⭐⭐⭐.5 Awww Stars!
Time Period: London 1923
Saffron Everleigh is an aspiring scientist and a young assistant to Professor Maxwell, a Botany professor at the University College of London. Story starts at a dinner party attended by academicians and London’s High Society; when Professor Maxwell is accused of poisoning the wife of a colleague.
Saffron as mentioned is an aspiring scientist and teams up with charming Alexander Ashton to find whodunit!
I am a big Psychological thriller fan so this was truly a nice enjoyable read!
I always enjoy reading the Author’s Biography. Author, Kate Khavari thanks her parents for her childhood fascination for historical mysteries which, of course, has continued.
Her home is in the Fort Worth area of Texas. She has a great garden that contains NO poisonous plants!!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 7, 2022

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons
Kate Khavari
The setting is the early 1920s in London. Our heroine, Saffron Everleigh is the only female botanist at the university. She along with faculty members were attending a formal dinner party to celebrate the university’s expedition to the Amazon. She meets handsome Alexander Ashton, a bacteria specialist at the dinner; he makes her heart throb. Mrs. Henry one of the professor’s wives is poisoned and falls into a coma. Dr. Henry was one of the expedition’s leaders. All the evidence pointed to Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor. Maxwell and Dr. Henry had a volatile argument a few days previously. With the help of Alexander, Saffron searches for the real culprit.
Saffron is a wonderful character! She is an ambitious, passionate, determined, tough, impetuous, and a brilliant scientist; it is these traits that assist her in fight against arrogant, chauvinistic, and unreasonable colleagues. This book has all the criteria for the perfect mystery. It is one of those tales you don’t want to lay down. Author Kate Khavari has created a fast-paced mystery. The plot is a traditional whodunnit. It was fun watching Alexander and Saffron’s relationship slowly develop. I consider this a cozy mystery as well as a historical mystery. It is my understanding this is the first book in a new series; I eagerly await the next installment.

Intriguing, funny, captivating--this story capture me from Act 1, Scene 1. I recommend for fans of historical novels as well as fans of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (a very similar feel).

When Saffron’s old family friend gets accused of murder, she will do anything it takes to clear his name, even if it means finding the real killer herself. Being a woman in academia during the 1920s is hard, being an amateur sleuth in a crunch to save your favorite professor is even harder.

This book is for lovers of cozy mystery’s, historical fiction, and dark (but not so dark) academia. Suffice to say this book hit all my particular niches. It was deliciously cozy, like walking through a college campus at the height of fall, and the mystery kept me engaged the whole time. The world was immersive and there were moments that were so palpable my heart was definitely racing. I enjoyed the characters while still wanting to know more about them and was pleased by the dual narration.

Also, if brilliantly academic yet curmudgeonly heros are your thing you are in for a real treat with the romance in this one.

There was just wondering about this book...I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. The writing is soft and flowy, it made me feel like I was part of the story...no doubt, this book is going to be on a top 10 list!

When Saffron attends a party that includes the botanists from the university little did she know murder and mayhem would follow. A professor's wife collapses from an exotic poison and no one escapes questioning. An engaging mystery set in the 1920's with fantastic characters that keeps you guessing. A very entertaining read.
#ABotanist'sGuidetoPartiesandPoisons#NetGalley

3.5/5 stars.

Cozy mystery, historical thriller with a bit of romance, not my typical choice of book but I am glad I ventured beyond my comfort zone. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The main protagonists Saffron and Alexander were likable, their reasons for working to solve the case were on the whole believable, the other characters were interesting and the story kept me intrigued. The ending left me wanting more especially with regards to Saffron’s future research.

With the backdrop of 1920s London Academia, a determined young woman is set on clearing her mentor's name. Saffron is an "aptly named" Botanist working as a research assistant for Dr. Maxwell, a friend of her late father's Saffron is struggling for recognition in a male-dominated academic world. When Maxwell is accused of attempted murder, Saffron will do anything to clear his name.
A Botanist's Guide takes you on an exciting journey as Saffron teams up with Alexander, a fellow research assistant, as they try to solve the mystery. I really enjoyed their interactions with Saffron jumping to conclusions and Alexander poking holes in her logic. I thought they were a well-balanced pair.
Things got a little slow in the middle, with the story lacking structure a bit. I wanted a little more "parties" and "botany", but I guess that since the story focuses on the mystery, those had to take a backseat.

