The Blackthorn Key

Published in 2015, The Blackthorn Key is a children’s historical fantasy novel by Kevin Sands. Set in 17th-century London, the story follows Christopher Rowe, the young apprentice to a successful apothecary, as he puts all his skills to the test to uncover a terrible secret that is threatening the city’s apothecaries. After earning his degree in theoretical physics, Sands has worked as a business consultant and teacher. The Blackthorn Key, his debut novel, is the first book in his award-winning series of the same name.

Plot Summary

Fourteen-year-old orphan Christopher, the first-person narrator, recognizes his good fortune at being chosen as apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn, a talented apothecary. While Christopher’s experiments sometimes get him into trouble, Master Benedict treats him strictly but fairly. Furthermore, Master Benedict educates him about everything an apothecary needs to know, from ciphers to Latin. 

When Christopher goes too far and deciphers his master’s code for gunpowder, Christopher and his friend Tom Bailey create a mess in the shop. Christopher cleans it up, in the process overhearing a conversation between Master Benedict and Nathaniel Stubb, a competing apothecary. From this conversation, Christopher learns that six men, primarily apothecaries, have been murdered by a group publicly known as the Cult of the Archangel.