"I'm home." Seriously, that sense of being home was what immediately struck me as I read. I've loved this series from book one and it just seems to get better with each new book. I enjoyed that rather then simply give a recounting of past events in the characters' lives, author Julia Henry ties each in to what is going on in their current lives, whether an ongoing concern or catching us up on the bird sanctuary project or Alden Park development, all vital to past events in their lives. That makes the story come alive and, quite frankly, makes it all seem all the more real. I mean, dang it, why can't I buzz over and ask Lilly for gardening advice. She (and the rest) genuinely seem like people you know or want to know. Thus, the sense of home I get when making a virtual visit to Lilly, her friends, and their lovely home in Goosebush, MA.

Perhaps it's that feeling of simply visiting ol' friends that kept me from realizing until about chapter 15 that although a great deal was going on, there hadn't been a murder yet. Given that I'm a sucker for character centered books with dose of history, that's probably not surprising. Visiting the cemetery with Lilly seemed like a natural thing to do and recalling my ol' home town cemetery with it's intriguing histories and grave sites, it seemed natural that a long-time resident like Lilly, whose family was so much a part of the town's history, would notice that something wasn't right. What is going on?

Lilly's sense that something is askew quickly ties in with some other reports, including when one friend's visiting relative reports an unknown body in what should be an empty family plot. What is going on? Even the seemingly unrelated work on a park designed by Lilly's dear friend Roddy seems to be somehow connected. Is the funeral home involved? The cemetery's recent caretaker was, uh, retired recently, but rumors of plots suddenly being available where none should be, for a high cost, mind you, and Lilly's discovery inside her family vault are worrisome. Even more so is what is found outside, the body of funeral home owner Whitney Dunne-Bradford sprawled against the lovely carved bench outside the vault. Heck, in this town, even that bench has an intriguing history but I'll leave that for readers to discover on their own.

I honestly don't want to give away too much of the plot aside from the fact that there are multiple suspects who'd wish Whitney dead but there is so much more. Like, hey, did you know they use salt urns for sea burial? Or, yikes, that many tombs don't have inside door-handles to detour grave robbery? Wouldn't you hate to not know that and close that door securely behind you? And, what the heck does all this have to do with the sudden death of Stan's father, Buzz? Did Stan decide to rid himself of the burden his money-hungry father had become? Why was Stan angry with Whitney? What happened to the good top soil ordered for Alden Park? Why are they wondering if it went to the cemetery? Cemetery plot maps? Will Lilly's house guest ever find the perfect home of his own? How sweet is it that Lilly unthinkingly shares a sandwich with friend and neighbor Roddy? They are both such lovely, caring people that it's a delight to watch their connection as it evolves.

Bottom line, you don't have to be a gardener to love this series, I've been known for more as a black thumb than a green one, but if you love multi-dimensional and aged characters who work and come together smoothly, you will love this book. If you're seriously into gardening, so much the better. You even get some top notch gardening tips at the end, plus a few tricks from Lilly and the gang.

Thank you, thank you, thank you #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for inviting me to hang out with Lilly and her friends. Love the community and how they all come together for the common good.

With several deaths in town, Lily and the Garden Squad find that something isn’t right in the local cemetery. With plots growing smaller and plenty of new ones opening up in the fully sold out space, something is amiss. While Lily first questions her memory of the cemetery, she finds plenty of urns and her family remains disturbed when she stops by her the family crypt. What is going on and who is doing it?

Lily and the Garden Squad dig into records and maps of the cemetery over the years but can’t quite figure out who is behind the changes. Once the police are involved, the Squad helps Baz figure out who murdered Stan’s father, and who is behind the hinkiness in the cemetery, but will they be able to help Baz or will they be moving into the cemetery permanently?

I adore this series! I love the the generations come together and the concept of the Garden Squad and the good they do in town. Each book is well written and has plenty of red herrings for each mystery. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Lily and the others, especially in thier personal life moving forward.

I really enjoyed The Plot Thickets. It is the fifth in the series. Lilly Jayne is the main character. She lives in the town of Goosebush along with her garden squad friends. The supporting characters add much to the story. She lives in her family home named Windward. She lives with her housemates, Delia Greenway who was her husband, 'Alan's assistant who came to live there when her husband was sick. She stayed on when he died to help Lilly work through her grief. Ernie Johnson is her friend who moved in after selling his house until he finds another place to buy. They are all part of the Garden Squad along with neighbor Roddy Lyden and her best friend and her husband, Tamara and Warwick O'Connor. Helen Garrett is her other neighbor and is 96 years old.

