Book Summary and Reviews of The Botanist's Assistant by Peggy Townsend

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Mark_S

Fun read!
The main character, Margaret Finch, is delightfully "real" and relatable. Somewhat forced to become an amateur sleuth, she first appears full of the fears and insecurities that can plague us all. Townsend does a brilliant job of developing Margaret's character and enabling to truly find her voice and value without ever losing the essence of what made her real. The mystery that is the real focus of the novel was also well crafted with just enough misdirection to keep readers guessing. Any direct knowledge of botany is not necessary, but it was also fascinating to learn about as it was sprinkled throughout the tale. It was a great read!

Becky_S

Botany assistant becomes Detective
Margaret Finch is a true gem in this entertaining mystery by Peggy Townsend. Margaret is the assistant to the botanist Dr Deaver and is also his biggest fan and admirer. When Dr Deaver is found dead in his office, Margarets "sleuth sense" kicks in as she tries to convince the police that there was foul play involved . She takes notes and goes through her list of quirky characters who become her suspects. I really enjoyed reading this light hearted novel and hope to see Margaret in future books by Townsend!

Anke_V

The Botanist's Assistant
Margaret Finch is precise, intelligent, and invaluable to the charming botanist Dr. Deaver, whom she finds dead in his office. While others believe he died of natural causes, Margaret has her doubts, and her attention to detail makes her a perfect sleuth, quickly finding unlikely allies to help her uncover the truth.

I enjoyed every page of this charming, slightly offbeat mystery led by a clever, tenacious, and loyal protagonist. Margaret's scientific plant tidbits were curious and educational. If you like mysteries with quirky characters, precise schedules, and a hint of the strange, The Botanist's Assistant is for you!

Thank you to BookBrowse, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. And of course, thanks to Peggy Townsend for this delightful read. I hope to meet Margaret Finch again!

Margery G. (Zionsville, IN)

Enjoyable Read
The main character, Margaret is probably on the high end of the autism spectrum and is OCD. She's very bright and quite eccentric. She lacks social skills. She's trying to figure out who murdered her boss. She's a good detective because she uses reasoning and a scientific approach. Midway through the book she realizes she needs to change her perspective and her hypothesis. At first she is not an engaging character but then I felt for her as others dismiss her because she is peculiar and plain. There are a lot of botanical terms which I tended to skip over. Margaret feels she doesn't need companionship. Making a discovery is more satisfying. I loved that she took in a feral cat and had a pet companion and by the end of the book she finds it very rewarding to have a couple friends. Over all, I found the book to be an enjoyable read

OWLS: Older Women and Literature

Ungainly but Unstoppable
Thank you to BookBrowse, Berkley Books, and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

Margaret Finch, 54 years old, has been a brilliant scientist's research manager for 10 years. She is unmarried, and has no family or friends. Tall and big-boned, she is described as having a horse's face, and is known behind her back as "Big Bird" to the students and staff at the university laboratory where she works.

But Margaret is reasonably happy. She believes in the work she is doing, and does it extremely well. Although obsessed with order and protocol, Margaret thinks creatively as well as scientifically, and has her own cottage in the hills and a beautiful garden which seems to be the opposite of her every-day life: it is beautiful and wild.

Then Margaret finds her beloved scientist dead in his office, and everyone seems too ready to say that the 43-year-old man has died from natural causes. Given subtle clues around him, Margaret is sure this is not true, and begins her own investigation.

The story is told with a voice that is precise, fresh, and slightly ironic. Although we begin by meeting an isolated, ungainly, older woman whose life's work is vulnerable to powerful men (and more traditionally pretty women), Margaret's obsessiveness becomes perseverance, as she finds the answers to her questions, as well as a small a circle of caring friends. I hope we can meet with her again.

Susan_W1

This is a very entertaining book
This book was a lot of fun to read. If you enjoy quirky characters, as I do, you will quickly bond with the main character. She reminded me of Molly, in the Maid series. There was just enough science scattered through the story to keep your mind off her lack of social skills. At first I was afraid this book would be like so many botany books popular right now, but it was not. The plot was believable, and the story line moved quickly.

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