Kindle
$1.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Library Binding
$40.95
Paperback
$14.83
Kindle Price: $1.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $16.10

Save: $8.61 (53%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Kate Khavari
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery) Kindle Edition

by Kate Khavari (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 1,064 ratings
Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
See all formats and editions
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.

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.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Part of series
    A Saffron Everleigh Mystery
  2. Print length
    265 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Crooked Lane Books
  6. Publication date
    June 7, 2022
  7. File size
    1577 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
All 2 available for you in this series See full series
See included books
Total Price: $15.98
By clicking on above button, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use
More like A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery)
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  4. A Saffron Everleigh Mystery    3 book series
Next page
Loading...

From the Publisher

A Botanist Guide to Parties and Poisons
A Botanist Guide to Parties and Poisons

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons:
“An exciting debut with a determined protagonist whose future is sure to contain romance and mystery.”
—Kirkus

“Khavari is off to a promising start.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Intelligent, witty, and brave . . . Khavari has created a fast-paced, interesting mystery.”
—Bookpage

"[A] delightful new novel . . . Perfect for fans of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries."
—CrimeReads

“Kate Khavari creates the winning combination of an intriguing mystery and a resourceful and engaging heroine.”
—Frances Brody, author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries

“Kate Khavari has created a charming mystery, full of twists that are as intriguing and deadly as the plants her characters love. Saffron Everleigh is clever and determined, the sort of sleuth that readers will be eager to make space for on their bookshelves. I'm already looking forward to her next adventure!”
—Katharine Schellman, author of the Lily Adler Mysteries

“I love Saffron Everleigh! In A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons Kate Khavari gives us a gutsy ingenious heroine, academic intrigue, a scientifically suspenseful mystery and a Christie-like cast of characters. This is historical mystery—with a 21st century sensibility—at its best.”
—M. L. Huie, author of the Livy Nash mysteries 

“A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons combines all the things I love most in a mystery: a smart and charming heroine, a cleverly-plotted puzzle, and a hint of romance. Well-researched and brimming with the dangers of scientific intrigue, it’s sure to keep readers turning pages. I hope to see a lot more of Saffron Everleigh!”
—Ashley Weaver, author of the Amory Ames mysteries 

“Delightful and twisty, A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons will immerse you in 1920s academic London and have you turning pages to the end. Saffron Everleigh is a plucky heroine that readers will want to join for the next adventure. An engaging read!”
—Lydia Kang, author of Opium and Absinthe

“The 1920s university science department setting, feisty female protagonist, and believable chemistry between the main characters make this a sparkling gem of a debut, and will leave fans of historical mystery excited for the next installment.”
—Kate Belli, author of the Gilded Gotham Mystery series

About the Author

Jodie Harris is a versatile storyteller who enjoys narrating multiple genres of audiobooks. Having received her bachelor's degree in music theater, she worked professionally in theater and on-screen for close to two decades before pursuing narration. She currently resides with her family in Australia.

Kate Khavari is the author of fiction ranging from historical mysteries to high-fantasy epics. She has her parents to thank for her fascination with historical mysteries, as she spent the majority of her childhood memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips. A former teacher, she has a deep appreciation for research and creativity, not to mention the multitasking ability she now relies on as an author and stay-at-home mother to her toddler son. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09FPHZJBX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (June 7, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1577 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 265 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1639100075
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 1,064 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kate Khavari

Kate Khavari

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Kate Khavari is the author of fiction ranging from historical mysteries to high fantasy epics. She has her parents to thank for her fascination for historical mysteries, as she spent the majority of her childhood memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips. A former teacher, Kate has a deep appreciation for research and creativity, not to mention the multitasking ability she now relies on as an author and stay at home mother to her toddler son. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband, son, and a lovely garden that contains absolutely no poisonous plants.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
1,064 global ratings
pages are cut
4 Stars
pages are cut
Thought I was getting a new book, but there is a big cut going through the last several pages and the back of the book. A puzzle indeed.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Spinneretta
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant to botanist Dr. Maxwell, in 1923 at The University College London. When her mentor comes under suspicion of poisoning the wife of a faculty member, Saffron enlists the help of her colleague Alexander Ashton to help her prove he didn’t do it…