She and her group are having dinner at her friend's Stan Freeland's restaurant. Stan's father who is drunk leaves the restaurant and dies of a heart attack. He is buried in the cemetery. It has been rumored that Stan killed his father to get rid of him, The police running a routine tests on Buzz to find out about his death. Stan is brought in for questioning. Sebastian (Bash_ Haywood is the chief of police.

The cemetery is now run by Whitney Dunne=Bradford who is the widow of Sam Bradford She now runs her husband's business, Bradford Funeral Home along with his daughter, Sasha Bradford.

Lilly is part of the beautification committee, an informal group who takes on gardening projects. She is asked by Portia, the head of the committee to check out an area in the cemetery for a garden project. Lilly and Delia go to check out the area. Lilly's father use to do cemetery tours when she was young so she knows the layout of the cemetery well. Her family mausoleum is in the old section. While visiting it she notices that the bench which was a little away from the building is now against it.. Lilly finds this and the fact that the names seem different confusing. Stan asks her to check out where his father is buried but they can't find his grave. While talking to Ernie about everything she and Delia decide that they need to do more research.

This is where the story takes off and takes the reader on an adventure of intrigue. There is so much going on that it is hard to explain. I will leave this adventure to the reader. The ending is great with Ernie buying Helen's house next door, Jackie, Helen's cousin moves into the carriage house, Bash and Delia are working on the case and Lilly and Roddie are going on an actual date.

I plan to read the other books in this series as I loved the characters. I look forward to what comes next in the Garden Squad Mysteries,

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this ARC.

Spring is in the air in Goosebush, MA and the Garden Squad is eyeing projects in the local cemetery.
When Stan's father dies somewhat mysteriously Lilly begins to wonder if Stan needs some help staying out of jail. But Lilly is also distracted by some odd changes in her family plot she begins to ask questions. After some research she learns that the local mortuary was resizing older grave-sites and reselling plots, that doesn't sit well with many people. When Whitney the co-owner of the mortuary is found dead in the cemetery. Lilly has to discover who the killer is so everyone can rest in peace.
I really do like the characters in this series. They show growth in who they are and how their relationships are changing. Yes sometimes things work out a little too perfectly, but the mystery is well done, and overall it's an entertaining book.

Another fun read of Lilly and her gang of gardeners solving murders. Good overall in the series, although at times the ideas of cemetery control of selling and buying was a bit confusing. Good story though, and kept my interest throughout. Highly recommend this author and series.

Spring is in the air in Goosebush, Massachusetts and Lilly Jayne is busy getting her garden ready and discovers a new project to take on - a cleanup of the historic Goosebush Cemetery. Once the project starts, Lilly quickly discovers some odd things going on with the cemetery and local funeral home but when a body turns up even though it appears to be suicide, Lilly has her doubts and starts doing some investigating. But Lilly needs to be careful or she may find herself in grave danger.

“The Plot Thickets” is the nicely done fifth book in Julia Henry’s Garden Squad cozy Mystery series. Although I am not a gardener, I love the gardening aspects of this book and can picture Lilly’s garden and other gardens while reading the book. I also love the cemetery plotline – I grew up with a cemetery right behind my house and my grandmother and I spent hours there with her telling me about the people buried there so this plotline felt real to me. I love Lilly and her friends and the way they work together – and eat together – I think I gained ten pounds just reading about all the food they ate! As for the mystery itself, while there aren’t a lot of suspects, there are plenty of twists and turns, some unexpected events, and a sense of real danger at times. Well done by Julia Henry!

I love the Garden Squad! Readers of all ages fall in love with the Garden Squad Squad characters who are richly developed. A good solid mystery. Lots of suspects and red herrings. This is one of my favorite series!!♥️ Thanks #netgalley and #Keningston for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Is someone tampering with graves in the old cemetery or is Lilly Jayne's memory making her forget where graves are? Before long, Lilly and the Garden Squad discover there is chicanery going on in the Bradford Funeral Homes business, especially with Sam dead and his second wife Whitney Dunne-Bradford running the show. The newest addition to this New England garden series, the characters are so well drawn, you feel as if you know them personally.

“Lilly, I suspect we opened yet another can of worms”
This book was really such a fun story to read !!!
An innovative and contemporary Miss Murple with her charm and wit, able to solve mysteries not even the police is able to uncover …
I really enjoyed the slight romantic undertone too !!!!
Honestly this one was an entertaining story and I really liked each and every character mentioned !!!!!
So glad I had the chance to read it !!!
“Looking guilty might be enough to get him into more trouble than he could handle”

Squad Turn Sleuths..
The Garden Squad return in this fifth outing as new projects and the arrival of Spring overtake Goosebush. A clean up of the cemetery uncovers way more than they expected and soon a murder investigation is underway. Lilly and her squad turn amateur sleuths once again when they become painfully aware that the police direction is clearly the wrong one. With a well crafted cast and an enjoyable plot laced with red herrings this is another entertaining addition to the series with a perfectly crafted backdrop.

