Saffron is returning home to Ellington after a long time and mainly to check on her grandfather who has had a heart attack. There are several strands in the story which have to be handled separately. The enigmatic Doctor treating her grandfather is no doctor and his presence means he is looking for something. Her late father’s research papers are the key but they seem to have disappeared. Her mother seems distanced and vague when asked anything about her father. The spiritual medium who is now in the neighbour hood preying on families who have lost loved ones in the War, adds to the problems in the house. Saffron has also brought her partner Alexander with her, and that is not proving acceptable to the family. All told very tense, and very fractured relationships.

The final outcome of healing the relationships within the family were good to read but the unfinished business with the Doctor is I think left for another book.

Historical detail is ever present in the story and the botanical highlights is interwoven throughout the story and this is what sets it apart.

3.5 stars:

I enjoy this series and these characters but I think reading two books in a row was the wrong choice because I got a little burned out on this type of mystery. I liked that there was more of the scientific work in this plot line and that the setting moved outside of London. I’ll keep reading the series but I’m glad there’s a break before the next book comes out. Read when you’re in the mood for a HF cozy mystery with a strong female lead.

A great introduction to this author! This books was so easy to get lost in. The characters were compelling. The setting was immersive. The plot kept me turning the pages. Can’t wait for more.

I love the Saffron Everleigh mystery series, there are always cool plant facts sprinkled throughout the story as Saffron works her way through the mystery.
I am not a huge fan of Saffron's grandparents, but I love that Saffron is starting to stand up to them when it comes to her work and her love life.
I am looking forward to reading more books in this series, as they are written and published.

We're up to volume 4 in Kate Khavari's Saffron Everleigh mystery series. I was lucky enough to snag a review copy of volume one back when the series started, and I've been following it ever since. The series is set in London and other nearby areas just at the end of WWI.

This novel's characters, as was true for so many in England at that time, have experienced significant losses: a father, an uncle, brothers, cousins. Before his death in the war, Saffron's father was a Botanist. She's determined to work in the same field, but has been forced to fight against both male colleagues who think science is no sphere for a woman and relatives who want to force her to give up on this science nonsense and find a "suitable marriage."

Given the recurring cast of characters and the richness of the relationships among them, I would recommend reading this series in order. A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge will make for satisfying reading even if it's your first go at the series, but the connections, tensions, affections, and concerns of the different characters matter a great deal—and you'll miss important parts of the fun if you aren't familiar with the series.

Saffron has had run-ins in the past with spies, unscrupulous government agents, crooked academics, and criminals who see science as a potential source of profit. In Rituals and Revenge, she is working against two villains who have challenged her before: one a false medium and her accomplice, the other a criminal trying to get his hands on saleable scientific research via threat, blackmail, or any other means he can come up with. The first hopes to profit from local families longing for contact with their war dead. The second is certain that Saffron's father was engaged in potentially lucrative research—perhaps in poisons or antidotes—and is unrelenting in his demands that she find papers that may or may not even exist.

One of Khavari's gifts is building up action until the last 1/4-1/3 of the novel is a race against multiple crises—so what has been enjoyable reading becomes a frenzied race.

If you like historical mysteries, especially those set during and after WWI and/or feisty women ahead of their time and/or science-related skullduggery and/or class-conscious members of England's upper crust, you're in for a treat with this series.

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

Saffron Everleigh has been called home to visit with her ailing grandfather, only to find that the mysterious Bill is already there, ready to blackmail her for documents she doesn't even know exist. I have enjoyed this series, but had trouble getting through this book. The plot was slow and had a lot of misdirection involved, but lacked the charm of the earlier books.

Saffron and Alexander are going to visit her family. Elizabeth is coming with them. They are on their way because Saffron's grandfather is ill, and the man posing as his doctor is none other than Saffron's archnemesis.
There's a number of potential pitfalls in this trip. Saffron's family doesn't approve of her, neither do Elizabeth's (her family are neighbors). Alexander and Saffron are hopelessly entangled, and this is his first time meeting her family.
This adventure is going to be no less thrilling or perilous than others in this series. There was a little much going on with Bill Wyatt, and then a medium, and people rushing all over but the story was generally enjoyable. I would definitely start at the beginning of the series for this one.

