Review: The Lost Apothecary

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Publisher's Description

In this addictive and spectacularly imagined debut, 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.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating exploration of women rebelling against a man’s world, the destructive force of revenge and the remarkable ways that women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

My Thoughts

I received an eARC courtesy of Park Row/Harlequin via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is quite compelling. I love the blending of a bit of history and a bit of mystery. Arguably, the start of the book was a bit slower than I would have liked. But by the halfway mark I was hooked. I appreciate reading about things like apothecaries and mud larking, which are not often found in contemporary fiction and the author's notes do indicate the research that went into the subjects.

For Libraries: I have no doubt this book will fly off your shelves. Do yourself a favor and get this preordered. 

Publication Date: 2 March 2021