Saffron is a woman struggling to make her way in the man’s world of science. Misogyny and harassment are a normal part of her life, but she is trying to follow in the footsteps of her father, who was killed in the Great War.
Her biggest flaw is her tendency to jump into things whole-heartedly, but she is also smart enough to hold her own, most of the book definitely had Poirot vibes to it, and I was rather amused to discover that he was a big influence on the author (so many of us grew up reading and watching those same mystery books/shows).
The mystery itself was cleverly written, and I rather enjoyed the setting. Saffron and Alexander, as well as Saffron’s roommate Elizabeth, and the Inspector, were all very interesting characters, that I’m hoping will reappear in future stories.

This is an enjoyable, and quite lighthearted historical, murder mystery, that fans of the roaring twenties and cosy mysteries will enjoy.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
rann
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved the mystery and the adventurous mystery solvers.
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
This historical Jazz Age mystery features botanist Saffron Everleigh. She is the research assistant to a Professor Maxwell. As the only woman in the department, Saffron struggles to make her mark in an academic world where women are not overly welcome, and must put up with bias, and even sexual predation.

Alexander Ashton, is a microbiologist. (That means, he is into bacteria.) Both Saffron and Alex attend a party where a murder occurs. When it is determined to be poison, Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect because of a poison plant he discovered on one of his expeditions.

Saffron will make it her mission to make sure the true culprit is found. Alex comes along for the ride, I suspect because he has a thing for her. The investigation leads the pair to several suspects and takes them on all sorts of adventures, otherwise known as exercises in snooping. One of my favorites was when, under cover of darkness, they sneak into a garden to obtain a plant that may or may not be the source of the poison. You may imagine this is not a dirt-free exploit.

A large cast of characters made it a little challenging to follow, especially since I was listening to the audiobook. But soon, the major players sorted themselves out. As Saffron and Alex investigate, they uncover all sorts of secrets and shady academic types. Which means there are multiple suspects in the murder. I loved the mystery and the adventurous mystery solvers.

The book has a little bit of romance and lot of mystery, adventure and danger. Historical mystery readers might want to check this one out. Kate Khavaris is new to me, but her next Saffron Everleigh books is on my TBR list!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tried it
3.0 out of 5 stars Needs a good editor
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
Not a bad mystery but a few mistakes that a good editor would doubtless fix. The characters were interesting as was the plot.
Helpful
 Report
Julia D
4.0 out of 5 stars pages are cut
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
Thought I was getting a new book, but there is a big cut going through the last several pages and the back of the book. A puzzle indeed.
Customer image
Julia D
4.0 out of 5 stars pages are cut
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
Thought I was getting a new book, but there is a big cut going through the last several pages and the back of the book. A puzzle indeed.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Stephanie Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book is set in a male dominated University in London in 1923. Saffron is an assistant to Dr. Maxwell. Dr. Maxwell is accused of poisoning another professors wife at a University party. Did he do it? and What does Saffron do to try to clear his name? This book was fun and had a small romantic moment in it.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Laura Driscoll
3.0 out of 5 stars It was a good good but missing chapters
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
The books is really good and well written but the publishing of it is not good. The copy I have has duplicate pages of 91- 122 and it's missing pages 59-90. Which really sucks when your readying the story. Whoever is publishing the book has an error in publishing and missing content.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kimberley Stafford
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
“A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons” is a good cozy mystery taking place in academia in 1923 London. The protagonist is an intrepid botany researcher and assistant to a venerable professor. She is reminiscent of young women in Golden Age mystery novels of the time, which I welcome happily. The mystery itself is good if fairly easy to figure out.

Saffron’s partner in detection and possible future love interest Alexander is well-drawn, including a history of shell shock which is handled with care and respect. Saffron’s experience as a woman in academia with the lack of respect and sexual harassment (most but not entirely off-page) is also handled well. Overall, this was a fun and easy read. I’m looking forward to book #2.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising and unpredictable
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023
Verified Purchase
Khavari has unique layering tactics with her characters. She does so well with suspense and unexpected outcomes. Her stories are rather delightful really.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Vanessa Johnston
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, wonderful characters
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book was a joy to read and I hope the author turns it into a series!
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report