I love every trip I take to Goosebush with Lilly Jane and her garden squad. Once again, Lilly Jane and the gang are involved in a murder. The author gives us plenty of twists to keep us entertained in a delightful cozy mystery in a well established series.

Dollycas's Thoughts

We are back in Goosebush, Massachusetts, as the Beautification Committee is planning its Springtime projects. Lilly and Delia find things neglected at the historic Goosebush Cemetery. They also notice irregularities with many of the plots and that a bench has been moved by the Jayne family mausoleum. With a little research, Lilly finds out that Whitney Dunne-Bradford had taken over the custodianship of the cemetery when she inherited the Bradford Funeral Homes. Lilly is anxious to talk to Whitney about her concerns but before they can meet, Lilly trips over Whitney's body at the family crypt.

Even though it appears Whitney has taken her own life both Lily and Chief of Police Bash Haywood believe she was murdered. There has been trouble with the family's funeral business and things have been tense between Whitney, her stepdaughter Sasha, and employee Dewey March but would it drive one of them to murder? Sadly, a friend is also on the suspect list so Lily and the Garden Squad shift into high gear to prove their friend's innocence. They immediately start digging up the truth and plotting a path toward the real guilty party before the killer gets away scot-free and their friend ends up in jail.

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The characters in this series are so much fun. Lilly Jayne continues to pull her garden squad together to do gardening projects and investigate murders. In this installment, the Squad is worried about their friend Stan, who lost his father suddenly and is a suspect in Whitney Dunne-Bradford's death. He has been acting strange for weeks and has shut his girlfriend Delia out completely. His friends all care about him and will do anything they can to help. The friendships that have been built over the course of this series are very strong and continue to grow in this story. One relationship is starting to move beyond just friendship and I enjoyed the way the author has penned this blooming romance.

Lilly and her friends are very active in the community and their pride unique small town shines every time they take a walk around the wheel at the center of Goosebush to shop, dine, or run errands. They have been working hard on renovating a park, making sure it meets as many of the town's needs as possible. Ms. Henry's detailed descriptions of the town, the park, the shops, the Star, Lilly's home and gardens along with the homes and yards and views of her friends paint such great visuals. It is so easy to imagine yourself walking around town to each and every place right along with its residents. I was very intrigued by the historic cemetery. We have a similar cemetery in my hometown, but without all the shenanigans.

Ms. Henry plotted out a very interesting mystery with twists, turns, and curious entanglements. I always have a great time following all the clues with the Garden Squad. They all come up with their own theories and work to see what pans out. Delia really has the head for research and never fails to find pertinent information to move the investigation forward. They do keep Chief of Police Bash Haywood apprised of their findings for the most part. He knows he can trust their information. I had a theory of my own that had some of the right elements but they didn't all come together until everything was spelled out in the story.

The Plot Thickets was a very entertaining read. These characters never fail to draw me into their lives and keep me captivated until the mysteries are all solved at the end. Sadly, this book was released in October 2022 and appears to be the final book in the series. I will have to use my imagination to finish out the characters' stories but I know in my heart that Ms. Henry would want them to live happily ever and enjoying their beautiful gardens.

I loved the town of Goosebush, Massachusetts and the people of the garden squad. I loved getting to know Lilly Jayne and her eccentric family. Lilly discovers some discrepancies at the cemetery. Her and the garden squad do some investigating and then involve the police. This was quite the mystery and kept me invested to find out the truth. I was able to read this as a standalone but I can't wait to see what happens next for Goosebush and the Garden squad.

This is one of the better series that has a retired sleuth. The setting is delightful and the characters are witty. This is a easy read but it wasn't hard to figure out who the murderer was at all.

When I picked this up I didn't realize it was the 5th in the series but that didn't hinder it at all. Although it's set in spring it's actually a great fall cozy mystery that you won't want to put down!

4/5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

No 5 in the series which, overall, wasn’t *too* much of an issue, as the characters were easy to meet and follow. The mystery and storyline were good, and I enjoyed the characters, but my problem with the book generally was that is was so slow. It wasn’t until almost 50% that the murder happened and while I appreciate that they’re older characters, it was a very, very slow read. So much so, that I nearly DNF’d it because I just found it hard to pick up and want to read it. Ultimately, I did and am glad to have read it, but I’m not sure that I’ll either go back to the beginning or continue the series.

I didn’t love it but neither did I dislike it. I just struggled to engage with it, I suppose.

But those who have been following this more closely will likely enjoy this instalment and the forward movement of Lily & Roddy (although, he being English - apparently - would absolutely understand a roundabout, or rotary, and not need it explained to him), and other relationships.

This is the 5th installment in the Garden Squad mystery series…Lily and her garden squad are going to look into cleaning up some neglected graves in the Goosebush Cemetery but soon they find there is lots going on in their little New England town. First Stan’s (Delia’s boyfriend) father dies of a heart attack and when Lily and Delia go to check out the cemetery, Lily notes several discrepancies from her memory (she used to do tours with her Father back in the day) and begins to wonder if it is her memory or something else going on. Well it turns out nothing is wrong with her memory and there are other families having an issue with Goosebush cemetery and Whitney who co-owns the mortuary and oversees the cemetery. When Lily discovers a family bench has been moved and other remains in the family mausoleum, she reports it to the police and Bash is investigating. Soon it is learned that the state has been conducting an investigation into the practices of the funeral home and soon Whitney is found dead in the cemetery. This is a good paced mystery with suspects to keep you guessing. Love the relationships in the mystery. Looking forward to the next installment.

