Our Current Read

February 2025

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them - setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.

Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

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St. Jude's Book Club
What we have read and are reading ...
Date Title Author Rating Comments
May 2025 The Reading List Sara Nisha Adams    
Apr 2025 The Rose Code Kate Quinn    
Mar 2025 Anxious People Fredrik Backman    
Feb 2025 The Lost Apothecary Sarah Penner    
Jan 2025 Remarkably Bright Creatures Shelby Van Pelt 4.5/5 This was a great choice for our first book. Many people in the group said that this isn't something they would normally pick up, and they were pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoyed the book.