I really enjoyed this murder mystery set in London a few years after the Great War. Saffron was a great main character-quirky and stubborn and bucking typical convention for a young woman of her time. Alexander was intriguing and a perfect match for Saffron's wits and intellect. I'm looking forward to reading more stories set in this setting.

Saffron Everleigh is a woman pioneering in Botany where woman have rarely been allowed before. She must face condescension, belittling, and pressure for intimate favors by her male scientific brothers. She is tough, but can she figure out who the killer is and avoid being poisoned herself? Alexander Ashton is accepting of Saffron and compliments her temperment well as a friend and potential romantic interest. Dr. Maxwell is a dear character and I hope he is in future adventures.

Miss Khavari's style makes this a delightful story. The plot is just twisty enough - apparently academia can be deadly! The acadmeic life are realistically fleshed out along with the trials of women at the time. The climax is nail biting and thrilling, just the way I love it. I highly recommend for anybody who enjoys historical mysteries, this is an author to remember.

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

2.5 ⭐️
I’d be lying if I said I don’t judge a book by it’s cover (or should that be the other way around??!) - I totally do, and this one is beautiful! But I know, I’m supposed to be taking about the content, not the art! Cute historical cosy mystery which isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, and so it didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

Set in 1923, we’re introduced to Saffron Everleigh, the only female botanist on campus at University College, London. This was a great time and setting for the book, as Saffron had a hard fitting in and being ale seriously in this male world. I liked how forceful, spirited and stubborn she was, both in fitting into the department, and in trying to solve the inevitable murder. Strong Agatha Christie vibes here for me! While I feel like the book got off to a strong start, I struggled to make a connection with any of the characters.
It was a light and easy read but I probably wouldn’t go back for more.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC!

The wonderful mystery A Botanist’s Guide To Parties and Poisons is set in 1923 at the University College of London. Saffron Everleigh is a new botany research assistant at the university, and her father was on faculty there before he perished during World War I. She is the lone female in a misogynistic old boys’ club more interested in harassing her than accepting her as a legitimate researcher.

Saffron attends a university reception in honor of the upcoming Amazon research expedition led by Dr. Henry. The celebration takes a disastrous turn when Mrs. Henry collapses after being poisoned. When Saffron’s mentor Dr. Maxwell is considered the prime suspect, she enlists the help of researcher Alexander Ashton to prove Maxwell’s innocence. Was Mrs. Henry the intended victim? Who poisoned her? Will the expedition leave and possibly allow the poisoner to escape prosecution?

Author Kate Khavari gets the story moving quickly and uses the time-sensitive expedition departure to generate more urgency in solving the case. Tall, dark, and handsome researcher Ashton is an excellent foil for Saffron’s impulsive and stubborn nature. No science knowledge is required for entering this botanical academia world, because Saffron is always sharing her expertise as she attempts to establish her credibility with her dismissive fellow researchers. Together, she and Ashton make an interesting pair that draws in readers.

Kate Khavari presents a delightful sleuthing pair in a fascinating tale. The book is well-paced. It was difficult to put it down, because I was eager to read what would happen next. Khavari presented enough botanical information that a reader would need to follow the story, and she incorporated it in an interesting way instead of turning it into dry textbook instruction.

I enjoyed visiting Saffron Everleigh’s world and would happily visit it again. A Botanist’s Guide To Parties and Poisons is an excellent introduction to author Kate Khavari, and I eagerly await more of her books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of the book.

I received A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons as an ARC through Netgalley.

Saffron is an aspiring botanist in the early 1920's in London. At a party she attends with her teaching professor, Professor Maxwell, a wife of one the prominent scientists is poisoned from drinking a glass of champagne. Everyone who attended the party becomes a suspect, but Saffron's employer is actually taken into custody.
Saffron and another collogue, Alexander Ashton, work together to try to prove Professor Maxwell's innocence. They are pressed for time as the party had in attendance the crew that is getting ready to leave for an expedition to the Amazon and the killer is among them.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery from Kate Khavari. I felt the characters were well written and the dialogue was spot on. Kate address the sexist and demeaning treatment most female scientists or any woman in a man's field would have experienced, and unfortunately still probably experience til this day.

