A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons was such a fun, intriguing and high stakes mystery that I'd absolutely recommend.

Kate Khavari made these characters so likeable, I found myself stressing at times when I thought something bad was going to happen! It flowed well and had good pace, a little bit of suspense but it wasn't dragged out at all. I did guess a little at the ending but I think it was pulled off really well so I didn't at all mind it.

This is one I'd be interested in owning my own physical copy of and recommending to other mystery readers. I look forward to reading other published works from Khavari in the future :)

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons.

I was really looking forward to this story but it ended up being very slow and just ok. The characters were not interesting enough to carry my attention through the slow story line.
2.5 stars

Saffron Everleigh is more than just an assistant, she's also a botanist and amateur sleuth. Or at least she becomes an amateur sleuth the day that a professor's wife is poisoned in the middle of a party and the finger of blame points to Saffron's mentor. With biologist and Alexander Ashton, Saffron sets out to clear her mentor's name and catch the real culprit.

While I enjoyed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons, it didn't grip me as well as I would have liked. The characters, while engaging, felt slightly flat. The writing reminded me of Agatha Christie with it's varied suspects and fast-paced mystery. In all, it was an enjoyable read, though I found it hard to get into at first.

A relatively quick read that includes: mysterious poisons, embezzlement, historical showing of women being looked down upon, university professor culture, and an adorable little love story.
There's nothing too special here per say but if you like simpler mysteries or want something that won't bend your head around twenty times (the way some mysteries do today) this is a good choice.

There is not a lot of the 'thriller' genre here. A few briefly intense moments, including an almost sexual assault attack that left me feeling not only disgusted by the man in question; but also reminded that I am lucky we have any of the supports in place today (even if they are inadequate still) and aren't subject to whatever any man wants like back in the 1920's. Lots of chauvinistic pompous academia comments from men towards our leading lady. I do think it's a good representation of what it was like back then to struggle as a female scientist. And I do like that not all the men are portrayed as awful. There are at least two, probably more like four that have our leading girls best interest at heart and are trying to do what they can to watch out for her. Keeping in mind that "doing what they can" within the confines of respectable society (and that which will protect their own butts and careers) may not seem like much to some; however, it is again what was at least some sort of support back in the day. Our leading lady graciously notes this many times so as to remind the reader that the men of this time and place don't have to do anything for her (sadly).

Overall a good beach read; and a great little break to take between epic novels (if you’re like me and need that). A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a quicker read that should satisfy the average reader for a weekend or so. It is also fairly safe to lend out to others and recommend as it's interesting enough (who doesn't like learning about poisons!) without having too many trigger warnings like a WWII historical novel might.
I’ll certainly read the next in the series and would be interested in more starring our leading lady Saffron or other publications by Kate Khavari.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced digital copy, this is a late-review yet still a fun packed story.

Saffron is a reseach assistant for an esteemed botanist. The book opens with Saffron at a dinner party to which results in her mentor arrested for murder. Saffron teams up with fellow researcher Alexander in a quest to clear her mentor's name.

Reads as a cozy mystery with a science forward look at botany.

A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari was such a rich story! I read a ton of mysteries and was pleasantly surprised to not see the solution coming. It had a bit of a love story and a lot of girl power!

Saffron Everleigh is a botanist, who is working to achieve a professional position once she gains her graduate degree. She's been hired by Dr. Maxwell, as his research assistant. She loves the job and is thankful to Dr. Maxwell for allowing her to prove herself academically. Unfortunately, women are only just being allowed in as students, her male colleagues think she got in on her father's reputation as women don't have the mental capacity to do science – or so is the popularly held belief of most of the men in the department.

Dr. Maxwell feels she needs to interact more with the other researchers and professors and asked her to attend the dinner party given to celebrate the formation of the university's expedition to the Amazon. So, Saffron attends hoping to have some interesting conversations but finds things not much different from the high society dinners she's attended. However, the excitement begins when there is an argument between several of the senior members of the department, one of the wives drinks from a glass handed to her, and essential appears to have died within minutes. There's a major uproar. She finds herself talking to Alexander Ashton, who she'd met earlier in the evening—they appear to be the only people who believe it was murder, not a heart attack.

The next day, Saffron learns that it was a murder attempt and her mentor, Dr. Maxwell, has been arrested. She is determined to prove his innocence, but to do so she needs help and Ashton seems willing to believe her concerning Maxwell so the duo begins to pool information and investigate to find the real criminal.

