Skip to main content

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

 

Title: A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

Author: Kate Khavari

Genre: Historical Mystery

Series:A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #1

Published: 6/7/22 by Crooked Lane Books

I received a copy for review from the publisher through Netgalley. 

Set in 1923, Saffron Everleigh is attending a party for University College of London for the botany department where a woman is poisoned. Her mentor is the main suspect, and Saffron must prove he is innocent. 

Saffron is a great main character. She has to deal with unfair and uncouth treatment from some men, but she is the first female research assistant at the University for good reason. She is smart, tenacious, and a brilliant botanist. These are all great skills that help her to solve this mystery with the help of another researcher Alexander Ashton. There is a romance between the two that develops as well.

I would say this mystery was well researched and had a cozy feel. The story took it's time developing characters, clues, and creating a sense of place and time with a slower pace. I really enjoyed reading the lengths Saffron would go to prove her mentor innocent. I found it to be a great summer read. I would recommend this book for those that want a great dastardly crime, a tenacious young sleuth, and a cozy feel to a mystery. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs by Rebecca Gransden Book Review

  Title: Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs Author: Rebecca Gransden Genre: Weird Fiction/ Horror Published: 10/30/24 by the author I received a copy for review from the author.  This collection of 14 short stories that are full of imaginative scenarios. The ideas are truly unique which helps to draw you in.  Imagine taking a friend's pigeon to the vet leads to an underground cult. Imagine a sentient turducken escaping its packaging to explore the world. These are just of a couple of the outrageously weird concepts explored in this collection. A couple of the stories are written a very fever dream kind of way that makes following the plot difficult. I don't fault the experimental writing, but I personally do not enjoy the confusion they left me feeling. The rest of the stories I enjoyed. The standout stories for me were SparrowEyes, with its creepy setting and creature, and Happy Bunny, with a person in a bunny costume getting teleported to various television and movie s...

Alt Vegas: Nuclear Dreams by Wren Cavanagh Book Review

   Title: Alt Vegas: Nuclear Dreams Author: Wren Cavanagh Genre: Horror Published: September 28, 2024 I received a copy for review from the author.    Kyle and Mandy have dreams making a profit by developing when they purchase land in Esperville, Oregon. Soon they find out the land is home to a portal to another dimension stuck in 1950s Las Vegas. It is a hard place with unforgiving desert and fiendish creatures. This a fantastic creature feature horror novel with an alternate dimension flair. The characters, Kyle and Mandy, did not seem sympathetic at first as foolhardy newlyweds taking on more than they can chew. However, throughout the story they become more and more endearing. They are great underdog characters to root for. The portal to Alt Vegas allows for such contrasting settings. The lush and overgrown Oregon with the desert landscape outside 1950s Vegas. The last fourth of the book could have used another round of line editing, but overall this was a fantas...

Overgrowth by Mira Grant Book Review

Title: Overgrowth Author: Mira Grant Genre: Science Fiction Horror Published: May 6, 2025 by Tor Nightfire I received a copy for review through NetGalley.   Anastasia has not fit in since she walked into the forest and was turned into an alien plant. To make things worse she can't seem to help telling everyone that the alien invasion is coming. No one believes her, but they should have heeded the warning. Science fiction and horror is a genre blend that works so well. This is a very character focused story with a quirky main character and her amazing found family. It shows the alien invasion from the perspective of an alien plant that has been raised human that needs to choose sides. It is light on horror past a very disturbing plant attack of a child, but it is an epic and fun story with an interesting perspective. If you are wanting to read about an invasion of sentient blood drinking plants that does not take itself seriously then this story is for you. My Rating: 5 Out of 5 Sta...