Once again Saffron Everleigh, now a full time researcher with the University of London, is thrust into the heart of another murder inquiry. This time two men who work at a government run agricultural research facility have separately been found dead—seemingly poisoned. But what has caused it? Saffron is an expert in poisonous plants. The time is post World War I. Countries are scrambling for their place on the world stage, to feed and house their populations. After a conference in Paris she is more than ever aware of her research being a dichotomy between medical and agricultural areas, and the dangerous offshoots both are capable of.
Her more than friend Alexander Ashton asks her to intercede with Detective Green on behalf of his brother who’s been innocently caught up in the investigation. As he’s disapproved of her previous involvements in such goings on neither of them can avoid Alexander’s asking this of her as hypocritical.
As it is Detective Green gets in touch with Saffron as there are details which are close to Saffron’s area of expertise. Her inquiries lead her to some puzzling facts. She enlists the help of her close friend Dr. Michel Lee.
It seems there are deeper waters involved when her dead fiancée, and her flat mate’s brother, Nick Hale turns up. Nick works with the ‘Agricultural Ministry.’ Strange things are happening and food security is part of it, or not?
On top all this there’s the matter of Alfie Tennison, who runs an illegal gambling den. What is his role in all this?
An exciting and deadly twist to Saffron’s continuing story. If you’ve followed her journey this is of course a must read. If your new to the Everleigh Mysteries I’d recommend starting with the first in the series.

The first two books in this series were really charming, so I was happy to get this one!

The stakes are even higher for Saffron when she is recruited to help investigate the suspicious death of a Russian scientist who was working on deadly fungi.

And this is such an interesting series. I love the setting of 1920s London, and the side characters are all fascinating! I especially love Elizabeth who is frank and cheerful, and a wonderful balance to Saffron who sometimes irritated me with her bullheadedness. And at first, I was worried that this series was going to be introducing a new love interest every installment, but instead we got an actual resolution on the love triangle established in the second book!

I dislike the introduction of a brand new plot complication in the last 3% which is just there to hook you in the next one. If the writing is good enough, I'll want to keep reading the series anyway. And the fact that the stakes of this mystery series have now reached Bond level villain plans seems a little bit like overkill. I would have more appreciated this one staying with the mystery of Alexander's brother, and getting to know more about the two of them organically. The plot is also pretty slow for most of the book, until suddenly everything is happening in the last 10% or so.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc.

I read the first book when it came out in 2022 and enjoyed it quite a bit. I did not read the second book, but I don’t think going into this third book that was too much of a problem.

I do like this type of mystery; where there are some nice friendships, a relationship that is developing, but not taking over the story and a rather niche murder mystery.

I liked the characters, although I think the various POVs were not always necessary. For example Elizabeth’s POV seemed a bit superfluous. It cluttered up the narrative a bit. And even if the mystery did not quite work for me and I felt the story meandered a bit too much, I still found much to enjoy. Saffron’s sleuthing and her ballsy character were so much fun and and being immersed in the 1920s setting was a nice bonus.

I would happily read more in this series when I am in the mood for this type of novel. It’s a definite mood.

I’ve adored the previous two Saffron Everleigh books, so I was incredibly excited to read this one, especially with the title! Society! Secrets!

Sadly, this installment of Saffron Everleigh just didn’t gel for me and I ended up only being able to really engage with certain parts of the book and only liking certain aspects of the book instead of engaging with and liking the whole of it.

What did I like? The characters, mostly. How can you not love Kate Khavari’s colorful and unique cast of characters? She writes them all so well in all of their complexities, gives them all a full voice, and lets them all play their parts in the story. You can’t help but to become invested in them and delight in the delicious dialogue Khavari writes for them.

What did I have issues with? Really, it was the pacing, of all things. Society and Secrets not only takes time to get going, but it takes time to really engage fully, and even once it’s going fully the story is full of stops and stutters that just made this story feel really uneven.

