The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

 Title:  The Lost Apothecary

Author: Sarah Penner

Narrated by:  Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony, Lauren Irwin

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 18 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Netgalley and Harlequin Audio. Thank-you! 

 What do you like best about the cover of a book?

 I find this one eye catching.  I love the colors with the outline of the bottle in the middle.  With the title, it makes me wonder what is in the apothecary’s bottle.  Then you read the story and discover it was poison. . .

 In present day, American Caroline is on a trip to London when she discovers an old bottle in the Thames while mud larking.  Her undergrad degree was in history and she finds herself intrigued by the mystery of the bottle. As she digs more into the mystery, she discovers that it was possibly linked to an old murder.

 In 1791 London, Nella runs an apothecary shop that has a secret room to sell remedies for women.  Some of these remedies include poisons to rid them of the evil men in their lives.  Nella soon meets a young girl named Eliza who has been sent to the apothecary by her mistress.  Nella welcomes Eliza’s help, but a grievous error soon puts them on a path of danger.

 Caroline, Nella, and Eliza all narrated chapters of this book.  The audiobook had a different narrator for each viewpoint. The narrators were great, and all gave a unique voice to the three different viewpoints in the novel.  I like how each chapter seemed to end with a cliff hanger that left me wanting to hear more of the story.

 My favorite part of this book was the historical part of the story.  I would love another book about Nella and Eliza in more detail.  I loved Nella’s knowledge and backstory.

 I read this as part of the Page-turners’ Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  Unfortunately, I was quarantined with break through COVID when the meeting occurred and missed it.  I really wanted to discuss this book with everyone.  Have you read it?  What did you think?

Overall, The Lost Apothecary was a unique and intriguing historical mystery.