DNF at 60%. It was just too slow. I absolutely loved the concept, but I did not love the execution. I wanted this to be more a feminist take, showing how women were working to succeed, but the story seemed to lose direction.

What I Loved
The Title. It caught my eye.

The #instagrammable Cover. It kept my gaze arrested.

What I Liked
The Silver Lining. Often, books set in the past like to depict everything as dismal, particularly when it comes to gender roles and discrimination. Of course, that’s a part of our history—and present—but there have been trailblazers, who have refused to stick to the norms. We find this book has a few such characters, both male and female. In fact, our male lead was one of the good, woke guys.

The Pacing. I like slow-burns, especially when they’re of the historical mystery genre. What’s more, I didn’t feel cheated when it all came together at the end.

The Poison. I am a botanist, so anything about plants is always welcome. I’ll say this, though, I would have loved reading about more plants than the ones mentioned in the story.

The BFF. She didn’t take any shit from anybody and tried to instill sense into her impulsive bff. I’d have liked if she had been the protagonist, instead of Ms. Fly-By-My-Pants-And-Science-Can-Go-To-Hell!

What I Didn’t Like
The Female Lead. She was shown to be a rebel—a woman scientist when the field was exclusively for the menzz. Yet, the way she behaved was impulsive, non-scientific, and idiotic! I mean, who would experiment on themselves? Why was she not following the Scientific Method? Did she want to prove the sexists right by behaving this rashly?

The way she used her feminine wiles is another reason I wanted to smack her. All the menzz liked to hit on her and objectified her, which was shown to be despicable behavior. Okay, got it. Then why could she use the same strategy on the menzz while ferreting for information?

To sum it up, I want Saffron to grow up and represent if there’s going to be a second book!

So, a mixture of good and bad, which is why I wouldn’t say no to taking a second book out for a spin.

Disclaimer
I requested this book on Netgalley, and am so glad I got to read it!

This book had a strong premise and the title really drew me in. When I began, I expected more parties to be honest; there’s only one. Saffron Eveleigh is a research assistant in the botany department and in 1923 London, for a woman she has faced some sexism and the unwanted attention of a professor who absolutely made my skin crawl.

Then, during a party, someone ends up poisoned and Saffron becomes obsessed with trying to figure it out.

There were a fair few moments where this book was kind of boring. There wasn’t any danger and things moved slowly. When there was danger, I was hooked but getting to those moments was a bit flusering. I could have stopped several times and just shrugged it away but kept going. I think the author has a great voice, I liked Saffron quite a bit actually.

She’s not afraid to get dirty or use herself as a guinea pig, she’s braver than smart sometimes which makes for a character that down the line could be very interesting.

Mr. Ashton is boring, I hate to say it. He’s a former soldier dealing with PTSD and while he’s a nice man, he’s just boring. There was a moment where the two of them were meant to be arguing with each other because of something he said and it just wasn’t believable.

All in all, I did love the focus on plants, I love botany. But I wanted more from this than I got.

I think I’d give it a 3 star out of 5 but in reality it’s more like a ⅖.

I received this eARC from NetgAlley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

I always love a good historical mystery and with such a fun name, how could I not request a review copy of A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons?

There are, sadly, not as many parties as you would expect in this book. But there is a lot of poison. When Saffron Everleigh attends a stuffy university party, the last thing she expects is for Mrs Henry, the disgruntled wife of one of the professors, to be poisoned. While Mrs Henry isn’t dead, there’s still a mystery to be solved because Professor Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, has been fingered as the culprit of the crime. Together with Alexander Ashton, a researcher she first met at that same party, Saffron tries to find out what poison was used and why so that she can clear her mentor’s name.

For some reason, the title made me think that this was going to be a light-hearted murder mystery. Instead, I found this to be a historical mystery that’s rooted in its time. The university isn’t kooky and the departmental politics and sexism are very present, making it rather heavy reading at times. Saffron faces a lot of challenges, including harassment, in her job and the book doesn’t shy away from it, especially towards the end.

The plot itself was interesting and progressed at a steady pace. I finished a thriller before starting this book, so it did feel a little slow at times, but I think that’s more the nature of the genre than a problem with the book.

