The Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets
By Kate Khavari
Author Kate Khavari’s fans have been eagerly awaiting another mystery for botanist Saffron Everleigh to solve. The Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets is worth the wait. It’s an entertaining, engrossing novel worth reading. In my case, it was a delightful binge-read.
If you’re new to The Botanist’s Guide mysteries, I’d advise you to read the books in order. You’d enjoy this book even if you haven’t read the earlier ones, but the book is better if you are familiar with the characters’ backstories.
Saffron is usually discouraged from investigating mysteries by Alexander Ashton, the enigmatic university colleague and romantic interest. This time, he needs Saffron’s help to exonerate his brother Adrian when a murder investigation points to him.
Saffron’s roommate Elizabeth Hale finally has a steady but bland boyfriend. When Elizabeth’s brother Nick comes back into her life, he shakes up the quiet lives of the girls to include a second murder investigation. Both victims worked at the same government research laboratory, and Nick wants Saffron to take a position within the laboratory to find a connection between the two.
Saffron has a load of questions to sift through. Could she work at a government laboratory, even though she believes that government research led to her father’s murder years ago? Can she solve the crimes without endangering her own?
Others have deep secrets. How does Nick Hale’s current and previous military service tie him into the murders? Alexander’s wartime efforts are even more concerning, especially since he and Nick crossed paths during the war. Even Elizabeth’s professional and personal lives play into big secrets.
Khavari wraps up the primary murder mystery and shows how the primary characters were impacted by the experience. But it’s not really over. Our author drops a gut-wrenching twist that appropriately sets up the next storyline. It also makes it much harder to wait for the next book.
Thank you, NetGallery for an advance review copy of the book.
