This is the second book in a fantastic series that followed Eustacia Rose, a professor of toxic botany. Eustacia is an eccentric genius who due to her extensive knowledge of poisonous plants, finds herself brought into a murder investigation by the police. In Hell’s Bells we see Eustacia several months after the events of the first book. Things are going well for her at home and at work. However an aggressive and demanding student she nicknames ‘Giant Hogweed’ starts to disturb her peace. Add in a man rendered unconscious by the injection of a toxic plant and Eustacia is roped in by the police to investigate. Eustacia is a wonderful main character. She’s middle aged, she dresses in her Dad’s Savile Row suit. She gives people botanical nicknames. She hyper fixates and is particular about how she does things. She is such a fascinating character and I’m filled with so much affection for her as she tries to navigate the world and the social situations where people don’t understand her. We see the return of her elderly neighbour Susan who assists her in interpreting other people and clues in the case. I love all the plant references in this and delving into Eustacia’s fascinating world of botany. While we are investigating crimes in these books, we’re also experiencing such a rich, vivid and beautiful world of plants, which aren’t inherently evil and indeed in small doses can even cure. An excellent addition to this series and it’s one i will certainly be continuing with!

Jill Johnson does it again with this second story featuring Professor Eustacia Rose. Professor Rose returns to the university and comes across a troubled young student who appears fixated on her. Little does she know that she is about to be drawn into another crime investigation with the police. What makes these stories so great is not only the great plot but the amazing characters. Never have a met a character like Professor Eustacia Rose and I love her! The stories in this series can be read alone but also wherever you start in the series you know you ate going to want to read the other books! Amazing writing and highly recommended!

The Poison Grove (also titled Hell’s Bells) is the second book in the Professor Eustacia Rose Mystery series by British author, Jill Johnson. Nine months back in her position as Professor of Botanical Toxicology at UCL, Eustacia Rose is happy in her relationship with her colleague, Mathilde Acosta. Her only distraction, until she gets a call from DCI Richard Roberts, is the PhD student who is stalking her. Aaron Bennett, whom she dubs Giant Hogweed, is demanding cuttings from the collection of poisonous plants she no longer has, for his thesis research. Roberts wants her input on a likely poisoning: a man found outside a SoHo bookshop with a syringe protruding from his jugular vein. From the signs he exhibits, she’s fairly certain he’s been injected with a hallucinogen, and suggests to the paramedic a drug that may save him. While the victim lies unconscious in intensive care, Roberts and Eustacia trawl through CCTV footage to discover from where he came, and who might have attacked him. The highly unusual syringe points them to a well-known American artist recently moved to London. Another distraction is the DS who has replaced Roberts’s right-hand man. DS Helen Chambers seems to know a lot of detail of Eustacia’s life, acting forward and pushy for social interaction, to Mathilde’s dismay. Eustacia’s fixation with this puzzling case leads to neglect of her special person. As well, an older white-haired woman is mystifyingly triggering childhood memories. Meanwhile, Bennett continues to harass Eustacia, threatening to source synthetic toxins from the dark web if she won’t cooperate. When Bennett is found dead in his home with a syringe in his arm, the police declare it an accidental overdose, and close the case. But his parents are extremely dissatisfied: they blame Eustacia for his death, and she feels obliged to investigate. Once again, Johnson gives the reader a quirky protagonist who has a little trouble reading social cues but acts purely out of good intentions. There’s still a liberal inclusion throughout of botanical names, if less eye-glazing than the first book, although she does provide a handy glossary of plants at the end. This is an enjoyable cosy mystery with a few twists to keep the reader guessing before the reveal. There is a further instalment due, Bella Donna, but for this reader, two doses of Eustacia Rose are sufficient. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press.