Review - A Botanists Guide to Society and Secrets

 I love that Ms. Khavari was a teacher once upon a time and as a child she spent a lot of time memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips.

This series has become an automatic read for me.  Here is the third in this riveting historical cozy.

1)  A Botanist's Guide to Parties And Poisons (click here) 

2)  A Botanist's Guide to Flowers And Fatality (click here) 

Author: Kate Khavari

Copyright: June 2024 (Crooked Lane Book) 332 pgs

Series: 3rd in Saffron Everleigh Mysteries

Sensuality: Adult topics, mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth, Historical Cozy

Main Character: Saffron Everleigh, a brilliant botanist 

Setting: 1923, London England

Obtained Through: Publisher via Netgalley for honest review

 Book Blurb:  "Returning from Paris, botanical researcher Saffron Everleigh finds that her former love interest Alexander Ashton’s brother, Adrian, is being investigated for murder. A Russian scientist working for the English government has been poisoned, and expired in Adrian’s train compartment. Alexander asks Saffron to put in a good word for Adrian with Inspector Green. Despite her unresolved feelings for Alexander, Saffron begins to unravel mysteries surrounding the dead scientist.

As if a murder case weren’t enough, her best friend Elizabeth’s war-hero brother, Nick, arrives in town and takes an immediate interest in Saffron. Saffron learns Alexander has been keeping secrets from her, including a connection to Nick, who Saffron and Elizabeth begin to suspect is more than he seems.

When another scientist is found dead, Saffron agrees to go undercover at the government laboratory. Risking her career and her safety, she learns there are many more interested parties and dangerous secrets to uncover than she’d realized. But some secrets, Saffron will find, are better left undiscovered."

MY Thoughts:

Saffron Everleigh came from wealth but is making her own way in academia as a botanist like her father in an era when women were still to stay home having babies, cooking, and cleaning. She is an inspirational character with her intelligence and grit.  

Elizabeth Hale is her best friend and room mate who works as a secretary for a government official. Elizabeth's brother, Nick Hale, makes a surprise visit only to try and recruit Saffron to aid the government in investigating the scientist's murder.  Alexander Ashton, a fellow academia at the same university, is crazy about Saffron but had caused a rift between them insisting that she not assist the police with investigations, only to need her help now to clear his brother of killing the same scientist's murder.  Then there is Dr. Michael Lee who has grown very fond of Saffron and keeps helping her out on investigations. I particularly like Dr. Lee.

The plot continues to get more involved as the story develops. The pacing maintains a steady trot between everyone involved and the individual undercurrents.  The setting is London to begin, then transitions to the Path Lab in the small town of Harpenden.  The Path Lab makes a frightful setting with all the experiments and secrets.  

Elizabeth takes part in the exciting climax and brings some humor to the story. I enjoyed her greater involvement in this book. The climax and killer reveal was tense with quite a twist and was one of those just when you thought everything was done, ooops there's more surprise danger. 

This third book introduces a criminal mastermind and arch-enemy for Saffron.  This ups the ante significantly in these books.  The ending promises another match against this arch-villain.

Ms. Khavari's writing style makes each book more impressive than the last. Excellent and a must read series.

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

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.