Category: George V – 1910- 1936

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh Mystery #1)

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Saffron Everleigh #1
Publication Date: 6/7/22
Period: George V / Interwar Period (London)
Number of Pages: Audiobook – Narrator Jodie Harris

Woohoo! I think I have discovered a new must-read historical mystery author. This is her debut novel and I can honestly say it is better written, better plotted, and has character development that is right up there with the stars of this genre. I can’t believe I almost passed it by because the period is a bit later than I normally prefer. Whew! So glad I didn’t. Being a romantic at heart, I must have a romance in my historical mysteries – either a married couple or engaged couple, etc. – and this book appears to hint that will be the case in this series. However, that said, the next book is featuring a different male lead and I’m anxious to see where that might go.

Saffron Everleigh has worked hard to be where she is and she has to fight every day to stay. Not only does she have to do her job twice as well, but she has to constantly contend with snide remarks, sexual harassment, and rumors. Mostly she can ignore it because her boss and mentor, Dr. Maxwell, has always been her champion. He encourages her to stay the course, not be discouraged, and not let the good-old-boys win. What would she do without him? Unfortunately, when he is arrested for attempted murder, she might have to find out. She knows he isn’t guilty and is determined to find out who is and clear him.

I love that there are a lot of red herrings and a plethora of suspects. All of those suspects have credible reasons for wanting to commit murder and you’ll just have to work through the plot with the author to find out who the culprit is. Is it – Dr. Lawrence Henry? Or Eris Ermine? Or Harry Snyder? Or Dr. Berking? Or Richard Blake? Or Alexander Ashton? Or could it be that Dr. Maxwell is the guilty party? Oh! My goodness, Saffron has her hands full with this one.

She drags Alexander Ashton into the investigation even though she’s not sure she can trust him. There are so many plots-within-plots and undercurrents and rivalries at the university, they may never unravel it all. As they draw nearer and nearer to the solution, both Saffron and Alexander find themselves in a mortally dangerous situation. Can they thwart the villains and live to tell about it? You’ll just have to read this fast-paced, exciting novel to find out.

I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the narration. Jodie Harris’s voice is smooth and pleasant, her delivery is nicely paced with appropriately delivered emotions. She does a credible job with the male voices, but, if you were listening to a conversation in real life, you’d quickly identify those voices as female. However, in the world of audio and stories, it works just fine.

I liked the way the author chose not to make the police seem like bumbling incompetents as is so often the case. They did jump the gun in arresting Dr. Maxwell, but they were continuing to investigate rather than just looking for reasons he’s guilty. I like Alexander Ashton as the ‘hero’ in the series because we came to see his flaws and how he is managing to cope with them. Then, he is supportive of Saffron, but very worried about her recklessness as well. Yes, Saffron can be reckless and has some TSTL moments. I will look forward to her becoming more circumspect in her actions in future books. If Ashton isn’t to be the ongoing romantic lead, I hope that role will be quickly settled because I do not enjoy the romantic lead changing from book to book.

I can recommend this excellently written and well-plotted historical mystery. I’m already breathlessly awaiting the next installment in the series – A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality.

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An Act of Foul Play by T.E. Kinsey

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An Act of Foul Play (Lady Hardcastle #9)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle #9
Publication Date: 11/29/22
Period: 1911 – Littleton Cotterell, UK
Number of Pages: 300

As always, I loved this book by T. E. Kinsey – it is witty, intelligent, well-written, and filled with wonderful characters and a puzzling mystery. While it can be read as a stand-alone if you want a fuller, richer experience you should at least read a few of the first books in the series. Lady Emily Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong (her maid/friend) have a very colorful background and you’ll learn all about it in the earlier books – which will make their ‘poking into’ police investigations much easier to understand. They were, after all, spies and certainly have the background for it.

It is Lady Hardcastle’s birthday and she, along with several friends, is celebrating by attending a play in Bristol. The Duke’s theater is featuring a comedy written by the brother of one of Lady Hardcastle’s friends. The first act was hilariously entertaining and after the curtain came down for the intermission, they could hardly wait for the beginning of the second act. Little did they know how exciting that opening would be – for there, on the stage floor, was the body of one of the stars of the play. No, it wasn’t part of the play – it was real. Luckily Inspector Sunderland was in attendance as part of Lady Hardcastle’s celebration and he quickly took over the case. He got everything in motion only to be replaced by the totally incompetent, bumbling, lazy, Inspector Wyatt. When Wyatt quickly arrests someone, everybody knows he doesn’t have the evidence needed to make a case – and it is probably the wrong person anyway.

Lady Hardcastle, Flo, and Flo’s twin sister (who is visiting) Gwen know they need to investigate on their own, but they have to keep out of Inspector Wyatt’s way. Wyatt has an exaggerated view of his skills and would not appreciate their interference. They use a ruse to gain entry to enter the theater and the company of actors and begin the investigation. Can the murderer be one of the actors? Is it the leader of the troop? What about the director? Then – there is a second murder. Obviously, it is related to the first – but how? Did that victim know something he shouldn’t have?

This is, as always, a highly entertaining, witty read, and I loved every word of it. I can definitely recommend it and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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