Do I still recommend Society and Secrets despite the low rating? Yes I do, because I’m not going to give up on Saffron Everleigh due to one book that didn’t meet my standards. For all I know I’m just not having a good reading day. Since I know we’re getting at least one more book (if not more) out of Khavari about Miss Saffron, I recommend reading it because you need to read these books in order to understand the overall story arc.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review is rated three starts or less so it will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Book Series/Historical Fiction/Historical Romance//Mystery

I really enjoy this series about Saffron, a young woman in the early 1920s trying to build a career as a research botanist in London. But she keeps becoming involved in solving murder mysteries. And she has the help of the men who are attracted to her, particularly Alexander, the sexy microbiologist. Alexander has asked her to use her connections with the police to help solve the sudden death of a scientist who was in a train carriage with Alexander’s brother.

Saffron then plunges into a mystery that seems to get more complicated as she gets more involved. I found it a bit confusing at first, but I didn’t mind because I enjoy the ambience of 1920s London as Saffron and her roommate go out on the town. They dance and drink and explore clues.

If you enjoy historical mysteries, this is a great series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher, but all opinions expressed are my own. A Bontanist's Guide to Society and Secrets picks up a few months after the prior bookish Saffron returning home from a visit to France. She soon finds herself involved in yet another murder case when Alexander asks her to investigate a death in which his brother is the prime suspect. Saffron also gets involved in a mystery involving a lab with links to the dead man thru the brother of her roommate Elizabeth. Her relationship with Alexander is awkward complicating things even more.

I liked this book and it captured my attention from the beginning unlike the prior title that took a while for me to get into. The mystery was good and secondary characters interesting. I liked the developments between Saffron and Alexander. Curious to see where the next title goes with how this book ends.

(4.5 rounded up)

I received a complimentary ARC copy of A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets(A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3) by Kate Khavari from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

… A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets is an intriguing, well-written, fast-paced mystery, replete with compelling characters, intriguing plotlines and is definitely a page-turning historical mystery that keeps the reader engaged to the very last page…

I have been a fan of this series since book one, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons and this third book in the series does not disappoint.

Picking up where book two, A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality leaves off. We reunite with Saffron who returns from an academic conference in France to find that her colleague and friend Alexander has been tending to her cherished plants. Although struggling with something from France (which cleverly unfolds) she is ready to settle back into her routine life, but with Saffron nothing is ever routine. With her flat mate Elizabeth unsure about her new beau Colin, and Saffron confused as to her feelings for both Alexander and Lee she is in a state of limbo. When Alexander’s brother Adrian becomes a prime suspect in the poisoning death of a biologist he did not know, Saffron is asked by Alexander to intercede with Detective Green on Adran’s behalf. Despite Alexander’s protests in the past and his withholding information an angry Saffron reluctantly agrees. When Elizabeth’s estranged brother Nick appears unexpectedly to reunite with his long-lost sister, an awkward interaction at a dinner party between him and Alexander raises more questions for Saffron. After a second biologist from the same research center dies Nick, a government agent approaches Saffron for her expertise, pulling her into government service to help investigate the mysterious deaths of the two biologists. Both biologists work at a government run agricultural research facility once her father’s employer, utilizes her name to infiltrate the facility as an employee. When it appears the culprit that has poisoned the biologists is a unique fungus which is produced in the facility, she also notices the destruction it could cause if unleashed into the world. Normally distrusting, Saffron usually shies away from working for the government as she is leery that her research could be used as a weapon but after the events, she is wrestling with from France she feels compelled to act. Things heat up when missing test results, violent mobsters, illegal gambling dens and a dangerous stranger calling the shots puts Saffron and her loved ones in danger, it is up to her to get to the bottom of things before it is too late.

I love Saffron, a brilliant, quirky, and brave woman, who although struggling with her fears thrives in the face of danger. Although slow at times, A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets is an intriguing, well-written, fast-paced mystery, replete with compelling characters, intriguing plotlines and is definitely a page-turning historical mystery that keeps the reader engaged to the very last page. I loved the cliffhanger ending and I cannot wait to read more about Saffron’s adventures! I highly recommend it.

