Murder in the Community Garden, the 3rd book in the Tory Benning mystery series, is the first book I have read by author Judith Gonda, but it will not be the last. I fell for the central characters almost immediately and related well to both their concerns and their humor. The mystery was quite complex, and while I figured out who had committed the murder in the garden, I could hardly have missed because like Tory, I suspected everyone.
The book takes place in a phase of Covid-19 when even California is mostly opened up as vaccines and mutations have made the Pandemic much less of a threat. Issues created by lockdown have affected the characters, but it is only brought into the story where it is appropriate. One of those issues, a romance that was just blossoming before the rules that kept people apart, makes me even more interested to read about the relationship in an earlier book as does her first investigation which was into the death of her own husband.
As a young widow of a murder victim, Tory is a little leery about committing to anyone, but that pre-pandemic guy is a private investigator who has knowledge and skills that she can use; not to mention, he is a really great guy. The most logical suspect is a friend, and she is sure he is being framed so she will take any help to discover who really committed the crime.
I requested an ARC of Murder in the Community Garden via NetGalley and was delighted to receive a copy that was as good as it looked like it would be. I believe that a lot of my friends will enjoy the book as much as I did.
#NetGalley #BeyondthePagePublishing #JudithGonda #MurderintheCommunityGarden #ToryBenning

This is the third in the series and a very enjoyable read. I find this series well crafted with pleasing charcters and always a good sleuth. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoy cozies that have unique careers for the protagnist. We cozy readers are overwhelmed with bookstores , knitting themes and tea shop cozies so this is a fun departure from the normal cozy series. A landscape architect as a protagnist is interesting and fun to read about. Tory is a landscape architect who is designing a community garden by a condo project. When the project holds a competition tempers rise and a murder occurs. Tory's good friend is held as suspect number one. Tory is determined to prove her friend innocent by finding the answers to the murder. This was a sleuth that was pleasing to conclusion. The charcters all add to the series and Tory is a savvy smart protagnist. I enjoyed this book and recommend it .

A woman is murdered in the community garden that landscape architect Tory Benning designed. Tory's friend Mac is the prime suspect as he threatened the victim on live TV shortly before the murder and all the evidence points to his guilt. Tory is certain someone planted the evidence to set Mac up and sets out to prove his innocence. Lots of suspects which kept me guessing right up to the end. Thank you netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for the advance copy!

This is the first cozy mystery I've read that's set definitively in the aftermath of the pandemic. Although I've enjoyed many books I've read the past couple of years that have totally ignored the pandemic (either having been written before covid or just authors having chosen not to date the books in that way), I find I actually like the acknowledgment of how the pandemic has changed our lives, our anxieties, our social selves...It's not that that's an overwhelming theme of the book, but it's certainly one of the layers.

This is also the first title I've read by Gonda. I think it's well plotted, and I enjoyed it! Though there's a bit too much "which boy do I like" pondering for me, and I would've thought a landscape architect would know more about poisonous plants, the mystery feels engaging. I'll look forward to the next one.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Gorda writes an intriguing who-dun-it tale. When one of the committee for the community garden turns up dead in said garden...after a disagreement with another on the committee, questions are raised. Accusations are made. Landscaper Tory Benning is sure it wasn’t Mac, at whom the evidence points...but who was it? Tory snoops and asks questions, adds and eliminates suspects, until her snooping brings the real killer out of hiding. I recommend this intriguing cozy.
I requested and received this ARC from Net Galley.

This is the third book in the Tory Benning series, but the first one I've read. Normally I would start at the beginning of a series, but had a chance to get this book so I jumped in and had no problem following it even though I hadn't read the previous ones. In my mind, this could easily stand alone. It was an enjoyable cozy mystery.

Tory Benning, a landscape architect, had designed a community garden next to a new condo project. During a competition involving the garden, a woman is killed and all evidence points to Tory's friend. Tory doesn't believe her friend is guilty and begins investigating on her own to try to find what really happened and how her friend was framed. Who is the real murderer?

There are quite a few twists here and a number of suspects. I liked following the investigation, and I enjoyed the characters. It was a little slow getting into it at first, but it kept my attention and I found the second half of the book much more interesting.

Thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 10, 2022.

Budding sleuth Tory Benning has to overcome planted evidence and growing suspicions to save an innocent man from being framed . . .fab, what a fantastic read! I was hooked right from the start… Kept me guessing all the way through…

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Beyond the Page Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Another clever cozy mystery full of characters you’ll devour. Charm, humor and delightful characters all in one intriguing story.

Clever cozy mystery. I like the protagonist and her friends. The romance situation is rather humorous. Light entertainment. I enjoyed the inclusion of the pandemic. Made the story seem quite current. Love the location. Puns are a fun addition. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

When a friend is being set up to take the blame for a murder, Tory steps up her sleuthing to find out who truly killed the woman in the community garden. Will she be able to dig up the dirt on the murderer or will it all come back on Tory and find herself buried beneath all that dirt she’s dug up?

If you love Pomeranians, this is the series for you! With cute poms, an adorable kitty and solid characters, you’ll find each mystery filled with red herrings and suspects to keep you guessing until the final reveal.

Tory Benning is a landscaper who has been working on a community garden. When one of the gardeners is found murdered, and suspicion instantly falls on a friend of Tory's, she finds herself quickly caught up in trying to prove his innocence. Can she do this quickly and without suffering harm herself?

I really enjoyed this quirky cozy mystery. The characters were a fun mix, I really loved Tory's pets, and I'd definitely look out for more in this series.

Marred By Murder…
The third Tory Benning mystery finds the landscape architect with a project that counts for her but which soon becomes marred by arguments, sabotage and eventually murder. The more Tory digs the more concerning things become. Is an innocent man about to be blamed for a murder he didn’t commit? With a colourful cast and an engaging narrative this is a worthy addition to the series.

Tory is a landscape architect who is working on a community garden project, unfortunately, she finds herself caught up in a competition that puts people's lives at stake.
Interesting reading, plot was well written and there were enough twists to make me wonder whodunit.
#MurderintheCommunityGarden #NetGalley

Another great cozy that had me hooked. Loved the plot, the characters and the story. The story was great and had me hooked until the end. A great mystery that will have you hooked!

Southern-California, local-politics, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, family-business, friendship, cozy-mystery, dogs, pets, post-pandemic-life, secrets, lies, contentious, private-investigators, verbal-humor****

Interesting and rather quirky characters. Good plot, fine sleuthing, great world building.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley.