A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets

May 27, 2024
British botanist Saffron Everleigh juggles research, romance, and murder in the diverting third installment of Khavari’s historical mystery series (after A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatalities). In 1923 London, Saffron has turned her back on the comforts of aristocratic life to work in a lab, where she’s routinely condescended to by her male colleagues. She harbors a crush on fellow scientist Alexander Ashton, whose brother, Adrian, has been named a suspect in the recent poisoning death of a Russian researcher. At Alexander’s urging, Saffron looks into the killing in hopes of clearing Adrian’s name. Meanwhile, she wards off the advances of Nick Hale, her best friend’s older brother who’s just arrived in the city. When one of the Russian scientist’s colleagues is also murdered, Saffron infiltrates the secretive lab where the pair worked and discovers that Alexander and Nick have been hiding crucial information from her all along. Though Khavari throws too many characters into the mix and the mystery’s momentum stalls in the middle, she brings everything together with a rewarding final act. It’s a solid entry in a dependable series.

September 13, 2024

Author Khavari, narrator Jodie Harris, and botanist-turned-sleuth Saffron Everleigh are a dream team. In this latest installment in the "Saffron Everleigh" mysteries (following A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatalities), Saffron's case turns into espionage when men from her past seek her help. Initially, a sheepish Alexander, Saffron's former love interest, seeks her help in proving his brother innocent of murder despite Alexander's past ultimatums. Then Elizabeth's brother Nick ambles onto the scene with a barely hidden secret agenda. To aid them and her country, and satisfy her curiosity, Saffron infiltrates a deadly government lab. Harris continues to give Saffron the practical voice she uses to hide her inner turmoil from the world. She's well aware that neither her department nor her family will grant her any slack when her questions about her father, her relationships, and her future trouble her. Harris voices Saffron's roommate, Elizabeth, with such energy that listeners may hope Elizabeth gets more page time in subsequent books. It's a solid series entry, though listeners may be divided on the quick resolution of the previous book's conundrum. VERDICT A satisfying mystery, enhanced by excellent narration and an intriguing introduction to Saffron's Moriarty.--Matthew Galloway

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