Saffron was a likeable heroine. She’s smart and loyal to her friends, and she can be pretty devious when she needs to get information. I’m not sure that I buy her sudden ability to get information via flirting when she was so awkward during the party at the start of the book, but overall, I liked her and was rooting for her to figure out what happened. Her romance with Alexander was predictable, but they seem well-matched and that was nice.

Overall, this was an enjoyable historical mystery! Saffron is a great main character and I enjoyed following her on her adventures to find out the truth and clear Professor Maxwell’s name!

Disclaimer: I got a free e-copy of this story from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

At the University College of London in 1923, Saffron Everleigh became the first female research assistant. She's passionate about her field of study and the work she undertakes but has faced numerous obstacles from male classmates. Even so, she holds Dr. Maxwell in high regard and is unable to stand by and do nothing when he is implicated in the poisoning of a colleague's wife. Because she was there when Mrs. Henry collapsed, Saffron has some theories about who may have poisoned her.Saffron and Alexander Ashton soon form a partnership. The sections of the story where they joke around and flirt with one another are my favorites. Their attraction to each other is clear, and they would form a wonderful relationship. In order to clear Saffron's mentor's name and find out who poisoned Mrs. Henry, these two researchers will have to try their hand at amateur sleuthing. Saffron has no qualms about breaking and entering or stealing to solve this mystery.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review

This was a thoroughly enjoyable, debut novel from Kate Khavari. I am normally hit or miss on historical fiction but I loved Saffron's character and I am looking forward to reading future books in this series, because I need more of these characters in my life.

The title and premise of this book really pulled me in but it took me a month to finish because I just kept getting so bored and didn't care at all about the characters or finding out who had done the poisoning.
The book starts at a party with a bunch of guests and characters we don't know and it was difficult to keep everyone straight in the beginning. And then someone is poisoned and the rest of the book is spent trying to figure out who did it and why. And it just dragged so much in the middle, which I was not expecting at all based on the description. And, probably because this is historical fiction, the romance is such a slow burn it almost doesn't exist at all and the chemistry felt very forced.
The only thing that really kept my interest at all was Saffron's best friend Elizabeth and when the book touched on the racism and misogyny that exists in the education and research fields and how Saffron dealt with and tried to overcome them.
Overall, I'd have a hard time recommending this one unless maybe you're a big fan of cozy mysteries and historical fiction.

I love the cover and the premise, but ultimately this book just wasn't for me. I found the characters dull and the writing somewhat lackluster. I opted not to finish or review this one.

London, 1923. Saffron Everleigh is in a race against time to free her wrongly accused professor before he goes to jail forever. Using her knowledge of botany, she begins her own investigation after Mrs. Henry, a professors wife, drops at a party after being poisoned by an unknown substance.

I reallyyy wanted to love this one. I did quite enjoy Everleigh as a strong female character, especially in the 1920’s. She was intelligent and quick witted and I loved her spark. But the story itself was slow and did not keep me coming back. At any point I could have not finished it and not cared. The premise was good, the writing was good, but the execution was a bit drawn out for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley & Crook Lane Books for the opportunity to receive a complimentary copy of A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own, and I also apologize for reading and writing the book after its publication date.
Lately, when picking historical fiction, I am looking to learn about different events and periods, not only books set during WWII. A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is set after WWI, and the plot's premise is intriguing. Yes, it is a historical mystery, and I can be more concrete by saying that it is a cozy historical mystery because our main character, Saffron Everleigh, is the academic detective investigating the poisoning and the crime.
The cover reminds me of The Lost Apothecary. So it is another reason I asked for the e-arc.
Saffron, our main character, is very sophisticated and takes her academic job seriously. Being a scholar is very important to her because of her father's work, and she wants to continue his legacy after he dies in the Great War.
After an incident of poisoning at a party for an upcoming Amazonian exhibition, the professor Saffron works for becomes the main suspect. To help him prove his innocence, she begins investigating her account with a fellow scholar, Alexander Ashton, who she meets at the party and slowly becomes fond of her.
Kate Khavari did a lot of research about the poisonous plants, and I sometimes got lost in explaining so many plants. The story is mostly a historical mystery, even though we have some glimpses of something romantic on the back burner. The relationship would have to be on hold for six months, making me think we can have a sequel, or we will have several books with Saffron and Alexander as sleuths solving mysteries/crimes.
I am giving A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons 3.75 stars.

