The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner

Title: The Lost Apothecary

Author: Sarah Penner

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Caroline finds an old apothecary bottle while searching through the mud of the Thames during a failed anniversary trip. That sends her on a search for the original owner of bottle. During this time her husband shows up out of the blue. He tries to talk to through what happened and earn her favor. When he gets hospitalized, the police suspect Caroline because of what they find in her notebook. Will her husband pull through? Did she poison her husband? Can Caroline and her husband work things through?

Nella is an apothecary who specializes in poisons. She once helped heal people but after a betrayal, she’s turned to poison. Eliza, a maid asks for help for her mistress. During her mistress’s vacation, Ella asks to apprentice under Nella. She’s hesitant to accept Eliza’s help. Eliza tried to help with a lady with a mistress problem. When the poisoning goes wrong. The police start searching. Nella and Eliza panic. Both look for solutions for ways out in different ways. Will either of the solutions work? Or will the police find them first?

Rating: 3.5 – a good historical fiction book

Opinion: This was a good historical fiction. It wasn’t one of my favorites. While it was interesting, I wasn’t too interested in the story. Part of me wishes it had been two separate stories. That way the author could’ve dove deeper into both stories more. I wish I could’ve learned more about Nella and her past and learned more about what to Eliza at the end of the story. Caroline’s was well done but I wish I had a little more back story for her, too. While this story was interesting I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I normally would like. I loved the idea but wished I could’ve learned more about the characters. This is a good book for anyone who loves a different side of history.