This is another fun adventure with the Garden Squad. With spring’s arrival in Goosebush, Lilly and the Beautification Committee turn their eyes to new projects. A cleanup of the historic Goosebush Cemetery may be in order, after Lilly and Delia find the plots there sorely neglected and inexplicably rearranged. Lilly soon discovers that Whitney Dunne-Bradford snapped up custodianship of the graveyard once she inherited Bradford Funeral Homes. But before Lilly can get to the bottom of the tombstone tampering, she stumbles upon Whitney’s body at the Jayne family mausoleum . I can't wait until the next adventure.
#ThePlotThickets #NetGalley

Small town politics
The garden squad must find out what is going on at Alden Park. Lily and Roddy find even more problems that need investigating, and then Buzz dies under suspicious circumstances. More bodies and vandalism at the cemetery has the whole squad working full out with the sheriff to solve the mystery as the bodies add up.
I absolutely love this series and highly recommend it to any cozy lover.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same.

I enjoyed this book although I thought it was slow in places. The murder doesn’t happen until your about a third through the story. The characters are interesting. #ThePlotThickens #NetGalley

The Plot Thickens is the 5th book in this wonderful Cozy mystery series set in the quaint town of Goosebeck. Massachusetts. Lily Jayne is asked to access the cleanup needed at the local historic cemetary. During her walkthrough with her friend Delia, she is disturbed to see the cemetary so neglected, graves seem rearranged and a bench has been moved at the Jayne family mausoleum. . It seems the funeral home owner, Whitney Dunne-Bradford. is up to something shady. Whitney, her stepdaughter Sasha and funeral home employee Dewey Marsh are all charged with illegal business practices. Soon after she was charged. Whitney is found murdered behind the Jayne family mausoleum. Lily and the garden squad dig to get answers when a good friend becomes the main suspect. Lots of red herrings in this book. I love the series. and love the characters. specially Lily, a feisty smart woman in her 60's. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Lilly Jayne and the rest of the Garden Squad are involved in a mystery revolving around the local historic cemetery in Goosebush, Massachusetts. Portia asks the group to take care of a neglected area of the cemetery as a project and Lilly and Delia visit the cemetery to see where and what needs to be done. This cemetery is also where Lilly's family mausoleum is situated, and Lilly notices a heavy bench has been moved. She also notices other inconsistencies in the grave's layout and later an old friend's expected gravesite disappears. There is definitely something shady going on at the Bradford Funeral Home and then a murder takes place. This is book 5 in the series and it is best to start with book 1. The characters have developed over the series and are of various ages and diverse backgrounds and the gardening theme is fun. Plus, the selfish people taking advantage of other people's grief get their comeuppance, which is satisfying. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Plot Thickets by Julia Henry is a wonderful cozy mystery that is the third book in the amazing A Garden Squad Mystery series. I just love this series!

This is one of my favorite cozy mysteries series, and I am so glad that I found this gem and that Ms. Henry is able to gift us continuing installments. It just keeps getting better and better with each book.

I just love the location of the quaint, quintessential New England town of Goosebush, Massachusetts. Its designs, its structures, the eclectic mix of in house residents, its storied histories…it all really adds to the overall enjoyment level to my experience.

Lilly Jayne is such a great main character. In her 60s, comfortable with who she is, smart, independent, but yet imperfect. I love Delia as well. Just like extended family. I also love it when they work together on literally any task. I also enjoy the full array of the characters that are residents and secondary to the main. They all round out each book nicely.

I also loved the murder/mystery component. Graveyards, shady dealings, multiple culprits…Lilly being roped into the investigation…what is not to love?!

Oh and I loooooooved the ending!

I can’t wait until the next book comes out. What a gem!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/25/22.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Kensington Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Likable characters, quick read, entertaining story.

This is a cozy read that is quick and fun…quirky characters who are likable…could be a real town with real problems…reads like nonfiction at times. I like this author…I liked this book…intrigue…mayhem…friendship…the book was sent to me by. Netgalley for review.

The garden squad is back in this new book by Julia Henry.
Working to beautify their small New England town, the garden squad find themselves wrapped up in another murder investigation.
I enjoy this series and find myself getting caught up in the lives of these colorful characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#ThePlotThickets #NetGalley