Review - A Botanist's Guide to Parties And Poisons

I love starting with the first book in a new series. That's what we have today, a new historical mystery series with a unique and truly smart heroine. 

"The Lost Apothecary meets Dead Dead Girls in this fast-paced, STEMinist adventure.  Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London."

Author: Kate Khavari

Copyright: June  (Crooked Lane Books) 265 pgs

Series: 1st in Saffron Everleigh Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy, historical amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Saffron Everleigh, research assistant at University College London

Setting: 1923, London

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues’ beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not so subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.

 When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. 

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher--and potential romantic interest--Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name.

 Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations."

My thoughts:

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.