The Lost Apothecary

October 1, 2020

DEBUT After finding out her husband has been having an affair, Caroline Parcewell leaves alone for London on what was supposed to be their 10th-anniversary trip. While on a mudlarking tour along the banks of the Thames, she finds a small glass vial with an imprint of a bear. Believing the vial to be quite old, Caroline sets off for the British Library to see if she can discover any clues to its history. As she digs deeper, readers are pulled into an intriguing parallel story. In 1791, Nella's apothecary shop is hidden in a back alley behind a false wall. Some of the remedies Nella sells happen to be poisons, for women who wish to rid themselves of abusive men in their lives. When one of Nella's poisons results in the death of a lord, the authorities begin seeking the apothecary responsible. Nella must flee or risk the exposure of her other clients. VERDICT Readers who enjoy parallel historical/contemporary narratives about women's lives, such as Claire McMillan's The Necklace or Liz Trenow's The Forgotten Seamstress, will enjoy the historical details and mystery in this engrossing tale.--Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 4, 2021
In Penner’s faltering debut, a contemporary American woman uncovers a clue to a series of unsolved murders in 18th-century London. After Caroline Parcewell learns her husband, James, is having an affair, she flies alone from Ohio to London on what was meant to be their anniversary trip. There, she finds a glass vial in the Thames. Her research on the bear etched on the bottle turns up newspaper articles about the suicide of a woman known as the London “Apothecary Killer” in 1791, and leads her to the site of the woman’s shop. Penner switches from Caroline’s sleuthing to the story of the apothecary, Nella Clavinger, who gave poison to women to use on men who wronged them in various ways. Back in the present, Caroline contends with James showing up and getting accidentally poisoned after trying to win her back. Penner’s story starts strong but peters out as the engaging premise gets muddled in convenient plot turns, though the author does a good job of making two disparate stories into eventual foils for one another. This has a few things going for it, but in the end it fails to cast a spell. Agent: Stefanie Lieberman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

March 1, 2021
In the late eighteenth century, Nella owns an apothecary specializing in remedies for women, with a brisk side business in poisons. Her latest customer is Eliza, a servant girl charged with procuring poison for her mistress. Nella's dreams of motherhood were destroyed by a callous young man, and Eliza is curious about the intricacies of Nella's business. The two form a tenuous bond that quickly strengthens when Nella's livelihood is threatened. In the present day, Caroline's romantic anniversary trip to London becomes a solo sojourn because of her husband's infidelity. Determined to make the best of the situation, Caroline joins a mudlarking expedition and finds a mysterious bottle in the river. Her investigation into the bottle's provenance unravels the long-hidden mystery of Nella's apothecary, while also reminding Caroline of her pre-marriage dreams. Penner finds clever parallels between Nella and Caroline, and avoids the pitfall of one storyline outshining the other--all three women have compelling tales, and while Nella's business may not be on the up-and-up, her motives are understandable. Readers who enjoy Katherine Howe and Susanna Kearsley will be drawn to this promising, fast-paced debut.

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