From the clever title to the historical setting, A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a must-read. The writing is splendid. The humor is witty. And our lovely heroine is headstrong and a brazen light against the dazzling 1923 setting. This will leave you wanting more.

Set in the 1920s at a University College of London, Saffron Everleigh, a young botanist and the only female on the staff, wants to prove herself and do her own program.

After the WW, a veteran and biologist Alexander Ashton was recently asked to go to a new expedition to the Amazon.

After a poisoning occurs in a party they attended, they go at lengths to protect the only suspect – her own professor – and prove he wasn’t the killer.

The story is told from Saffron and Alexander’s points of view and I loved it. Both were compelling and interesting. I love how much they did to prove a man’s innocence.

I loved all the snooping around and the almost caught moments. It is very heavily based on science so if that’s not your cup of tea I wouldn’t recommend. But more than that it’s a murder mystery and I couldn’t but want to know the end.

There’s a lot of sexism and rumours, work place harassment, being the only female in the department. And for Alexander we have for sure PTSD. There’s also grief mentioned for both the characters. He grieves for the ones that lost their lives in the war while he survived, and Saffron is dealing with the grief of her own dad.

She turns to her professor for comfort after he took her on his wing when her father died, that’s why she is so keen to make sure the police do their jobs correctly. But you know how police was, any scape goat is often better than nothing….

I really enjoyed all the banter and the scientific part of the book, it made it more compelling and I think I learned a lot about poisonous flowers, which is incredibly interesting.

There’s also a romance evolving, that is slow and with a lot of flirting, which I loved. I like the duo of Saffron and Alexander a lot! It’s very 1900s and I loved all the dressing of the time and how much she tried to be taken serious for being a young woman.

I couldn’t but want to reach the end and know what the hell was happening and who is the murderer. Can’t wait for the next book and luckily I got it from Netgalley too! So expect a review!

The Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari is a historical fiction mystery. The book takes place in 1923 at the Univeristy of London. It follows Saffron Everleigh, a young woman who is an assitant to Dr. Maxwell a professor at the Univeristy .While is Saffron attending a party where the hostess is poisoned and left in a coma. Dr. Maxwell is soon arrested for the poisoning of Mrs. Henry and Saffron with the help of Alexander, must find out the truth to help set Dr. Maxwell free. With two weeks before a planned expodition to the Amazon Saffron and Alexander find clues that keep them in dark about who and why the poisoning had taken place. Saffron makes a tea out of the poisonous xolotl plant to try and see if this was indeed the poison given to Mrs. Henry. This book has is beautifully written and has an element of surprise and a little bit of a romance, that keeps you guessing on who was behind the poisoning. This is the first book in the series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

When I saw this book I was beyond intrigued.
I thought of all the ways things could go wrong and get murdery,
But..
It was just ok for me.
I loved Saffron as a character, I thought she expressed her independence and joy for her work really well.
I wasn't a fan of how the mystery and solving it unfolded. With this title, I wanted it to be a bit more and darker with the characters.
Overall, not a bad read

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for a free ecopy.
This is a mystery novel set in 1920 London.
I love historical fiction and the element of mystery was great but I couldn't feel any chemistry between the couple.
Overall I enjoyed the book.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for granting me early access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book 3.5 stars!

Saffron Everleigh's uncle is a botanists, so she fell in love with that path, even though she was the only woman in the field on her time. The professor she's assisting is wrongfully accused (at least she's sure he is) and she starts a race against the clock to prove his innocence with a bit of help a loads of hardship. Will she make it? Does she have investigative skills? Will she be allowed to find the truth?

I had a really good time reading this book and the rating is not bad by any means.

I felt somehow attached to the characters and felt like, even though it was plot driven, characters were properly developed and relatable on their behaviours. Loved that there was a romantic story, it never outshined the story or justified irrational behaviours. It was funny and added intrigue.

As a cosy murder mystery, this book was somehow predictable from a certain point onwards, but this is not a reason to like it less or the author's fault. It is a characteristic of the genre, so it makes this book even better.

The writing style made this a really quick read and gave enough details to keep the reader engaged.

Lastly, I'd love to emphasize the importance of a book with a female lead that represents the first woman in a scientific field, which was not simply shown, but also talked about. First women (and not only first, but many) have always been suspected to have gotten "that" far because of sexual or other type of favours done to males within the business they meant to grow in. This caused frustration in most and gave reasons to some to effectively do so to give people real reasons to talk about them. Sad, but true.

I'd recommend this historical mystery for sure.

Hope you read it, so we can chat about it and every details that's worth discussing about it.

A cosy historical mystery that taught me much about plants, their uses and, of course, their poisons.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between the two main characters, Saffron Everleigh and Alexander Ashton. While their attraction is obvious, these two researchers turn amateur detectives to clear the name of Saffron's mentor after he's accused of poisoning Mrs Henry, the wife of another professor. From breaking an entry, stealing, tailing people, and experimenting with poisonous plants, these two refuse to back down and I rutting for them the whole time.

I must say I was surprised with the resolution of the mystery. It took a turn I wasn't expecting, but I loved every minute of it.