The author manages to set the historical scenes regarding the issue of women moving into the academic areas quite accurately. The scenes between Saffron and Alexander are those of two professionals who are thrown together to solve a problem and along the way become friends as they end up sharing information about themselves, their family, background, and standing on many of the issues of their times.

There are a number of potential suspects, roadblocks to their investigation, thrilling encounters, investigation into the properties of poisonous botanicals in the greenhouses, search for connections, and risks to their potential careers as well as their lives. There's plenty of action to keep the pages turning, lots of clues for the reader as well as our two investigators, and some surprising twists and narrow escapes.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with strong, independent women give A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari a try. I'm hoping this is the start of a series.

I absolutely adored this book. It had both romance and an intriguing and powerful female main character. The mystery element was well executed, and I loved learning about botany through the eyes of our heroine. This book kept my attention throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Three cheers for Kate Khavari!

Synopsis

It's a race against the clock to find who the true criminal is or else your mentor professor ends up behind bars. This is no faint task as we are dealing with poisons, which thankfully you are knowledgeable about. But will that be enough?

Saffron Everleigh works with Dr. Maxwell at the University College of London in the botany department. As the two attend a dinner party, an unexpected crime occurs. A fellow professor's wife is unexpectedly poisoned and in a coma. The police immediately put Dr. Maxwell into custody. While Saffron knows that Dr. Maxwell could never do this, everyone else is preoccupied with the university's upcoming expedition to the Amazon. Saffron will have to navigate all these obstacles, plus being a women in the 1920's. With the help of Alexander Ashton (a fellow researcher) the two have their handful while attempting to find the culprit.

Content Warning: Poisoning, mentions of sexual assault, some violence, mention of war, off-page death of parent in war.

Thoughts?

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Before I get into the story review, can we please talk about this cover! Immediately when I saw this book I was attracted to the cover. The colors are vibrant and classy. Once I read the book it matched the vibe of the mystery and Saffron as a character. I would 100% want this book on my shelf.

Once I started this book I had a hard time stopping. I thoroughly enjoy a good historical fiction, but when you add in the mystery side of things its a new dynamic that keeps things interesting. Saffron is a character who is well advanced for her time. She sees the struggles of being a women in academia and society, but that does not stop her from finding out the truth. She is determined no matter what happens.

While she is partnered with Alexander Ashton for this story, she is still the primary lead and the attraction the two characters have does not take away from the story. I was following along with their mystery and attempting to figure out who could have poisoned Mrs. Henry. I did not see the criminal coming which allowed me to stay engaged in the mystery.

The one thing about writing reviews for mystery books is to make sure to not reveal too much that will spoil the mystery. I guess the main notable points that I would mention is that the characters are developed well, but I feel like there are parts of the story missing (specifically from Alexander's perspective). Saffron introduces the world of women in the 1920s and in academia, and it is done well. I was far more intrigued by the ideas of poisons then I should have comfortably been. Lastly, that cover is something I have a hard time forgetting.

I now wonder what the next mystery will look like for Saffron and if Alexander will be involved after that ending?

Final Review

Do I think this is a good book?

Absolutely! I wish that there were more books in the series ready to go, I would have immediately started the next one.

Would you classify this as a cozy mystery?

Uhh...I know that some people will classify historical mysteries as a cozy mystery, but I would say that this one can fall into the category of standard historical mystery.

Would I recommend this to anyone and everyone?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and mysteries.

This debut mystery by Kate Khavari will be fun for fans of Veronica Speedwell, Lady Darby and Pentecost and Parker. The protagonist, Saffron Everleigh, is an under-rated research assistant at University College of London. With the help of another researcher, she investigates the death of the wife of a faculty member. The book is set in a period when expeditions to under-explored continents could make scientists famous and rich. Saffron, a botanist, is just looking to successfully find a well deserved place in academia.

I'm excited to see that Book #2 is coming up in 2023!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Cozy" mysteries are not usually my "thing". I like the twists and turns and WTF-ness of more contemporary thrillers, so I was hesitant going into this that I wouldn't enjoy it. But I was wrong! The coziness actually drew me in, and I loved the different take on the 1920s. I look forward to seeing where book two takes the reader!

This was a great start to a new series. I really liked Saffron as well as Alexander. I thought it was a really good mystery and I had a hard time figuring it out. I do think the MC was a bit dumb for taking the poison plant stuff to see if it was what really harmed the victimn and bad on her to leave it to Alexander to have to deal with things when she couldn't. Overall though I found it enjoyable.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me access.

I am a sucker for mysteries and this cover just instantly grabbed my attention. Much like the cover, the story drew me in as well. I did find the pacing to be a little slow at times, but overall I really enjoyed it.