Author Kate Khavari’s fans have been eagerly awaiting another mystery for botanist Saffron Everleigh to solve. The Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets is worth the wait. It’s an entertaining, engrossing novel worth reading. In my case, it was a delightful binge-read.

If you’re new to The Botanist’s Guide mysteries, I’d advise you to read the books in order. You’d enjoy this book even if you haven't read the earlier ones, but the book is better if you are familiar with the characters’ backstories.

Saffron is usually discouraged from investigating mysteries by Alexander Ashton, the enigmatic university colleague and romantic interest. This time, he needs Saffron’s help to exonerate his brother Adrian when a murder investigation points to him.

Saffron’s roommate Elizabeth Hale finally has a steady but bland boyfriend. When Elizabeth’s brother Nick comes back into her life, he shakes up the quiet lives of the girls to include a second murder investigation. Both victims worked at the same government research laboratory, and Nick wants Saffron to take a position within the laboratory to find a connection between the two.

Saffron has a load of questions to sift through. Could she work at a government laboratory, even though she believes that government research led to her father’s murder years ago? Can she solve the crimes without endangering her own?

Others have deep secrets. How does Nick Hale’s current and previous military service tie him into the murders? Alexander’s wartime efforts are even more concerning, especially since he and Nick crossed paths during the war. Even Elizabeth’s professional and personal lives play into big secrets.

Khavari wraps up the primary murder mystery and shows how the primary characters were impacted by the experience. But it’s not really over. Our author drops a gut-wrenching twist that appropriately sets up the next storyline. I didn't see it coming...but I should have. It also makes it much harder to wait for the next book.

Thank you, NetGallery for an advance review copy of the book.

London 1923

If you are a fan of historical mysteries, you cannot go wrong with this series. Great historical facts intertwined with fiction will make you go down a few rabbit holes on research!

Murder, suspense and close ties bring this journey of discovery full circle as Saffron finds herself drawn into trying to find a killer and keeping herself out of danger.

Hope to listen to this on audible as well. Do not miss it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC! I wish I read the other two of the series. I was lucky enough to get the audio as well and the narrator did an amazing job. I felt a bit that the pacing was off, and it took me time to get into the story.
3/5 stars

affron Everleigh is back for another botanical adventure! When Alexander's brother, Adrian, is accused of murder with a whiff of poison about it, he goes to Saffron for her help. The deeper she dives the more tangled it gets, especially when Elizabeth's war hero brother, Nick, turns up out of the blue. Saffron and Elizabeth know he's up to something and it seems to involve the case of Adrian. As Saffron becomes more and more involved in the case, her relationship with Alexander takes on a deeper meaning as they take their relationship to another level.

This was a fun third book in the series, and the ending takes the series in a new and darker direction.

The third book in the series and I have read them all. I remember in my review of the previous book wondering whether events were building up to a love triangle. Well that thought was dealt with instantly at the beginning of this book. No such doubts allowed for Saffron Everleigh! She makes her choice as though there never was a choice at all.

This book moves slowly and the intrigue mounts a little beyond the bounds of credibility. Nick in particular is impossible and when Bill popped up towards the end I laughed. It appears he will be playing a larger role in the next book so I will have to prepare myself.

Sorry if I sound as if I did not enjoy this book. I actually liked it well enough and will definitely seek out #4 when it comes along. The author has already signified the direction it is going to take and it sounds like fun.

Set in the 1920's A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets is the third book in the Saffron Everleigh Mystery Series. Saffron is trying to make her way into the boys only club of botany at U. She has a maybe suitor in Alexander (my very personal opinion and preference, by book three there better be some actual romance but nope) a friend/ flirt in Dr. Lee. and by far one of the best characters in the story, Elizabeth. I just found this book to slow and by the time it picked up I was just underwhelmed. 2.5 stars for me.

With each book in this series, I find myself loving Saffron Everleigh more and more!

