September 2024: “A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons” by Kate Khavari

Aug 25

Spoiler-Free Story Blurb

It’s the spring of 1923 and Saffron Everleigh, the first woman to be hired as a research assistant at the University College London, is eager to make a name for herself in the discipline of botany separate from that of her father’s. But the male-dominated field is filled with men holding on to antiquated notions of a woman’s intellectual abilities. Saffron hopes she can make a better impression among her colleagues when she attends a party for the department of botany. Amidst continued inappropriate and unwanted sexual advances from older colleagues, something horrible happens at the party: Mrs. Henry, the wife of a botany professor, is poisoned. And the only suspect that the police have their eyes on is Saffron’s mentor, Dr. Maxwell.

But Dr. Maxwell’s own research simply does not support the claim that a poison that deadly can be produced by the plant he has in his possession. What would he stand to gain from poisoning her? And was Mrs. Henry the intended target or did she get caught in the crossfires of an attempt to poison someone else? Saffron Everleigh teams up with fellow research assistant Alexander Ashton to solve the mystery and find out who is really behind the insidious poisoning of Mrs. Henry. As their investigation goes on, they realize that chasing down clues is not the only thing they want to do together.

Important Trigger Warning for A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons

Chapter 21 of A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons contains a series of scenes depicting physical violence and threats of sexual assault. These scenes can be skipped without losing too much context or information for the remainder of the book. If these are scenes that cause you distress or discomfort in any way, then please make sure to take necessary steps to prepare and protect yourself before and after reading this book.

Discussion Questions

How different is Saffron Everleigh’s experience as a woman in science different from women in science today?
Were the characters’ motivations believable or far-fetched?
Were you able to solve the mystery before its perpetrator was revealed?

Click on the book cover image to see what people are saying about A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons on Goodreads. Visit the Mystery bookshelf to read my review of A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons.

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