Cozy mystery meets historical thriller with romantic vibes thrown in. Written in a classic whodunit style, the story has good pacing and relatable characters. I enjoyed the time period. It was an enjoyable read. I look forward to book 2.

Saffron is a research assistant in the botany department in a university in London, just after the Great War. She is reluctantly networking with colleagues at a party when a women is poisoned there. When her mentor is accused of the crime Alexander, who also works at the university, helps her delve into who is responsible for the poisoning. I never really connected with the characters, and found the plot slow moving. Despite my interest in both botany and historical fiction, I was very disappointed. I received an advance copy from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.8 Stars

One Liner: Promising start to a new series

London, 1923: Saffron Everleigh is a botanist and the only female assistant on the campus and works with Professor Dr. Maxwell. The man is her mentor, guide, and murder suspect. He has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering Mrs. Cynthia Henry, the wife of Dr. Henry. Dr. Maxwell had a row with Dr. Henry a few days ago bout a Brazilian expedition.
The toxin that killed Mrs. Henry is unknown, and the case is getting stronger against Dr. Maxwell. Saffron knows that he would never be capable of such a crime, and it’s up to her to prove his innocence.
Dr. Alexander Ashton, a fellow researcher, reluctantly helps her uncover the truth and get to the bottom of the matter. Dr. Ashton has demons of his own but cannot resist helping Saffron. Can the duo use their expertise in botany to identify the killer before it’s too late? Given the secrets surrounding them, can they come out alive?
The requested the book for three reasons:
 The title
 The cover
 The alliteration in the author’s name
My Observations:
• The narration is slow almost throughout the book. The saving grace is that the story kept me hooked enough to read more. The book is the first in the series, which explains the ‘slowness’.
• There are no cliffhangers (the case is solved) though there is enough to start the next in the series. The mix of mystery, suspense, romance, and light action works well for the plot.
• The characters are well-etched, though I’m in half a mind to knock sense into Saffron. Alexander has lots of promise and is an intriguing character. Inspector Green and Elizabeth are promising.
• Saffron is fiery and has a tendency to act first and think later, which doesn’t do well to keep her out of trouble. She’s strong, kind, funny, and talented in her field (and yet to attain that level of expertise in investigating crimes).
• The book is well-researched and yet doesn’t feel heavy or dense. We can follow the investigation even if we aren’t botanists and scientists. Still, I wished there were a couple of illustrations of the plants.
• The book shows how women had to deal with assumptions and indecent proposals to make a career in the field. Sadly, things haven’t changed a lot in this aspect. Women still need to prove their worth time and again.
• Some of it seems a little too farfetched towards the end, but then it’s a work of fiction. I can let it go (and roll my eyes, of course).
• Quite a lot of adverbs to read, and I tried my best to ignore them. :/

To sum up, A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a promising first book in the series. It’s a decent historical cozy mystery and keeps you interested most of the time. It’s a tad predictable, but that’s fine too. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This cover is a work of art. Stunning. I fell in love the minute I saw this. It´s magnetic and very promising.
Unfortunately, my disappointment just grew and grew further into the story I got.
The story is set sometime after First World War and on the university premises, which is nicely portraited in the language used. But as the story was progressing I just felt tired of this manner. The behavior of the main character and the criminal plot was just bleak. I couldn´t connect with both the story and the characters. To be honest, this book felt more like a careful novel for the young adult audience, rather than the general adult audience. By ¨careful¨ I mean very strict parental guidance.

