Fifty-four years old, six-feet-tall and big-boned, Margaret Finch can be described as “eccentric.” She lives alone in a small cabin in the woods, drives a 20-year-old truck, and schedules her life so precisely you can tell the time and day of the week by the chore she is doing and what she is wearing.  But the same characteristics that make Margaret seem odd to outsiders also make her invaluable in her role as a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Richard Deaver, a talented and charismatic botanist aiming to cure cancer.

When Dr. Deaver is suddenly found dead in his office at the university, Margaret’s quiet and orderly life is thrown into chaos. Authorities declare the death a result of natural causes, but Margaret suspects something nefarious: a murder born of jealousy and dark secrets. With the aid of a newly hired and enigmatic night custodian, Margaret finds herself thrust into the role of detective, forcing her to consider that she may not be able to find the killer before the killer finds her.

With twists around every corner, and populated by a cast of quirky, unforgettable characters, THE BOTANIST’S ASSISTANT is a delightful story of perseverance, inner strength, and found family.

Purchase Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/723513/the-botanists-assistant-by-peggy-townsend/

Meet the Author

Peggy Townsend is an award-winning journalist and author. Her work has appeared in Catamaran literary magazine, Santa Cruz Noir, The Boston Globe Magazine, Memoir, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications. Twice she lived for seven weeks in her van, traveling to Alaska and along the back roads of the U.S.