This third outing sees us meet Elizabeth’s older brother, Nick, a war hero who has a job with the Ministry of Agriculture. Alexander and Saffron are figuring out what is next when Alexander’s brother is arrested in suspicion of murder. Investigation and hijinks ensue and we discover more of Alexander’s past as well as Nick’s. Saffrons involvement this time has lasting repercussions and I’m anxiously awaiting the next book for what happens next!

More twists than a pretzel!

Once again Saffron Everleigh, now a full time researcher with the University of London, is thrust into the heart of another murder inquiry. This time two men who work at a government run agricultural research facility have separately been found dead—seemingly poisoned. But what has caused it? Saffron is an expert in poisonous plants. The time is post World War II. Countries are scrambling for their place on the world stage, to feed and house their populations. After a conference in Paris she is more than ever aware of her research being a dichotomy between medical and agricultural areas, and the dangerous offshoots both are capable of.
Her more than friend Alexander Ashton asks her to intercede with Detective Green on behalf of his brother who’s been innocently caught up in the investigation. As he’s disapproved of her previous involvements in such goings on neither of them can avoid Alexander’s asking this of her as hypocritical.
As it is Detective Green gets in touch with Saffron as there are details which are close to Saffron’s area of expertise. Her inquiries lead her to some puzzling facts. She enlists the help of her close friend Dr. Michel Lee.
It seems there are deeper waters involved when her dead fiancée, and her flat mate’s brother, Nick Hale turns up. Nick works with the ‘Agricultural Ministry.’ Strange things are happening and food security is part of it, or not?
On top all this there’s the matter of Alfie Tennison, who runs an illegal gambling den. What is his role in all this?
An exciting and deadly twist to Saffron’s continuing story. If you’ve followed her journey this is of course a must read. If your new to the Everleigh Mysteries I’d recommend starting with the first in the series.

A Crooked Lane ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

In 1923 London, botanical researcher Saffron becomes entangled in a poisonous web after her love interest’s brother is accused of murdering a Russian scientist. As more researchers fall victim, Saffron courts peril when she goes undercover in a government lab to reveal the killer.

Fast-paced and fun, this novel has a varied cast of likable characters and plenty of villains to choose from. It reads more like a thriller than a mystery, with international intrigue at its core.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Content warning: murder, people being drugged, people being poisoned, kidnapping

Picking up the plot just as Saffron arrives back in London from her trip to Paris, readers are quickly swept up into Saffron's world of plants, poisons, and perhaps a few potential romantic options. Huzzah! Readers (and Saffron) are finally given more details into Alexander Ashton's history to help piece together his story a bit more. I really enjoyed Elizabeth in this one (much more than the previous books) and appreciate that she was given more time to shine in solving these mysteries.

While I enjoyed the mystery of the floral bouquets in the second book more, this case that needed to be solved was interesting and the high stakes of it is clearly setting up some major plot points for future books in this series (especially given how A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets ends). I was hoping for more of Dr. Lee though, hopefully he'll play a bigger role in the next book?

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Khavari's A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets is the third volume in the Saffron Everleigh historical mystery series, and it's every bit as good as the first two volumes. Khavari has been gradually sliding in some potential larger-scale problems to go with the specific mystery at the heart of each novel, so readers aren't just wondering whodunnit?, but are also waiting to see how the relationships among the continuing characters develop.

In one way or another, the longer-term problems probe the question of what it means to be female in England in the aftermath of WWI. Saffron, our central character, is determined to be a professor of botany as her father was, but her grandparents, who control the family's wealth, are becoming increasingly harsh in their efforts to get her out of London, into the family home, and married off to an appropriate man who can help build the family's wealth.

Saffron's childhood friend and current roommate, Elizabeth, is also seeking freedom to enjoy London life and to grasp every opportunity to enjoy herself. The one who is trying to prevent her emerging, more daring identity is her brother. And that brother has unresolved conflicts with Saffron's beau/friend Alexander (it varies regularly), who has asked Saffron to help prove his brother's innocence as he faces a murder charge...

