A new heroine who is smart, strong willed, and well educated but also likeably flawed. While saffron everleigh’s enthusiasm may get her ahead of herself there is no doubt her knowledge and determination will help her discover who committed the crime and why! Hopefully the start to a fantastic new historical mystery series!

A lively mystery, Khavari reflects a strong female scientist-student struggling to achieve her goals. All the social rules in the world aren't enough to stop murder from happening at a dinner party, and the scientist-student gets caught up in all the action. The story is entertaining, the characters experience life and death excitement, and justice is served.

4.5 stars

A cozy historical murder mystery? Set in London during the 1920’s? As anyone who knows me knows, it’s a given that that’s a book I want to read. And that cover?! That gorgeous, gorgeous cover ❤️ Such was my attitude when I began A Botanist’s Guide and that attitude served me well as I really enjoyed this smart and wonderfully written story.

Clever and fun with wonderfully developed characters. I’m so glad I read this and I’m already looking forward to the next Saffron and Alexander novel.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I will start with saying that I loved this book so much and I might have a hard time staying objective in my reciew.

This book gave me major Agatha Christie vibes dressed in a bit more modern thinking and writing style. I loved all the characters and the premise of the story.

The main character Saffron joins forces with his colleague Alexander to unweil who could be behind the poisoning that happens during a party they both attend. Both Saffron and Alexander make annoying mistakes througout their crime solving, but I've found this as a plus that made the story that much more beliveable since they're not professional detectives.
I read this book for weeks because I was travelling and had very limited time for reading, whilst most books would've lost my attention during this timespan, this book got me going back fro more and more. I also saw a great deal of myself in Saffron and that made this journey all that more enjoyable.

I don't know if any more books are planned or if this book will become a series at all, but I would be delighted to read more of Saffron's adventures.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced copy of A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons! I really enjoyed this historical mystery. Saffron was an exceptionally smart and strong female lead! She was so likable and I was rooting her on the whole time. Alexander was a great back-up to Saffron and they made a great duo. I am looking forward to more books in this series as I love a cozy mystery! My only complaint is that the story did not mention what time era it took place except for in descriptions.

This was fabulous. I loved Saffron and Alexander. The mystery was clever and the historical setting interesting. I so hope there will be more qith these two! I was reminded of the Flavia deLuce series, in a general way, woth great characters, science and clever storyline.

Set in the 1920s, this mystery has a lovely Christie-type feel to it. Saffron Eversleigh, a research assistant to Dr Maxwell in the Department of Botany becomes involved in a case of poisoning at a party she attended. Using her botany skills, and fed up with the police investigation, she decides to do a little detective work herself with her friend Alexander. Fast paced and full of intrigue, the final showdown is spectacular!
The only jarring point are the American spellings throughout.
A Wonderful book for fans of Agatha Christie.

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons was a fun read! What I really liked was diving into London in the 1920s, and not only that but in the science department of a university. It was a really quirky mix and not one that I had been familiar with before.

Saffron, donned with a name I still can’t get on board with, was a straightforward, scientific sort of character (not unexpected), determined and resilient. While I didn’t feel a connection to her at all and I didn’t really grow to love her like I have other protagonists (granted, not actually that many), I did enjoy her relating to Alexander Ashton and their inevitable blossoming romance.

The plot follows Saffron and Alexander gallivanting around London trying to find planets and poisons and figuring out the truth, but it was a slow start for me and a chapter in I had to re-read the description to remember what the book was about. It wasn’t until I was well into the book did it pick up interest for me.

I would have liked a bit MORE. More intrigue, more romance, more unpredictability, more … something! Also … I would have quite liked it if they had all actually gone to Brazil like the original plan. For these reasons, while it was a fun historical fiction read, it fell a little short of my expectations.

Still a fun read!

When Mrs. Henry is poisoned at the dinner party, and Dr. Maxwell is accused of it, Saffron, Maxwell's assistant, makes it her mission to figure out who did the poisoning. It's set in early 1920's with an intelligent, badass lead.... but it was really boring.

I got halfway through, and I was shocked that the chapters I had just read were in the midst of a supposed mystery. The only developed character was Saffron, and I still didn't care about her that much. Overall, just not fun or quick. I ended up not caring who poisoned Mrs. Henry.

I found The Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons a charming and somewhat whimsical tale, although I did find. it lagged a bit here and there. A stunning cover, and I enjoyed the parts about the plants.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my ARC.

I enjoyed getting to know this spunky heroine, Saffron and her relatable love interest. Saffron is impulsive at times which is a bit hard to believe but I can look past it because her actions advance the mystery. The relationships with the supporting character, like the independent roommate and the grumpy yet reasonable police offer leave me wondering what’s more and looking forward to future books. The mystery kept me guessing with a unique botanical angle.

TW: s*xual assault,PTSD,Poison

I went into this book completely blind,not sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised! As another reviewer has said, this is a comfort mystery. I'm sure that it will get you out of a reading slump since it's a)short and b)engaging. It was refreshing to see a healthy friendship between women and a non-toxic love interest (I can guarantee that Alexander is indeed a male character written by a woman). I'm glad that this is the first book in a series so as to see more of Saffron and her relationship with other people but at the same time I feel like it could have been a stand alone. Nevertheless, I can't wait for the rest of the books to come out!

