Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons
Newly hired as a research assistant at University College London in 1923, Saffron Everleigh is determined to make her mark in a botany department that doubts a woman belongs there — made worse by whispers that her position was won through her late father's reputation rather than her own.
When a professor's wife collapses and dies from an unidentified poison at a university dinner party, Saffron's mentor, Dr. Maxwell, becomes the leading suspect. Unwilling to watch him take the blame, Saffron puts her botanical knowledge to work, tracing the poison to a rare and dangerous plant.
Joined by fellow researcher Alexander Ashton, a budding romantic interest, Saffron investigates through steamy greenhouses, shadowed gardens, and the university's own secrets to clear Dr. Maxwell's name before the killer strikes again. Kate Khavari's debut launches the Saffron Everleigh Mystery series, blending Golden Age-style detection with early-20th-century botanical science and a slow-building romance.
Research assistant in University College London's botany department who investigates a poisoning at a faculty party to clear her mentor's name.
Fellow UCL researcher who partners with Saffron in the investigation and becomes a romantic interest.
Saffron's botany mentor, who becomes the prime suspect after a professor's wife is poisoned at a university dinner party.