The Lost Apothecary...#BookReview

About the book:
A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them - setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman. 
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
 
One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose - selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
 
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive.


Wow. Where to start. This whirlwind story takes place over the course of a couple of days, in both timelines.

Once a reputable apothecary shop, time and tragedy have turned it into something darker and secret. Nella helps women in need, mostly those who wish to be free from the harm of the men in their lives. They seek her help though the mysterious underground voices of other women who tell them where to go.

Young Eliza is sent to Nella's shop at the request of her mistress, for a potion to end the life the master. Eliza connects with Nella and they form a reluctant friendship. Nella has been alone in her grief and in the knowledge of what she does for far too long. 

Caroline is in the present. Falling out of love with her cheating husband and going on their 10th anniversary trip to London, alone. On a whim, she accepts an invitation to mudlark in the Thames and finds an old vial with a mysterious symbol on it. This sends her on a research adventure and she discovers the unsolved apothecary murders from 18th century London.

Nella's strength and her story were as captivating as much as they were heartbreaking. Eliza was a little spitfire. 

Caroline was the weak link in this story. I know the premise was for her story to weave in with Nella and Eliza and it does, to a point. Caroline has none of the inner strength that the other two have. She has let her terrible husband dictate her life and she's given up dreams of her own. I could have done without James at all. He was awful. 

However, I love the premise. I enjoyed the conversations, but wished for more detail about Nella and Eliza's lives. Honestly, this would have been a fantastic historical novel on its own, with no alternate timeline.

Everything wraps up very neatly and a little too conveniently. And I would like to have seen more detail at the end or more of an epilogue. 

All that said, I devoured this story, anxious to see it come to a satisfying conclusion. But while surprising and somewhat ambiguous, it wasn't quite as satisfying as I hoped. Nevertheless, this is a story I enjoyed immensely.

The historian and author's notes at the end were valuable. The Apothecary Starter Kit and Tincture Recipes were a genuine treat.

I think this was a terrific debut novel and I look forward to more from Sarah Penner.

Thank to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Sarah Penner on her website and Instagram.

Read 3/23

* * * *
4/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Mystica VarathapalanMarch 14, 2023 at 6:56 AM

    Sounds like a fascinating read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really was. I'd like to delve more into the history of the apothecary as murderer...

      Delete

Post a Comment