A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

Five stars! I love a good who done it with a bit of light romance thrown in. A great mystery with a rich cast of characters.

The book opens in 1920's London at an academic, high society party. The author introduces us to a cast of characters that are each believable and yet each have their own flaws as well. The party was a perfect way to start introducing the cast and within pages, the scene was set! The game was a foot so to speak 

Saffron Everleigh is the only woman in the biology department of the University College of London. Although she is fighting against the boys club and societal expectations for a woman of her time, she is determined to follow in her fathers footsteps and she has the support of her mentor, Dr, Maxwell. During the party, a fellow scientists wife, Mrs. Henry, is poisoned and falls into a coma. Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect as he is not only well versed in poisonous plants, he has had an argument with Dr. Henry her husband. Now Saffron is in a race against time to prove her mentor innocent. With the help of the alluring Alexander Aston, Saffron not only sets out to clear the name of her mentor but she also finds love as well. 

I found the character of Saffron to be likeable. She's independent, strong, smart and hardworking. Although she does get herself into some pretty precarious situations, I felt like she was a believable character. I really liked the little bit of romance that was thrown in between her and Alexander and found myself rooting for them to be together. If this is to be a series, I am excited to see what else she gets herself into and how she progresses at the University in her career, plus of course what happens between her and Mr. Ashton. 

The last 3-4 chapters were more action packed than I anticipated and I found myself reading feverishly to find out what was going to happen next. Would she and Mr. Aston be able to solve the mystery of who poisoned Mrs. Henry, or would they become victims themselves? I definitely give this book five stars, not only for the story, but also for the writing and the beautiful cover. I received this book free from Netgalley for a honest review. Book is available June 7, 2022.