The things I'm sharing here are set up for the novel, not revelations that come further into novel, so no worries about spoilers.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with plucky, intelligent, stubborn, female central characters, this is a series you'll want to check out. You can probably read the series (currently three volumes) in any order, but I would suggest reading them in order so you can watch the relationships between the recurring characters develop.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

As with the first two books of the series, this third book is blossoming with intrigue, murder, mayhem, and a bit of romance. It is set in 1920s London with a rich narrative of period detail. It quickly sucks you into a time when respect was almost impossible for working females to win – especially female scholars.

Saffron Everleigh is a brilliant botanist who has had to fight and claw to claim a place as a researcher at the University – and she has to fight against prejudices, jealousies, and resentment every day to keep that position. In the previous two books, Saffron has willingly become entangled in murder investigations involving poisonous plants. Those investigations jeopardized her job and personal relationships, and she is glad to have left that behind her. With things settling down – her research project underway – and things getting back to an even keel with her work colleague (and romantic interest), microbiologist Alexander Ashton, she is looking forward to her next steps. Until . . .

Alexander has spent a lot of time over the last two books admonishing Saffron for her involvement in murder investigations – though he still helped her. Now, imagine his chagrin when he must ask for her help – with a murder investigation. As part of his job as an engineer, Adrian, Alexander’s brother had traveled by train to pick up a set of plans. He didn’t pay a lot of attention to the only other passenger in his car – until the man died. Since the man was poisoned, Adrian was the prime suspect.

Saffron agrees to do what she can to help, but – this time – Inspector Green isn’t inviting her into the investigation. While she can work around him, his cooperation would be much more helpful. This intricately woven mystery takes Saffron from the university, through secretive government labs, and on to government organizations who all want the biggest, best, most effective weapons.

The mystery is engaging, the prose educational, and the story easily translatable into today’s world. I particularly enjoyed the growth of Saffron’s relationship with Alexander and hope that continues to be the case. Yet another interesting part of the story is Nick, Saffron’s best friend’s brother. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? He certainly gave no indications of any soft good-guy edges to him, so I have to wonder if we won’t see more of him because he wants Saffron to work at one of his secret government labs.

This is a well-crafted story that I can recommend if you enjoy a thrilling, thought-provoking read. When I mentioned above that it was educational, I was truthful, as it is filled with a plethora of information on plants, poisons, microbes, methodologies, etc. For me personally, I could do with less of that, but it doesn’t detract from the story in the least – and it might even raise my IQ a bit.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Saffron Everleigh came from wealth but is making her own way in academia as a botanist like her father in an era when women were still to stay home having babies, cooking, and cleaning. She is an inspirational character with her intelligence and grit.

Elizabeth Hale is her best friend and room mate who works as a secretary for a government official. Elizabeth's brother, Nick Hale, makes a surprise visit only to try and recruit Saffron to aid the government in investigating the scientist's murder. Alexander Ashton, a fellow academia at the same university, is crazy about Saffron but had caused a rift between them insisting that she not assist the police with investigations, only to need her help now to clear his brother of killing the same scientist's murder. Then there is Dr. Michael Lee who has grown very fond of Saffron and keeps helping her out on investigations. I particularly like Dr. Lee.

The plot continues to get more involved as the story develops. The pacing maintains a steady trot between everyone involved and the individual undercurrents. The setting is London to begin, then transitions to the Path Lab in the small town of Harpenden. The Path Lab makes a frightful setting with all the experiments and secrets.

Elizabeth takes part in the exciting climax and brings some humor to the story. I enjoyed her greater involvement in this book. The climax and killer reveal was tense with quite a twist and was one of those just when you thought everything was done, ooops there's more surprise danger.

This third book introduces a criminal mastermind and arch-enemy for Saffron. This ups the ante significantly in these books. The ending promises another match against this arch-villain.

Ms. Khavari's writing style makes each book more impressive than the last. Excellent and a must read series.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.