"The Lost Apothecary" by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary will appeal to the readers who like historical fiction and enjoy solving old mysteries. In this book we follow two different timelines. The first one follows Nella, a rogue apothecary who owns a hidden shop in London and dispenses poisons to women who wish to do away with their husbands, brothers, or other men in their lives. The second timeline is set in present-day London. Caroline travels to the UK from Ohio on what was supposed to be her tenth wedding anniversary trip with husband. However, just a few days before the trip, she discovered that her husband had had an affair and she thus boarded the plane alone.

While in London, Caroline goes on a mud-larking tour - looking for objects in the riverbed of Thames hoping to find something interesting from the bygone days. She discovers a small glass container that looks like it could have been an apothecary vial. And thus her journey to unraveling Nella's story begins.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Some aspects of the story I thought were a bit far-fetched. After all, piecing together a story that occurred 200 years prior is no easy fit. Yet, Caroline is able to find the shop and newspaper articles dated back to the time and mentioning the pertinent events in a matter of days.

However, if you can suspend your disbelief and just go with the story, you are in for a treat. At its core it's a story of self-discovery, of following your dreams and getting back to what you used to love, but somehow let life get in the way. As I get older, I too tend to think a lot about my career choices and sometimes wonder if a different choice would have led me somewhere else. 

4 out 5 stars. I hope Sarah Penner keeps writing more books. This was her debut novel and I would gladly pick up her next book.

An e-ARC was provide by NetGalley.com