If you're up for a cozy mystery with a dark academia historical setting, then this novel is for you!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review this novel.

This was a cute little dollop cozy mystery along the lines of the romance Victorian but set 5 years after WW1 of the upper class titled & not wealthy & university intrigue. A bit of botanical fluff added to boot. Enjoyed it & was a fast read. So want to add aconite is both beautiful & more deadly depending upon plant than portrayed as the family of a well thought of English gardener found out some years ago that had dealt with it for years in one of the rich gardens he was working. Just touching/brushing against the flowers. "The toxins of the plant, which is rarely identified as a cause of death despite growing wild across the country, can easily enter the blood if protective clothing is not worn when handling the flower."

Thank you to NetGalley for ARC of A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons.
Actually I give this 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the sleuthing part of Saffron, and Alexander was a mystery in himself for quite awhile. I truly could not guess who the guilty party (parties) were until it was exposed at the end. Quite a few twists and turns and I would definitely recommend this book.

I absolutely loved the cover of this when I first saw it, and that combined with the blurb drew me in straightaway. I'm a big fan of historical fiction, particularly featuring strong female protagonists, and the unusual construct of the female scholar appealed highly.

Unfortunately, nothing about this one delivered quite the way I hoped it would...

I picked it up and started reading, only to quickly lose interest. I put it down and came back to it. And back to it. No change in my interest. I waited a month. Sometimes the right book comes along at the wrong time, and the fit isn't good. Unfortunately, time did nothing for this one for me.

I simply cannot get into this book. I find the characters insufferable and while I recognize, to be fair, that many of them are supposed to be, unfortunately I include our fearless heroine and hero in that category), the plot to be plodding, and much of it to feel stilted and oddly anachronistic in attitude, dialogue, and demeanor.

This one just wasn't for me. Many other readers have thoroughly enjoyed it, so it may just be a case of the wrong book for the wrong reader...

What a debut! I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and need more in this series immediately! It takes right into the action at the party and just pulls you in. I couldn't stop reading and just devoured it. The mystery was complex and twisty. So many red herrings! And I found the glimpse into 1920s British academia fascinating. Safffron is a wonderful sleuth measured, reasoned but also completely impetuous who does things without thinking. I love the scene where she takes the poison without telling anyone. But of course, that's a great way to pull in Alexander to help her. He thinks he needs to protect her but really he ends being her perfect partner. I was surprised how quickly the romance advanced in the first book, usually its strung out for many volumes but i enjoyed that they saw how evenly matched they were so quickly. I need a second volume in the series now - which is so frystrating because I know this book doesn't come out until 2022! This is an absolute winner and I will promote the hell out of it!

When a book leaves you with an euphoric, tingly feeling, it truly deserves a happy note! 💌

Historical thriller is a recent find and obsession of mine! The journey back to the past, the reimagination of erstwhile culture and society, and the linguistic peculiarities of the time is both captivating and enlightening. "A Botanist's Guide To Parties And Poisons" by Kate Khavari is a delightful new addition to this genre!

So what do you do when your beloved professor under whom you work gets falsely accused for a crime you are sure he would never commit in private, let alone at a party, under the watchful gaze of a dozen nosy guests! You risk your life to save him, ofcourse! And that's exactly what Saffron sets out to do in this brilliant whodunit that's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. What I loved most about this novel is the portrayal and examination of a strong female protagonist in the form of Saffron, a no-nonsense, self-confident, ambitious and quick-witted botanist, a rare career choice for women in those times. Her determination to rise above the male dominated field and make a name for herself was truly inspiring. She is not without flaws, though! She can be quite stubborn and hasty as is evident in the way she put herself in danger to save the professor whom she looks upto a lot!