Three and a half stars
This book came out June 10, 2025
Saffron Everleigh Mysteries #4
Follows A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I'm a big fan of this series involving a 1920s female botanist in a very male field. Saffron's grandparents are of the Aristocratic classes and do not approve of her living in London with her childhood friend Elizabeth and pursuing a profession. Her only job, which she has failed, is to get married to the right sort. There is a continuing theme in several of the entries about a dangerous man, Bill Wyatt, who wants information about the work of Saffron's dead father. I wasn't too into the thread even while enjoying the other novels over all. I'm glad it is more or less resolved in a satisfying way in this entry.

"Rituals and Revenge" takes us to the grandparents' home, where her mother, something of an agoraphobic, lives as well. Her brother and his French wife and toddler have also been summoned. Saffron brings her serious Beau, Alexander and Elizabeth, who grew up next door along for support. Alexander, by pedigree and current status does not fit the "good marriage" standards of her grandmother and her grandfather is quite ill. He is being treated by.....Bill Wyatt. We enter into a mess where a woman of questionable reputation has taken hold of Elizabeth's parents, conducting seances to speak to her brother Wesley, who died in WWI and was also Saffron's beau. Bill is threatening Saffron if she does not secure what he wants from her. Elizabeth wants the fraudsters out of her parents life and we travel hither and yon on the quest to resolve these problems in what I found a great experience.

Kate Khavari in her latest Saffron Everleigh adventure has Saffron and her boyfriend return to her family estate Ellington Manor where her grandfather and family are enthralled by fortune teller and her grandfather is being treated by Mr Wyatt, her nemesis from former mysteries, who is posing as a doctor. Her family do not appreciate her foray into university research and want her to make a traditional marriage. What could go wrong? Wyatt threatens her family unless she finds her father's scientific papers which her mother has burned. 1924 intrigue at a country estate A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge is a tour de force.

Saffron is a bad friend.
Alexander and Elizabeth are going through it
Like, I get that Violet was trying to protect her, but there was a lot going on and I feel like it was resolved too quickly

This is book 4 in the Saffron Everleigh series, and probably felt more drawn out than its predecessors. Saffron has returned to her family home, having been summoned to visit her sick grandfather. Bill and Elizabeth travel with Saffron and find that not only is Saffron's grandfather being attended by a fraudulent doctor but Elizabeth's parents who live next door are being conned by a fraudulent medium.
The story seems to take a long time exploring dead ends or uninteresting avenues, however the plot is still intriguing and towards the end it gathers momentum. For me 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

eBook - 3 Stars
* It was lovely to be back with Saffron and Company, including some new faces [perhaps a few too many, but still nice] in this go-round. Saffron is one of my favorite FMC, with such spirit and caring, which really comes out with this visit to her family. I didn't love how much hand-wringing she did in this one, but overall, it was lovely to be with her and she love of mystery and science.

* I missed the botany. A LOT. I could have done with a lot less of the drama [which was excessive at times] and a lot more plants and flowers. I know so little about plants and the like and it was one of the things that drew me to these books and I found I really, really, did miss that aspect in this book. It is really what Saffron does best and we just don't get to see that.

* Alexander *AND* Elizabeth. It was so great to see real growth with these characters, Elizabeth especially. She too has been through so much and it was really lovely to see her face things head-on and fight for her family [her silly, vapid, family] and their lives. I love Alexander and seeing him realize he needs to love Saffron as she is if he wants to be with her has been very fun to watch.

* Unfortunately, for me, this book seemed a tad too long. Perhaps its because it was dramadramadrama from page one and you don't really get a break at all from it...I don't know. I just know that by the end [ERGH!! see below], I was rather glad it was finished [and that made me so very sad].

* THAT. ENDING. WAS. UGH. That ending. Ergh. While the reveal [such as it is - we ALL know who the baddie is] was good and the tension amped up [and took a three star read to four stars, only to be dashed down again], the way it all ends is...
We the readers [new and ones who live for these books], and Saffron the character deserved SO. MUCH. MORE. than T H A T ending. That epilogue was complete bullsh*t and if it wasn't for the fact that ADORE Saffron and these books [overall], I'd seriously think about whether or not to continue with these book [should there be more] as I am THAT disappointed in how this book ended [as it stands now, I will read another one should there be one, but it will be with great trepidation]. While I am not completely sure that I feel THIS way, when I told my Mom about the book and why I was raging all over the house, she looked at me and said "that is just very lazy writing and a crap way to end a storyline", and I am pretty sure she is at least partly correct about it. It IS a crap way to end a book and I will be disgruntled about this for a long time.

Audiobook narration - 4 Stars
Jodie Harris, as always, was absolutely fantastic and I really enjoyed listening to her narrate this book [as well as the previous books] and I hope that should there be more books, she will continue to narrate them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Khavari, Jodie Harris - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

Saffron Everleigh and her beau Alexander Ashton reluctantly return to Saffron's family home in book 4 of this series. Saffron, her friends and her family are being threatened, with the price of relief being information about research done by Saffron's father before his death. To alleviate the threat, and because she is impossibly curious, Saffron is willing to hunt down the information; she will decide how to handle the blackmailer later.

This book really requires the background from the first three books in the series to be effective. Don't start with number four, but do read the series from the beginning for a charming, science laden series with excellent characters.

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

Khavari's writing is superb and well-paced.
I've really enjoyed this series so far and this one was no exception. Saffron is thrust into yet another murder mystery to solve in this gripping plot full of unexpected twists and danger.
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

𝑨 𝑩𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑺𝑻'𝑺 𝑮𝑼𝑰𝑫𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑹𝑰𝑻𝑼𝑨𝑳𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵𝑮𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊, generously shared with me from @crookedlanebooks & @dreamscape_media via @netgalley.

This is the fourth installment of Botanist/Amateur Sleuth Saffron Everleigh, and this tale takes her back home after her grandfather's health scare. She must battle family expectations and a friend's quest to unmask a fraudulent medium all while balancing a con man's very close threats for her late father's botanical research.

I have enjoyed this series, though I am wondering if I am falling prey to my typical "3 and done" series fatigue. This is a clever cozy mystery series with a strong female MC, a great friendship, a bit of romance, and intriguing mysteries. I found myself feeling like this one was an effort to more fully develop the characters, and for me, the plot pacing suffered a bit. I also found myself not remembering all the backstories, though it did give bits of it, which helped. It all picked up quite speedily towards the end with resolutions I thought were very creative (in a good way) and some loose threads, paving the way for future adventures.

I did listen to most of this book, which did have great narration by Jodie Harris. I was instantly transported back into Saffron's world and highly recommend the audio.

Even though this was not my favorite of this series, I still recommend this as a great one for cozy mystery fans. This could be read as a stand alone, but it would be best to start at the beginning and get into Ms. Everleigh's world!

Again, another stunning cover!

"I'm not looking for anything in particular. I was just...curious."

And there it is! In the fourth, and possibly my favorite, Saffron Everleigh Mystery, A Botanist's Guide To Rituals and Revenge, by the ever precise and keen historical fiction author Kate Khavari, once again, Saffron's curiosity leads to trouble. This time it's kidnapping, attempted murder, ghosts sightings, hallucinations and a dubious medium.

For the first time in the series, Saffron leaves 1924 London to head home to her family manor to see her grandfather who has suffered a heart attack. With her long time suitor Alexander, and best friend Elizabeth, she finds her widow mother and grandparents under the thumb of the deviously mysterious Bill Wyatt, claiming to be a doctor caring for her grandfather. But Saffron knows Bill and knows he's a liar. She just has to prove it.

The prolific voice actress Jodie Harris
is her usual "can do any accent and any emotion brilliant self." It's probably why this haunting often intense mystery is her 100th audiobook! Congratulations Jodie!

I adore this cozy historical fiction mystery series. It can be a standalone but trust me, reading the series, listening to Saffron and Alexander's relationship grow through all the dangerous, yet exciting crime solving through botany and science, is a ritual I hope never ends.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Saffron Everleigh is returns to her family's home after her grandfather suffers a heart attack, bringing her best friend Elizabeth and her beau, Alexander along for support. They arrive to discover that her grandfather's doctor is Bill Wyatt, an evil man we met in the previous book, who is pressuring Saffron to find her late father's research and turn it over to him so he can profit from it, threatening her family's safety if she fails to deliver. Elizabeth confronts her own family, the Everleigh's neighbors, for the first time since she also left for London, the visit made more stressful by the fact that her parents have taken in Madame Martin, a medium who claims to communicate with the dead that we also met previously. Saffron must hunt for her father's research as she navigates difficult family relationships and keeps a close eye on Bill, while Elizabeth is determined to out Madame Martin as a fraud. The setting of Everleigh hall lends a gothic atmosphere to the story, there is lots of tension between characters, and the "botanist" parts are well researched, as always. I enjoy the characters as much as the science and mystery in this series, which is set in post WWI England.

