic in how women were viewed in treated when pursuing higher learning or working in colleges. I felt the way the heroine was treated to be authentic for the time period. Saffron, our heroine is from society and her family has turned their back on her as she follows in her father's footprints to pursue a career in botany. She is intelligent and determined. The story opens with a high society dinner to kick off an expedition. The wife of the professor leading the expedition is poisoned and Saffron's mentor is accused of the crime. The police focus only on her professor until Saffron and Alexander (our leading man) set out to prove that her mentor could not have been the one to poison the victim. From there the story just gets better and better, with different leads and culprits. It really had me guessing to the end.

I loved the beginning of what I'm hoping is a long series. This author is right up my alley and I'm so happy I got a chance to read this novel. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked lane.

I know we aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this one is glorious and will have people picking up the novel for that alone.
The story is very Christie-esque - with a heroine who unexpectedly finds herself embroiled in solving a mysterious poisoning case, a respectful skdekick/love interest, and is very much resonant of that era of writing. It doesn't, however, have the same zinger type revelations that the usual Christie has.
The novel is quite slow paced; the myriad of characters involved (and therefore suspects) mean I struggled slightly to decipher who was who and what their role was again, and a lot of conversations and discussion about the case happens for much of the novel. The last few chapters are a marked difference in terms of pace and plot alright, but at that point it felt like too much, too late. Great premise, and if you're looking for an untaxing read, this could be a good choice, but if you like your murder mystery more punchy, this may not be the best option!

I loved this book! I am not normally interested in mystery or historical fiction, but the cover caught my attention. I greatly enjoyed reading this, and read it in about two days. The mystery was engaging and was one that I hadn't solved before the book revealed it.

Because I'm a huge fan of Deanna Raybourn, I was super psyched to read this but it was way slower and not as interesting as that series. It wasn't bad but it kinda dragge i t he middle and then all of the sudden at the end, they're like: mystery solved, the end. And all of those other small subplots, we're just going to ignore and pretend they aren't there. I will read another book in the series to see if it answers those questions and if Alexander and Saffron's romance feels more realistic.

This gorgeous cover is an excellent preview for the lush cozy-with-an-edge mystery contained within! As someone who enjoys botany and flowers, I enjoyed the touch of real flora with the invented (but very realistic) plant of focus. Saffron is a determined and interesting character to solve the crime in this poisonous plot. I love her interaction with Alexander and I look forward to more ~steamy~ romance in future sequels! (Which I think Khavari has mentioned as possibility!) Saffron's roommate was probably my favorite character of the entire book, so I wish we heard more from her, but I also look forward to her in future books. Women supporting women in historical novels is so refreshing! I also want to know what Dr. Maxwell is up to now that his name has been cleared! He has great potential as a warm father figure. Overall, if you're looking for a well written and not too gruesome mystery, I highly recommend A Botanist's Guide as an ~intoxicating-ly~ good time.

This book was a wonderful surprise!! I enjoyed it very much. The beginning chapter or two took a second to get going, but once the "who-dun-it" part of the novel started, I thought the protagonist got her chance to really shine. I love that there was a bit of romance too, but just a tad. It was more about the two of them working together and getting to know each other than any real romance arc in the book, but the ending was satisfying in that regard.

The academia world and the field of botany seemed well-researched (I don't know much about botany so I could be wrong) but I thought the history behind the poisonous plants was really intriguing. I'm excited to see what the main character will do in the next book as she furthers her research into toxic plants (I'm assuming there will be another book as it is set up for a sequel). I did love how our heroine was taking leaps to study and advance herself in the world of academia. She spoke about the challenges an up-and-coming female scientist might have had during her time period as she tried to make a name for herself in a male-dominated field. She was curious and independent, and I loved her for it.

Recommended for those who love a cozy historical mystery with a dash of romance along the way. The content was proper and there was no more than a kiss or two exchanged between the heroine and hero. Also, I loved the flatmate!! Could we get more of her in the next book? She was a delight.