3.5 stars

I inadvertently stumbled upon a theme by reading A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons after Murder for the Modern Girl: 1920s mysteries with a sweet, slow-burn romance and a heavy science theme.

Saffron and Alexander may be the worst detectives. As with most cozy mysteries, a lot of the plot depends on them being in the right place at the right time and stumbling over evidence, mostly accidentally. I think they may have been more productive in causing themselves physical harm than purposefully solving any mysteries.

I really appreciated the slow-burn romance. It's possible that the 1920s social norms helped keep Saffron and Alexander from jumping into things too quickly. Still, I loved that there was so much more to their relationship than just instant physical connection (although that was good too!) - the way they helped each other at work, learned from each other and supported one another was beautiful. Alexander took Saffron and her goals seriously without downplaying the adversity she faced as a woman in a predominately male field.

There are a lot of misdirects here, and I can honestly say I was pretty surprised by the outcome. I loved Khavari's writing - it balanced the zany antics expected from a cozy mystery with a well-told story. She set the scene perfectly, recreating the 1920s naturally and easily. There may be future Saffron Everleigh mysteries, and I will be sure to watch out for them.

The cover is what hooked me to this book, but the writing and characters kept me so intrigued.

Saffron and Alexander were just the right amount of Sherlock/Romance. I loved how they used their minds to explore all the options. From the moment I read Saffrons name I knew I would love her. As well as her Best Friend Elizabeth. They were everything I wanted from women of the 1920’s.

Elizabeth was courageous, outspoken and willing to give her friend a talking to. Alexander was sweet, but had some sorrow in his backstory which I thought was well written.

Of course this book is about poison, but it also has a ton of amazing research. As well as his trivial accuracy, how Saffron was seen by her college as well as most of her male counterparts was spot on unfortunately. Also the way the author wrote about post war England, and how the world was then. How people came back from war different and how they overcame the trauma or tried to.

I also enjoyed the inspector even though he was a typical male of the time during a good portion of the book. He came around and I really loved him at the end.

The whole mystery angle was a whirlwind and I loved being swept up in it. From the botanists becoming detectives to clear someone’s name to the multiple people I thought were involved. This book kept me on my toes and I loved every minute of it.

Kate touched on a lot of sensitive subjects and did it so well. As a historical fiction this book hit all my expectations and exceeded some as well.

You know that feeling when you finish a great book, and feel almost euphoric that was me after I finished the last line.

I can not wait to see what Saffrons story has in store!

In Kate Khavari's A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons, we meet Saffron Everleigh, a young botanist who makes her way through tough university circles as a professor's assistant, suffering bullying and ridicule from some of her male colleagues.
During a party that our protagonist attends, one of the guests is poisoned, thus starting a race against time in which Saffron's curiosity leads her, as a good scientist, to try to find the truth, unmasking the culprit and freeing his beloved mentor who is the main suspect of the crime, without taking into account the dangers he could face.
A very entertaining and unusual story, which has left me wanting to read more books by Miss Khavari.

I really liked the cover and the title of this one. Was a little disappointed there was not many parties. I can only recall one.

The time period was good and I liked Saffron and Alexander and their blossoming relationship. Early on in the book I was getting confused by all the characters.

Parts of the story were a bit frustrating but overall an easy read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher, but all opinions expressed are my own. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4. A Botanist's Guide is the first title set in the period following WWI featuring Saffron Everleigh, an post-graduate assistant in the field of botany. Facing the discrimination common to educated women during the period, Saffron is hoping to get be able to further her studies and is attending a dinner hosted by the benefactor of an upcoming expedition to the Amazon. While there, she formally meets Alexander Ashton, a member of the faculty. The dinner party swiftly comes to the end when the wife of the head of the expedition is poisoned and near death. When Saffron's mentor and employer is arrested for the poisoning, she decides to use her knowledge of botany (and poisons derived from botanicals) to prove his innocence.

I found this title to be a nice addition to the growing historical mystery titles set in the period between world wars. Saffron is very likable and her interest in botany adds some unique elements to the story. The mystery itself was well done and had a few twists and turns.to keep me guessing. There is a hint of potential romance to be developed in future titles and I hope to learn more about Saffron's friend Elizabeth. Overall, I really enjoyed this title and hope for future books featuring Saffron and friends.