Saffron Everleigh, our accidental detective, returns once again to solve another mystery. This time, she leaves London behind and heads to Ellington, her family’s country manor, after her grandfather, Lord Easting, suffers a heart attack.

Back home, Saffron is quickly reminded why she left in the first place—her family relationships remain as strained as ever. Despite the tension, she’s genuinely worried about her grandfather. The so-called doctor, Bill Wyatt, isn’t helping matters—Saffron is convinced his credentials are fake and suspects he’s cozying up to the family for ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, at the neighboring Hale estate, a local medium, Madame Martin, and her assistant are creating quite the stir. Saffron is certain something is off about the pair. Thankfully, she has her steady beau Alexander by her side, and together they set out to unravel the mounting mysteries.

With murder, drama, and plenty of intrigue, Kate Khavari delivers another charming entry in this cozy mystery series. While the story hooked me from the start, the plot began to meander about halfway through, and I found my interest waning. The ending felt like a rushed wrap-up, which left me a bit unsatisfied. That said, I did enjoy seeing Saffron and Alexander’s relationship deepen, though I missed the botanical elements that usually add a unique flavor to these stories.

One consistent highlight? The cover art! Whoever is designing these deserves a raise.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and of course the author Kate Khavari for the advanced copy of the audiobook. A Botanist’s Guide to Rituals and Revenge is out now. All opinions are my own.

Summary
Saffron Everleigh returns to Ellington Manor after years away. But this homecoming is full of danger because Bill Wyatt, a man specializing in passing on government secrets for the right price, has been hired as Saffron’s grandfather’s personal physician, putting Wyatt at the heart of Saffron’s family.

This series is a favorite of mine. The covers are gorgeous. The characters are ones I love coming back to-four times now! What keeps bringing me back is Saffron’s refusal to conform to society’s notions of what a woman of Saffron’s social class should aspire to, a marriage of high-standing. Instead, she forges her own path in the male dominated world of academia. Her late father is her greatest influence, and in this book, we learn more about him as well as Saffron’s mother. I liked we learned, along with Saffron, there is far more to her mother than anyone knew.
The stakes in this story are also higher than the previous novels. Bill Wyatt wants the research Saffron’s father undertook years ago. By ingraining himself into her family, he forces her to do what he wants, but all her searching leads nowhere. This tension makes for a fast-moving, tension-filled novel. Bill Wyatt did get on my nerves a bit as he came across as too perfect the evil villain. He was always one step ahead of Saffron. And maybe that was really the issue I had—Saffron could never seem to outsmart him. I wanted her to one-up him! But that is a minor quibble.
Khavari’s writing immersed me in the historical time period, with a fast-paced plot full of twists and turns. If you love your mysteries set in the past, give A Botanist’s Guide to Rituals and Revenge a read.
5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Fourth instalment in the Saffron Everleigh Murder Mystery series, this was a weird one.

I enjoyed the first part of the book very much. The thread about the medium involved me completely, and I loved the way it impacted the main cast’s lives. It forces them to face the past and the wounds it carries, while most of them are busy burying it.

But then the story veered completely, almost forgetting about this thread, to focus more on a kind of hazy international plot, with Saffron bouncing here and there in search of her father’s lost research, which I was never really sure why was so important.

Saffron’s family situation was interesting enough, but the fuel of the action – Saffron trying to save them from Bill’s threat – felt too abstract to me.

The story, so lively and intriguing at the beginning, dragged in the middle as it focused on this thread, at least in my opinion, and at the end, it felt kind of a mess. I found the ending a bit rushed, and I even thought the series might be concluded earlier than it was supposed to.

But this is just my impression. I don’t know whether this will really be the case.

It’s a mixed bag for me.