The last 20% of the book is the culmination of action and closure, the criminal investigation is being solved. This was the worst part of the book, really. Badly written in terms of creating the scary climate. The behavior of the characters suddenly changed but in a way, it´s not realistic at all. The whole thing is just not believable.
I really wanted to like this book. At least there is the cover.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58202849-a-botanist-s-guide-to-parties-and-poisons" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630338042l/58202849._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58202849-a-botanist-s-guide-to-parties-and-poisons">A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21461707.Kate_Khavari">Kate Khavari</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4352072564">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This cover is a work of art. Stunning. I fell in love the minute I saw this. It´s magnetic and very promising.<br />Unfortunately, my disappointment just grew and grew further into the story I got.<br />The story is set sometime after First World War and on the university premises, which is nicely portraited in the language used. But as the story was progressing I just felt tired of this manner. The behavior of the main character and the criminal plot was just bleak. I couldn´t connect with both the story and the characters. To be honest, this book felt more like a careful novel for the young adult audience, rather than the general adult audience. By ¨careful¨ I mean very strict parental guidance. <br /><br />The last 20% of the book is the culmination of action and closure, the criminal investigation is being solved. This was the worst part of the book, really. Badly written in terms of creating the scary climate. The behavior of the characters suddenly changed but in a way, it´s not realistic at all. The whole thing is just not believable. <br /> I really wanted to like this book. At least there is the cover
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4352072564

I lovely book to take your mind off your troubles and escape to a more pleasant time. It has a lovely storyline that keeps you interested enough to continue to the end.

Thank you Netgalley for early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.
Set in 1920's London this historical mystery has a little bit everything - suspense, humor, romance, & lovable characters. Our main character Saffron is a smart strong willed women who digs in her heels when she feels compelled to prove that her mentor isn't the poisoner the police are looking for. A fantastic read for anyone who loves strong female leads set in time periods where women were not expected to be more then decoration.
However I had a few minor issues, while the story was great every now and again a modern phrase would show up and completely pull me out of the world. I was also able to figure out the who if not the why very early on in the story.

I really enjoyed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons! I love all aspects of nature and enjoy learning about poisonous plants and such, so this was a fun read for me. The setting was a lot of fun but the mystery didn't excite me the way that I thought it would. That being said I really loved the relationships between the main characters and found myself really excited to keep learning about that aspect of the story. If you're a plant person, this is definitely for you.

Tales of high stakes, adventure and heists galore added to a case of mistaken identity is at the heart of this fun filled book romp.

I wanted to like this book more as I love crime novels and am fascinating ated by poison, especially from plants bit it didn't quite hit the spot
I didn't particularly like the heroine and the pace was too slow for me with nothing really happening g for long periods

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is the perfect Who Done It mystery. Excellent setting, atmosphere and characters. I highly recommend it

Rating: 4/5

First off, thank you so much to @netgalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for an advanced copy of this book.

This historical mystery set in 1920's London is the perfect book to cozy up with if you love crime solving heroines, botany and plants, and a charming romantic interest.

Saffron Everleigh is the only female botany student at her university. Her beloved professor is wrongly accused of the attempted murder/poisoning of a fellow professor's wife. Saffron, with the help of her reluctant–and very dreamy–sidekick, Alexander Ashton, embark on investigating the poisoning themselves to uncover the truth about who the real suspect night be.

This book held my attention from the very beginning. As someone who has a love for plants already, the book was just up my alley. I enjoyed all the botany talk, and appreciated that it was done in a way that even those with limited knowledge of plants could understand perfectly what was happening. I also loved the classic "who-dun-it" style of the writing.

I really liked Saffron, even if she sometimes annoyed me a little bit going off and trying to solve this mystery in dangerous ways without help. But she was quirky and confident and just trying to find her footing in the male-dominated academic world. I wanted a bit more romance from her and Alexander, and I wanted to know more about his time in the war, but overall I thought the characters were really well written with well-rounded personalities. I was also very excited to learn that there will be a sequel, so I'm looking forward to learning more about our lovely Saffron and Alexander in the next book.

And that cover! The cover is beautiful and drew my eye right away. I just knew I wanted to read it when I saw it. This is one book you can definitely judge by the cover, the story inside is just as wonderful as the exterior.

This book is expected to be published in June of 2022, and I hope you'll all pick up a copy!