The read is made more absorbing with the budding romance between Saffron and the ever charming Alexander Ashton, who keeps the logic and prudence flowing through many of Saffron's crazy antics. The plot twists are amazing and well timed, and keeps you engaged in the story.

Witty, clever and suspenseful, I would recommend this novel for everyone who would enjoy a cosy historical mystery! 😃🙌🏼 Happy reading! 📖👓

A big thank you to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the ARC! ❤️

Delightful. I hope this is the beginning of a series featuring our heroes Saffron and Alexander. This is a classic British murder mystery, set in a University. Saffron, an aspiring botanist and woman in a man’s world, stirs up trouble when she thinks the police aren’t doing enough to catch a would be murderer (the victim being the wife of the leader of a research expedition). There’s suspense and intrigue, but there’s an awful lot of good, solid research that has gone into this book. I like that. This new author should be commended for producing a fine mystery

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this advanced copy of A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons.

When the Professor she assists is arrested for an alleged murder attempt, Saffron takes it upon herself to prove Dr. Maxwell's innocence. Along the way she gets a fellow colleague, Alexander, entangled in her investigation to find the real perpetrator. With an entire staff who looks at her differently to begin with, Saffron faces potential career and life threatening dangers.

The story didn't end up being at all what I expected. Overall, I enjoyed how different this book was compared to most murder mysteries I have read. One of my favorite things about mystery books is trying to figure out who the bad guy is before the author reveals the character. This book had me stumped. Having the book take place on a reputable college campus in a department of the typical white male staff made it difficult to pin point who really had the guts to try and murder one of their own colleagues wives. Therefore, not only does Saffron face difficulties in the story due to her career choice in botany. She is the only woman and almost none of the men in her department take anything she says or does seriously.

Though I enjoyed the story, I was not a fan of the "secretive" investigation Saffron and Alexander took upon themselves. To not ruin the book, I'll just say that they did not seem secretive enough and I feel like certain situations could have been a bit more eventful. Not something you would expect from two people who are supposed to be extremely smart scientists. I was also slightly disappointed in their relationship by the end of the book.

If you are looking for a unique mystery read, I think you will enjoy this one!

Kate is one to watch! Her prose is lush, world-building unique, and the story is one that's unputdownable. Beautiful! Also that COVER.

(3.8 stars)

Thank you to Net Galley, Crooked Lane books and Kate Khavari for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons takes place in the 1920s when a woman named Saffron is trying to clear her beloved professor's name after he was accused of murder at a dinner party gone completely wrong. Another professor's wife drops to the floor... poisoned.

After the party, Saffron realizes the investigators on the case aren't listening to her or taking this seriously so she steps in herself to take the investigation into her own hands. Will she be able to clear her professors name in time? What will Saffron endure to find out the real answers?

This book reminded me of an Agatha Christie book. I've only read ABC Murders, but I definitely got those vibes. I felt this was a semi- slow-paced read but very enjoyable. I loved the writing style and I could actually visualize a black and white film while reading the book. The cover is what drew me in, I love plants (in real life) and the colors are so bold and rich.

This isn't my usual grab of a book but I will say, I did want to figure it out along with Saffron as to who had been apart of this crime.

Thank you, NetGalley, and the author for giving me the chance to read this beauty.
For anyone looking for a good little mystery book, this one is for you. Set in 1920, at a university in England it delivers a beautiful mixture of biology, Nancy Drew, and a sprinkle of dark academia. The cover is to die for, and I would buy this book for that alone.

I'm personally not a big mystery fan, but I love anything historical and academic and found great enjoyment out of this book. Saffron is a character that you bond with quickly, which I always find to be incredibly important, but she also has an air of mystery to her as well, which helped set the plot for the entire book. Overall I really did like this book, I'm not sure if it's one I can see myself ever re-reading, but I think it was well written and beautifully done.

I really enjoyed how this was set in the early 1900s. The mystery, romance, and suspense was amazing throughout. I enjoyed the tie in to botany and biology as well, as that adds another layer to the mystery. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is even interested in mysteries .

This story was an easy read it has mystery, suspense and romance. It kept me interested and intrigued. You will not expect what happens at the end