I wanted to love this book so much more but for some reason I just could not connect with the characters or the story itself. The only character I really enjoyed was Saffron. Saffron is a badass female character that takes the lead in this story that takes places within a male-led academia setting. I absolutely adore her for continuously standing up for herself, she was definitely a strong-willed amazing character. Alexander was a character I could have grown to love, but I just felt he was so underdeveloped, which was definitely a let down for me!

This is a typical “WhoDunnit” type murder mystery story, trying to discover who poisoned Mrs. Henry. It really was like a big game of clue. It reminded me of a toss up between ‘The Lost Apothecary’ and ‘The Guest List’ , which I know, kind of a weird combination.

The ending is absolutely open for sequel to take place. If that happens, I’m sure I would still read the next book, but won’t be jumping into it with full excitement.

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an E-ARC to read and provide my honest review. This book comes out June 6th, 2022!

This historical mystery takes place in the 1920s shortly after the first world war. Saffron Everleigh, a research assistant of botany at a University, attends a party where the wife of a professor is poisoned. Everleigh and her colleague Alexander Ashton, a fellow faculty member, look into what occurred, but in doing so, get wrapped up in the police investigation.

I was drawn to this book by the cover, but I stayed for the story. Saffron was a great character and the author really made you root for her. The story was well written and I think the pace was good – the author revealed enough information at the right times. I did have a hard time with the sheer number of characters at the very beginning, but it was manageable after the first few chapters once I got into the groove of the plot. The author did a good job at addressing the sexism in academia and brought a fresh take to the historical mystery genre. I would definitely read another book in this series. If you like mysteries and historical fiction, I think you’ll like this one.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.25 stars rounded down.

It was ...okay. The book started off very strong and quickly engaged me. But sometime in the middle....it got overly convoluted and slow. Characters and setting were competent. Just the plot and reveal were less well done.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

If you are looking for an excellent mystery and thriller for year 2021, then A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari is not a book to be missed. With a strong woman protagonist, the book offers an amazing plot of deceit and betrayal. And, the climax, definitely you would not see it coming. Also, the cover is so attractive that I fell in love with it.

I will, definitely give the book 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

This was a very fun mystery about a female botanist, Saffron, who is facing sexism at her current job as an assistant to a botany professor. When the wife of a fellow academic is murdered at a party, Saffron takes it upon herself to use her knowledge of botany to investigate the murder on her own. This had the perfect combination of science, botany, and a determined female sleuth who's willing to take crazy risks to prove the innocence of the professor for whom she works.

In post-WW1 London, research assistant Saffron Everleigh attends a social gathering for the scientific team bound for a lengthy trip to the Amazon. There she meets Alexander Ashton, a researcher new to the department and this chance meeting soon escalates. When the chief scientist’s wife is poisoned at the party, suspicion falls upon Saffon’s boss, Dr Maxwell and Saffron, convinced of his innocence, determines to clear his name. This begins her amateur sleuthing adventures, along with reluctant side-kick, Alexander. The storyline requires some suspension of disbelief as many of the events seem too far-fetched to be feasible, not least of which might be Saffron’s proof of Dr Maxwell’s innocence, however, what are books for if not to incite the imagination and to stretch a little credulity. Characterization is a bit thin, but this is an easy afternoon’s read with plenty of action to keep the pages turning.

⭐⭐⭐.5 Awww Stars!
Time Period: London 1923
Saffron Everleigh is an aspiring scientist and a young assistant to Professor Maxwell, a Botany professor at the University College of London. Story starts at a dinner party attended by academicians and London’s High Society; when Professor Maxwell is accused of poisoning the wife of a colleague.
Saffron as mentioned is an aspiring scientist and teams up with charming Alexander Ashton to find whodunit!
I am a big Psychological thriller fan so this was truly a nice enjoyable read!
I always enjoy reading the Author’s Biography. Author, Kate Khavari thanks her parents for her childhood fascination for historical mysteries which, of course, has continued.
Her home is in the Fort Worth area of Texas. She has a great garden that contains NO poisonous plants!!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 7, 2022

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons
Kate Khavari
The setting is the early 1920s in London. Our heroine, Saffron Everleigh is the only female botanist at the university. She along with faculty members were attending a formal dinner party to celebrate the university’s expedition to the Amazon. She meets handsome Alexander Ashton, a bacteria specialist at the dinner; he makes her heart throb. Mrs. Henry one of the professor’s wives is poisoned and falls into a coma. Dr. Henry was one of the expedition’s leaders. All the evidence pointed to Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor. Maxwell and Dr. Henry had a volatile argument a few days previously. With the help of Alexander, Saffron searches for the real culprit.
Saffron is a wonderful character! She is an ambitious, passionate, determined, tough, impetuous, and a brilliant scientist; it is these traits that assist her in fight against arrogant, chauvinistic, and unreasonable colleagues. This book has all the criteria for the perfect mystery. It is one of those tales you don’t want to lay down. Author Kate Khavari has created a fast-paced mystery. The plot is a traditional whodunnit. It was fun watching Alexander and Saffron’s relationship slowly develop. I consider this a cozy mystery as well as a historical mystery. It is my understanding this is the first book in a new series; I eagerly await the next installment.