The Lost Apothecary: A Pleasant Surprise

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 320
Goodreads

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.

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This one was a pleasant surprise! I didn’t really know what I expected when I started reading it but I know that I thought I would be super bored. The synopsis didn’t intrigue me right off the bat, but it was the book pick for the Instagram book club I’m in, so I gave it a shot. I’m glad I did!

I’ll start off by saying that this is not a fantasy. I saw it marketed as such and I just don’t see the connection to fantasy at all. To me, this is just a historical fiction with a dash of mystery. However, the mystery isn’t one for the reader, rather it’s a mystery for Caroline, the POV from present day. See, this story follows three POVs. Two of which are in the late 1700’s. Nella, who runs an apothecary shop which has become a secret spot for scorned woman to acquire poisons to, you know, off their husbands or other males in their life. Eliza, a young girl who just so happens to get herself entangled with the business of Nella. Lastly, there’s Caroline, our present day POV, who travels to London alone and stumbles upon the mystery of the apothecary shop.

These storylines blend together perfectly. Even though, as the reader we find out the mysteries Caroline is trying to solve, I loved going back and forth to see her historical investigating unfold. It might be the history buff in me, but I just loved Caroline’s mission. I mean, how cool would it be to travel to a foreign place (or even your own backyard), find some obscure item, research it, then suddenly come upon some very cool and mysterious historical event? So cool!

Each character has their own voice as well. Nella is dark and sad, Eliza is upbeat and naïve, and Caroline is confused and determined (somehow at the same time 😆 ). You’ll probably have a preference over which POV you like the most. For example, while I loved Caroline’s mission, I wasn’t in love with her character. I actually really enjoyed Nella and finding out how she started this deadly secret apothecary. With that said, I think they’re all great women to follow. They each had their own life changes and growth that I enjoyed watching unfold.

I do see a lot of people say they felt Caroline’s POV was entirely unnecessary, and to be frank, it probably is. Nella and Eliza stand on their own to make a compelling 18th century historical fiction. However, since I enjoyed Caroline’s POV (again, maybe its this history buff in me), I would argue that it brings the story full circle to a time we can relate to – referencing back to the fact that each had their own “lessons” to learn throughout.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I have a few issues here in there: Caroline isn’t the best character (but her mission is fun to read), and it can be slow at times (but the 3 POV help speed up the pacing). But ultimately, I enjoyed it. Just don’t go in thinking there will be any fantasy, because there isn’t.