A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality
Saffron Everleigh’s Second Mystery
1920s London isn't the ideal place for a brilliant woman with lofty ambitions. But research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to beat the odds in a male-dominated field at the University College of London. Saffron embarks on her first research study alongside the insufferably charming Dr. Michael Lee, traveling the countryside with him in response to reports of poisonings. But when Detective Inspector Green is given a case with a set of unusual clues, he asks for Saffron's assistance.
The victims, all women, received bouquets filled with poisonous flowers. Digging deeper, Saffron discovers that the bouquets may be more than just unpleasant flowers-- there may be a hidden message within them, revealed through the use of the old Victorian practice of floriography. A dire message, indeed, as each woman who received the flowers has turned up dead.
Alongside Dr. Lee and her best friend, Elizabeth, Saffron trails a group of suspects through a dark jazz club, a lavish country estate, and a glittering theatre, delving deeper into a part of society she thought she'd left behind forever.
Will Saffron be able to catch the killer before they send their next bouquet, or will she find herself with fatal flowers of her own?
Perfect for lovers of:
Agatha Christie
Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
The Lost Apothecary and Dead Dead Girls
Workplace frenemy-turned-something more?
Academia
Floriography (secret codes in flowers?)
“Many captivating twists . . . Readers get a tantalizing glimpse of Jazz Age London.”
—Historical Novel Society
Frequently Asked Questions:
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The books are best enjoyed in order, but if you’re here for the mystery and nothing else, each book, including this one, have a standalone mystery that is wrapped up in each book.
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This book has a mixture of old and new characters, including the return of our favorite biologist, Alexander.
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Yes and it is magnificent. You can find it at any online retailer.
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Not yet, it’s under construction!
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Yes, floriography was a real method of secret communication in the Victorian era. It was less cryptography and more social code. A convoluted one, in my opinion, because there were tons of books and most had slightly different interpretations for each flower—a problem Saffron runs into in the book. There are some cool books about it, and this is the one that I used.