I was given an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from the publisher/Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sometimes you need a cozy whodunit mystery to balance out the heavier books on your reading list, and A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons perfectly fits the bill. Kate Khavari's historical mystery is meticulously put together without ever feeling cold or unapproachable, rather there's a warmth to her novel that should welcome seasoned mystery readers and newcomers alike.

Saffron Everliegh is a burgeoning botanist in the 1920s, eager to pursue her projects and follow her father's legacy at the University College of London. Her work and research are interrupted after a dinner party guest is poisoned, and it's sourced from a particularly uncommon sort of plant–framing Saffron's mentor Dr. Maxwell and leaving her to clear his name and find the real culprit. Along for the case is Alexander Ashton, a fellow scientist with a mysterious past and a looming research trip to South America. With the research trip on the horizon, Saffron needs to clear Dr. Maxwell, find the real culprit, and sort out her feelings for Alexander all before the boat leaves port–all of it is easier said than done.

All genres have tropes and conventions which provide a framework or sandbox for the author to build their narrative–with the most successful novels either masterfully utilizing these tools or reimagining them in surprising ways. A Botanist's Guide doesn't necessarily reinvent the mystery genre, though the story benefits from trading on a reader's knowledge of the conventions, leading to a tightly-paced crime for readers and Saffron to solve. From the opening of the dinner party, the cast is introduced, the murder occurs, and the stakes are set. From there, we're off to the races and on the case.

It's difficult to go into much detail on a mystery–as the sense of discovery is part of the fun–but Khavari's first entry into what I'm sure will be a long-running series is delightful. Saffron is quick-witted without ever feeling anachronistic for her time. There are enough morsels of her backstory and life outside of academia that there's plenty of ground to cover in future books. As a reader, you get the sense that Khavari is sketching out her protagonist but putting the core mystery ahead of characterization. Luckily, her dialogue, most of which is banter with Alexander, fills out a picture of Saffron without relying on heavy blocks of exposition. Alexander, as the love interest, has more personality than a roll of wallpaper–and that's always appreciated.

Potential is the main takeaway from A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. Khavari certainly knows how to write compelling characters and a compelling mystery. Forgive the pun, but there's plenty of room for the series to take root and grow in the seeds of this inaugural entry.

1920s London, the lush, academia backdrop of University College, and a fiery, vibrant assistant to a botany professor named Saffron Everleigh sets the stage for this cozy, captivating whodunit. This story swept me in immediately with its intriguing cast of characters--particularly Saffron's likability as a stubborn, knowledge-seeking heroine working her way up the academic ladder as the only woman in the University botany department. While predictable when it comes to the overall plot (less-so with the plot details themselves), Khavari's storytelling makes this a delightful mystery; cute, cozy, and wonderfully atmospheric with a certain charm to any reader who loves an academia setting. I would love to see this become a series since Saffron's character is clearly far from done with her botany exploits, and I enjoyed the story from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read & review this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, the cover is also amazing.
The book takes place in the 1920s in London, right after WW1. We are introduced to our female protagonist, Saffron Everleigh. Saffron is the only female botanist in her college, I was already happy with this book for that. The book is historical fiction mixed with cozy mystery vibes and some romance.

Saffron was relatable, smart and genuine. She is determined and resilient and pushes back against sexism experienced. She is an impulsive heroine who at times acts too quick.

A poisoning attempt leaves one of her professors being blamed for it, Saffron is convinced otherwise and teams up with a veteran named Alexander.

I started off really enjoying the book but as time went on, I grew less interested. This was because of the pacing, the pacing was off and changing rapidly. The story also began to slow down as time went on, meaning I wasn't as excited.

While this book was well written, I personally wasn’t able to get into it. It was a bit slow for my liking, and and there were times I was a bit confused with what was happening with certain characters. The premise was extremely appealing for me, but the actual book left me wishing and hoping for more. Slow burn that just didn’t do it for me. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc ebook!