I can't wait for the second instalment!

This book was OK. it is a pretty straight forward enlish mystery. Female lead with a bit of sciency aspect with some twists and turns that keep the mystery moving when you think you have a good idea of the murderer. Not one I would recommend to others unless they were avid mystery readers and looking for something of the beaten path.

This book was a highly enjoyable historical mystery. It reminded me of a tamer version of Stalking Jack the Ripper, which if you didn’t already know, is a series I really, really love.

I loved how immersive the world in the novel was. I could easily visualise the setting of 1920 London, the university and the greenhouses. Saffron and Alexander, the novels dynamic duo, reminded me so much of Audrey and Thomas that I could not help but to like them.

This was a brilliant fast-paced mystery that had the perfect blend of suspense and romance to keep me entertained. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical cozy mysteries.

god i wish a historical mystery with romantic elements would hit for me. i’ve tried so many, including now khavari’s, and i just don’t connect with them the way i’d like to. i’m certain someone will like this though. not for me

It's 1923 London and Saffron Everleigh is definitely a woman in a man's world. Working as a research assisstant in the botany department of the university where her late father taught is a lot to live up to even if you don't have the added irritations of being looked at as an irritant by the men of the department. However, her mentor Dr. Maxwell is one of the good ones and is less mysoginistic and more paternalistic towards Saffron, so she has one ally in the academic world. That is until a rather boring dinner party winds up with the hostess collapsing from an apparent poisoning and Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect.

This was a decent first outing for a new character, she's a bit flighty, annoyed at the academic BS she has to deal with but is willing to charge ahead for the most part. Sometimes I thought she was a bit too flighty and wanted to shake her and ask "What are you doing!!??", but her overall earnestness and doggedness was fun. Her flirtation with Mr. Ashton and her friendship with her roommate Elizabeth was interesting and it will be nice to see if the author fleshes out these two characters a bit more. The mystery was a bit contrived with a few too many red herrings and absolute nutso conclusions on Saffron's part but that can be chalked up to inexperience. I'm curious to see how the author develops Saffron both professionally and personally.

Seeped in academia, greenhouses and 1920s London A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a slow burn (even though the goodreads description says it is fast-paced) detailed account of a poisoning and a young scientist who tries to solve it.
Saffron Everleigh has big shoes (her father's) to fill and a lot to prove, being an only woman in biology department. And yes, she has a poisoning to solve. A budding scientist with little fear and a lot of curiosity, Saffron is an interesting character and is placed in a very intricate and complicated settings. It would be interesting to see how she goes (there is book two I believe).
Anyhow, if you are interested in historical mysteries with a taste of academia, this book is for you. Take your time, enjoy.

This book was a delight. I love Saffron and her chemistry with Alexander. I thought the setting and situation were unique and overall the story was enjoyable. I was satisfied with who the villain ended up to be and I am excited to see what mystery Saffron (and hopefully with the help of Alexander) solves next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc. All views expressed are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book though it was a bit of a slow starter for me. Our protagonist being a strong female in the 1920’s, some times came off a little bit guarded, justifiably. Most of the male characters aren’t really likable. The mystery is well written and keeps you guess whodunnit.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.

3.75
This was such a fun mystery! I loved the historical setting. It felt more unique than other mysteries on the market. A mix between a cozy mystery and a historical thriller. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

A well-researched and cozy little mystery. I enjoyed the writing style, and honestly wanted more out of the story. I'm eagerly awaiting book 2.

While at times maybe a teensy bit too convenient, I still enjoyed the twists and turns of the mystery. I also liked Saffron as a main character, but again, I wish I had gotten a little bit more of a handle on her as a person. The love interest and his banter with Saffron was also fun and lovely. The historical context and science were all fairly well done. And I loved Saffron's best friend.

3.5 stars rounding up.

This book had a lot to live up to with that great title and that beautiful cover and it just didn't quite do it.

I enjoyed the characters but felt they could have been a little more developed. I needed more of Saffron's inner monologue to really root for her. She came off a little careless and a lot self-absorbed. She needed some more humanization. Other than that, I felt the characters and the setting were the real strong points of this novel.

I also felt the pacing was just a bit off. There were parts that dragged on and others that seemed rushed.

I really enjoyed that this novel combined two of my favorite genres - mystery and historical fiction. I did feel the mystery could have been more fleshed out though.

All in all, I would recommend this book. It was a pretty quick, enjoyable read.

This cozy mystery is set in 1920s London after WWI. The main character, Saffron Everleigh, is the only female botanist at the University College of London. I loved this time period and setting. Written in a classic 'whodunnit' style, the story moves along at a slow and draggy pace in places, but has interesting and quirky cast of characters. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 Stars

This was a fun time travel and an intriguing suspense story from early 20th century of London which was smart, moving and definitely engrossing.

The story started out very strong but in the middle of the book, the pacing got a little slower and the identity of perpetrator was a little far fetched but it was still enjoyable, interesting, riveting cozy murder mystery. The scientist, quirky heroine development and romance parts are well executed.