Monday, June 21, 2021

The Lost Apothecary

Title: The Lost Apothecary
Author: Sarah Penner
Published: March 2nd 2021 by Park Row
Format: Hardcover, 301 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery

First Sentence: She would come at daybreak -- the woman whose letter I held in my hands, the woman whose name I did not yet know.

From the Publisher: Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive. (Park Row Books)

My Opinion: After a slow start, I was concerned where this book would go and how long it would take to get there. What I hadn’t expected was the intertwined stories to completely captivate me. How Eliza, Nella, and Caroline, though separated by 200 years, could share their voices and speak of sorrows and hopes in a way where the reader could feel each nuance, and if for a time, share in their journey of self-determination and discovery.

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