If you love cozy mysteries, strong women, historical fiction, and a splash of romance…this is for you.

A lively romp set in the 1920s, but with a different take than I've read before. I enjoyed the mystery and setting in the university as well as the growing relationship between the main characters.

The main suspects in this enjoyable mystery are professors and their teaching assistants when main character, likeable and slightly reckless Saffron Everleigh, decides to investigate when her mentor Dr. Maxwell is accused of attempting to murder a fellow professor's wife.

Saffron is highly knowledgeable about plants and poisons, but because she’s a woman, her knowledge is not rated highly. Instead, she’s either talked down to, dismissed, or, in the case of the head of the department, sexually assaulted. Dr. Maxwell ensured Saffron could stay on at the university as his assistant, and as far from the department head as possible, for her safety.

Dr. Maxwell’s arrest by police disturbs Saffron’s careful maneuvering through the department, and calls into question who will now head up a months-long research trip to the Amazon. This question is quickly answered when a new teaching assistant Ashton takes his place on the expedition, dashing Saffron’s hope of attending the trip. And, surprisingly, Ashton proves to not be a misogynistic jerk, unlike pretty much everyone else she deals with at the university, and soon he’s somewhat unwillingly helping Saffron investigate, using her knowledge of poisons. In fact, the detective on the case solicits her help, too, finding she knows more about poisons than the coroner does.

If he isn’t cleared, Dr. Maxwell’s livelihood and reputation are at risk, as well as Saffron's position within the university. Saffron ends up uncovering lots of bad blood between professors, divorces and affairs, as well as professional one-upmanship. She also ends up finding the murderer, at risk to herself, starting a romance, and gaining the opportunity to be a consultant for the police.

Though a little rough in parts, this was an entertaining story. The constant jockeying for position amongst the pompous professors and their assistants was well handled. Saffron was, at first, a little hard for me to get a handle on, but as the book progressed, she grew on me. Her tendency to experiment on herself had me worried for her, but her need to find justice for her mentor was laudable, and I look forward to see where Saffron’s new confidence and poisons consulting takes her.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book is such a different take on the 1920s!

It focuses on the role of women in the university system in 1920s Great Britain. Well, the book isn't about that, you know. It's a mystery, with attempted murders, a few suspects, and many plants, including poisonous ones. But the protagonist, Saffron Everleigh, is a botanist who works as an assistant for a University of London professor.

This is the part that I enjoyed most. Through Saffron, I had the opportunity to experience what being a female researcher meant in the mid-1920s. At that time, women had just earned the right to get a degree from a British university, and everyone was still adjusting to the fact that women could indeed be as brilliant researchers as men - or even more brilliant, why not?
The author gives this part of Saffron's life a lot of space, even if it never becomes the story's centre (which is the mystery), and I really enjoyed that.

I also loved the relationship between Saffron and Alexander. A great couple, if you ask me. It was always meant to become a romance, of course, but for most of this book, it is more of a budding relationship, which is also unusual in this kind of story, and I really, really enjoyed that.

The university setting is brilliant. The place, the fields of research and the way people went about it. I loved learning about the exploring expeditions, which were still a thing in the 1920s, and about the people who frequented the university. Everything is so vivid and so skillfully presented.

There's a lot to this book apart from the murder. And that's why I think it's worth giving it a go.

Such a cosy mystery, loved how easy to read this one was. Also loved all of the scientific details. I preferred the botany over the parties, so I was happy with the balance between the two. Loved the writing style.

Cozy mysteries, especially historical ones, are usually not my cup of tea. However, I found this one to be just the right length, level of intrigue, and coziness! The little mystery really did have me curious, and I loved the botanical/academic setting. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for book 2!

(3.5 stars)

I really enjoyed this light and easy historical fiction. Following Saffron through the story felt realistic if not sometimes predictable. Great book if you’re looking for a light and easy palate cleanser in between more intense books.

3 stars

I like historical fiction/period pieces. I like mysteries (although lately, I tend to get more enjoyment out of thrillers). Apparently, I don’t always love how those genres work together. The premise of the story was appealing, the narrative features a strong and independent (if ridiculously, dangerously stubborn) female protagonist, and the cover is gorgeous; even so, I felt my attention wandering a lot because, for some reason, I couldn’t stay focused on it. It wasn’t badly written, but it just didn’t work for me as well as I’d hoped it would. Ah well- they can’t all be winners, and I’m still sure that other readers will be able to appreciate it more than I did.