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Lilly and the members of the beautification committee set out to work on the town cemetery. They quickly suspect some shady things are happening at the cemetery. Their investigation starts with the new funeral home owner. This book has quite a bit going on. The mystery is not the strongest. I do love the dynamics of Lilly and her friends. It makes up for any lacking mystery.

⭐⭐⭐ -- Pretty cover on this one!

So this one was okay. I enjoyed the setting. The mystery kept me guessing. The characters were likable. Really my main issue with it was it was SO slow and drawn out. The murder doesn't even take place until 50% into the book. The first half is just a bunch of boring conversations about back pain, memory loss, and boyfriend issues. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I feel like it could have done with a good edit...

**ARC Via NetGalley**

this is book 5 in the Garden Squad coy series. It can be read as a stand alone. I like this series because the main characters are all older and have lived rich full lives. They experience aches and pains and have realistic abilities for people their age. Lily andDelia are looking at beautifying the local Cemetary when they find some strange differences about where graves are supposed to be. Dead bodies are turning up and local friends are under suspicion. A nice small town cozy set in New England where folks enjoy their various seasons and gardening..

My first Julia Henry novel, this focused on senior citizens at the forefront and also focused on funerals and everyone's impending death. While not the most happiest of topics, I did enjoy this new perspective through a senior's eyes and realizing the mental and physical obstacles one goes through when aging. The mystery was good but I felt that pacing was a bit too slow and too much emphasis on little details that didn't matter. This is a definitely a plot driven novel and will be perfect for those who love them.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Gardening whiz Lilly stops by a dying neighbour’s home so she can enjoy looking out in her final days. Before long, Lilly is deeply involved in a scandal that will delay her burial and will upset the Jayne family mausoleum. It seems there are some dastardly schemes afoot, including reselling of burial plots and using the Jayne crypt for nefarious purposes. It is distressing and alarming until it becomes deadly. It appears whoever is behind the crimes will stop at nothing. First there is one suspicious death and then a second one, pretty soon everyone from top cop Brash to Lilly and her comrades know there is a killer on the prowl. The question is who will be next and can the authorities unravel a very convoluted series of crimes before the evidence is buried for good.

Lilly is a lovely character. She is generous and kind. It is no wonder her friends rally to her and want to help out. She reflects many of the things that plague people as they age but she does it with great grace. There were lots of sub-twists and turns in the plot but by the end, they all interconnected and things ended up where they should. Five purrs and two paws up.

First time reading this series, but I didn't feel lost jumping in on book 5. I liked the characters and the setting.
The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

With spring's arrival in Goosebush, Lilly Jayne and the Beautification Committee begin cleaning the historic cemetery. But Lilly and her friend Delia find that multiple plots are sorely neglected and inexplicably rearranged. And someone has messed with the Jayne family mausoleum. Maybe one of the Bradford Funeral Home employees is responsible. So, Lilly and her Garden Squad friends start an informal investigation and seek to help Chief of Police Bash Haywood solve the mystery. The clues keep getting more interesting as the group digs deeper, though.
I enjoyed the garden information in this book. And the story flows well.
I wasn't eager to finish the book, though. This book is my introduction to the Garden Squad Mystery series, and I feel like I entered in the middle of a movie - I'm not exactly sure what's going on and never connected to any of the characters. Even the pets played a minor role. The content sometimes gets repetitive, too. Plus, everyone seems upper class, which isn't relatable.

This was a cute, gardening cozy mystery which didn't launch right into the murder but let the plot naturally develop. I like this because so many cozy mysteries start with the death and then fill in the reasons why. In this book, the mystery started before the murder and was complicated through it.

I haven't read any of this series before, so was pleased that it gave me enough to make the necessary connections when I started reading. The characters were all very well developed and unique enough that I never had trouble remembering who was who, even without really knowing the history of their relationships. All in all, a great quick read.

This was an honest NetGalley review.

Not what I was expecting, but very enjoyable. As I am new to this series, I didn't realize the main characters were older (think Murder, She Wrote). I rather enjoyed the older cast and found them to be a hoot. I thought the plot was interesting and the twists along the way enjoyable. I do wish the story would have moved faster, but all in all in a good read.

Julia Henry is one of my favorite cozy authors. I love the protagonist and that she is older. I love the gardening theme of this series, and the mystery was excellent!

I really like Lily and her friends in the Garden Squad but this mystery was slow and difficult to get into. I found the cemetery aspect fascinating and learned so much. The writing in this one was a chore to get through. There were so many passages where “said” is repeated constantly; answered, replied, stated, anything else would have been welcome but the continual use of the same word took me out of the story and got annoying. I know it seems petty but if the author couldn’t be bothered to try, then why should I? It made it difficult for me to stay involved in the story and I don’t think I’ll continue with the series.