A botanists guide to parties and poisons was an incredibly enjoyable mystery book. it follows Saffron Everleigh, a botanical research assistant, as she attempts to solve a dinner party poisoning in order to prove the innocence of her mentor. The book takes full advantage of its time period of the 1920's by really taking the time to explore what it would have been like to be a woman in the time period, let alone a woman in academia. While there is a romance plot line it never feels forced and you really do get to see the relationship grow over the course of the book, and it never gets in the way of the main point of the plot, that being the murder. The author has said she grew up with Sherlock Holmes as an inspiration and it really shows. What initially starts out as a locked room mystery soon grows to become a small part in a much bigger plot. I couldn't see where it was going but by the end everything was wrapped up neatly. There are mentions of sexual assault which does come up a few times in the book, and acts as the centre point for the protagonists interactions with one character, but it is never graphic and it does further the story. If SA is a trigger for you though it might be an issue worth considering before reading this book. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking out for further works by Kate Khavari.
An extended review of this book will be posted on my blog chasingfantasy99.wordpress.com and a shortened one will be posted to my bookstagram @chasing_fantasy_. I expect these to be up in February 2022

I wanted to like this book, but the plot just didn’t keep me interested. The descriptions are good and there were many times I felt that I could imagine the atmosphere, the rooms, the clothing and furniture. I believe it would be a better book if it was edited to shorten the number of pages. The introduction of most of the characters at a gathering in the very first chapter seemed contrite and opportune. Although I realize it is a writing strategy to collect all the characters in one place for the murder mystery event, as a reader I felt overwhelmed with the names and thin descriptions of the characters. Although there was an appropriate amount of dialogue, I still didn’t get a sense of the real personality of Saffron or Dr Alexander. A little more character building and less step by step description of Saffron’s every move would greatly improve this story.

This was a delightful surprise! Great new author and series to follow!

The story is set in England, a few years after WWI. Saffron Everleigh works as a research assistant at the university and attends a dinner party with her mentor, Dr. Maxwell, who becomes the main suspect after one of the professors' wives falls ill by poison.

Alexander Ashton is a fellow researcher and he joins Saffron in trying to uncover the truth before it's too late.

I really liked the mystery, the setting, the time period, and the slow burning friendship to something more between Saffron and Alexander. Well written and engrossing!

Can't wait for book 2 when Alexander returns from the Amazon!

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Historical cosy mystery.

Set in 1920s University College London, research assistant Saffron Everleigh is in a race against time to clear her mentor of allegations of poisoning by plant toxins.

Khavari introduces almost the entire cast in the first chapter, causing the reader to grapple to get a fix on all apart from the main character. The writing style could do with more polish, as it is, sentences tend to meander, and anachronisms interrupt the flow. Dialogue is clunky, and the plot lightweight.

The backcover blurb talks of an Amazon expedition, but this remains hidden in the wings. The science and scientists are unconvincing and, given the title, insufficient.

Thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

As a fan of Deanna Raybourn's work, I jumped at the chance to read A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. And I'm not regretting it one bit.

Khavari's novel is a fast-paced intrigue that I read in one sitting. It's so well-researched that it's not only suspenseful and fun but also informative. Partly that is because the 'investigator' is a scientist, Saffron Everleigh, helped by another scientist Alexander Ashton. Their characters were written marvellously, as were the characters of all the others in the book.

This was an atmospheric read with plenty of twists and discoveries and I can't wait for book 2.

I really liked this book, it was rather like a female version of a rather famous Belgian detective. The setting and scenes very much reminded me of that series. The book itself was engaging and the characters interesting but without the popular preoccupation with the main protagonists bearing their souls every few minutes. We knew enough for us to understand them and their motives. It was light enough to enjoy reading but with enough tension to keep your attention.

A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons was a delight from start to finish! Cosy, historical, mysterious and a little thrilling, it reminded me of Agatha Christie in the best way.

Our protagonist Saffron was my favourite part of the novel. We love women in STEM! All jokes aside, she was a great voice to experience the story from. Witty, determined and complex, she made me both more interested in the story and empathetic towards the difficulties she faces through being a woman in a male dominated field.

While I thought the plot and the setting were interesting, I was more invested in the characters. Saffron and Alexander’s romance was sweet and well done. I found it a little slow in the middle and the big *reveal* wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but it was an entertaining and enjoyable read overall.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons was one of the highlights to an otherwise slow and somewhat mediocre reading month.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity.

I have my own blog now (https://daysinotherworlds.com/), so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)

Release date: 7th of June 2022.

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I believe that I came into this one expecting a different type of mystery, not necessarily a cozy one. Given that I've been searching for more of those to add between bigger reads, I'll be lying if I said that it didn't feel like a nice added bonus. However, I'll also say that it's a little bit different in comparison to the other cozy mysteries, since it takes a more hands on approach.

The author wastes no time in setting up the rest of the plot line in the first few chapters of the book, where the supposed poisoning attempt takes place. Through that I got the first glimpses at the suspects, the possible allies, learned a bit about the possible motivations for murder and of course, got to meet Saffron Everleigh. From my novice eyes of reading this sub-genre it's more of a character driven affair until a certain point in the narrative, but this time, Kate Khavari mixed it up for me.

Saffron is a scientist at heart and seeing her teacher get taken away because of something she knows he didn't do, spurs her into action. From trying to figure out who's responsible, to recklessly trying to figure out the poison used and all the way to putting herself in dangerous situations. There wasn't a single moment where she wasn't trying to do something and through that, she made me do something I haven't done in a very long time, which was literally facepalm at certain points.

Don't let that imply that she wasn't enjoyable to read about, au contraire, I loved her.

Being in a very patriarchal society, dealing with some awful people and trying to rise despite all of this in a field that isn't "meant for her" is fantastic. I loved the Memoirs of Lady Trent because of this, so Saffron Everleigh immediately got my attention, before I got the chance to take a look at her mettle. Alongside her brilliant side, she's impulsive and reckless which gave an amusing take on some of the situations she put herself in.

She's not the only point of view though, as I also get the chance to see the world through Alexander's eyes. He's a more typical type of character in comparison to Saffron for me when it comes to settings like these, so while I wasn't as excited about his views, I did enjoy the partnership he had with Saffron. The different field he studies, and the discussions they had were pretty fun to witness. That being said, I didn't care much for the romance and hoped it would stay platonic, which I know was a losing fight from the very start.

It thankfully didn't take over either of their minds and they still remain useful as individuals, which is an A-okay for me. The author managed to find a good middle ground of it being obvious, while also being confined to moments where it can be added, which is again, a blessing for someone like me who hates romance in their books.

The way both of them approached solving this case, is the more hands on approach I was talking about earlier. They're not waiting for the authorities and taking it into their hands. While also giving me, the reader, enough interaction with different characters to try and solve it on my own. Which I enjoyed a lot.

The mystery in itself might not be difficult, but it's filled with many red herrings that makes it tricky to land on the main culprit until a certain point in the narrative. Add to that, the brilliant way this was written with the character interactions and the adventures taken to solve it, and it left me with a smile on my face by the end of it.

I was saddened when it was over. Until I read "A Saffron Everleigh Mystery" on top of that beautiful cover (tipping my hat to the artist), which makes me super excited moving forward. I honestly hope that it's the first of many books to come, because I definitely didn't have enough of Saffron just yet!

After reading all the great reviews and being compared to Anna Lee Huber and Deanna Raybourn, both authors that I like, I wish I could say I liked this much more than I actually did.

We’re introduced to Saffron in this book, a newly minted research assistant at the College of London in 1923. One a professor’s wife dies suspiciously, Saffron’s mentor, Dr. Maxwell, is accused of the crime. She wants to clear his name, and she’s able to use her (because she’s a woman) often overlooked intelligence.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t warm up to Saffron. I honestly thought she was a little insufferable. I never really got a true sense of any of the other characters personalities to know whether I like the or not. As far as a mystery, that wasn’t bad, there were some red herrings and mild surprise at the reveal. However, I was a bit jarred by all the modern dialogue. I understand that authors tend to modernize some conversations but there were sayings that we quote out of place for the 1920s. All in all, the whole story just wasn’t a good read to me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.