Pick this up if you like: Slow burns, quirky characters, and stories with botanical themes.

Though this story had a promising setup, the execution felt scattered. Much of the book is spent on Eustacia’s inner thoughts and descriptions of plants, which makes for a slower pace without much dialogue to break it up. While the author clearly did extensive research on poisonous plants, the details often felt heavy-handed and didn’t always move the plot forward.

The plot itself left much to be desired. Key questions were left unresolved, and the story sometimes veered into confusing territory—such as when Eustacia is attacked by Andreas, only to inexplicably join him for a drink afterward. The mystery aspect was somewhat predictable, yet parts of it were still left unanswered. As for the ending, Eustacia’s sudden date with a character named Matilde felt completely out of left field, raising even more questions than it answered.

On the plus side, the book is fast-paced and an easy read. I appreciated that Eustacia’s neurodivergence was subtly woven into her character without it becoming a central theme. However, the lack of character engagement and clarity in the plot ultimately made this book feel like a missed opportunity.

For readers looking for an unusual character with an intriguing hobby, The Woman in the Garden has some appeal. But those expecting a tightly woven mystery may find themselves frustrated by the loose ends and lack of satisfying resolution.

The Woman in the Garden is an intriguing mystery that builds a haunting atmosphere, but it doesn’t fully capitalize on its potential. The novel's premise—an old estate hiding dark secrets—draws readers in, and the setting is richly detailed, with the garden itself almost becoming a character. However, the plot unravels at a slower pace than expected, which might frustrate readers looking for a more gripping mystery.

The characters are compelling, especially the enigmatic woman at the heart of the story, but at times they feel underdeveloped, leaving their motivations somewhat unclear. The twists, while interesting, can be predictable, and the conclusion feels rushed compared to the slow buildup.

For fans of atmospheric, gothic-style mysteries, The Woman in the Garden provides an enjoyable escape, but it might not satisfy those seeking a tightly woven, suspenseful plot. It’s an atmospheric read, with moments of tension, but ultimately falls short of delivering a truly unforgettable mystery.

A captivating blend of mystery and botanical machination. I found Eustacia to be a fascinating character and i loved the detailed descriptions of her garden and the toxic plants. The mystery unfolded at a steady pace with several twists and turns that kept me guessing.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The mystery was what drew me in, loved the idea of a rooftop garden. But I got lost in all the “plant talk”, lessons about botany, Latin names of plants, about growing plants, and about toxic and poisonous plants, the toxicity of plants …so many details about these topics. Not topics I normally find myself enjoying, so I was a bit lost, and found myself skimming along over sections. For this reason, I feel like I wasn’t able to fully connect with our MC Eustacia, or the other characters as much as I would have liked. There is mystery, and intrigue, but there was so much “extra” information (to show how eccentric she was), that I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I had hoped. If you are someone who enjoys gardening as a hobby, or someone who enjoys going on walks in the woods and is curious about the plants and flowers you encounter, this would be a great read.

This book was a new genre from my typical style. It was not my favorite but it kept me guessing! I would recommend it and others might really find it very interesting!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Woman In The Garden By Jill Johnson
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

The Woman in the Garden is a mystery about an eccentric professor who studies poisonous plants and becomes implicated in a whodunnit murder mystery.

Our female MC, Eustacia, is a super eccentric and quirky character. She is a professor of botanical toxicology at a University in London, slightly agoraphobic at the book's start, who seemingly wears the clothing of her father (who passed away a year ago) as a way to remain connected to him. She has a rooftop garden where she grows numerous poisonous plants, and where she also has a rooftop telescope that she uses to spy on her neighbors. Spying on her neighbors pulls her into a situation that is the focus of the mystery portion of the book.

To me, this book was a massive education and lesson about botany, about growing plants, and about toxic and poisonous plants. It was written with an academia sort-of vibe, with so many details about these topics. Unfortunately, those aren't topics that are of much interest to me, so I found myself often zoning out while I read. Seriously, there was so much talk about plants - including their Latin names - and the uses of each plant and their toxicities and... It was A LOT. And it just didn't hold my interest.

I know the book had some mysteries going on in the plotline, but I was so checked out after all the academia talk about plants that I couldn't get hyped enough to get into them. And I just didn't connect at all with Eustacia and her eccentric quirks, which also meant I didn't feel like I connected with the supporting characters in the book, either.

If you are someone who enjoys gardening as a hobby, or someone who enjoys the study of botany, I think you'll really love this book. This is also a great read for anyone who enjoys going on walks in the woods and is curious about the flora and fauna on display in nature. (I'm not that person). The details in this book will be of great interest to those who enjoy these hobbies, as the information is extensive. Though this book didn't really work for me, I know there are many readers who will really love Eustacia and all of her botanical knowledge! I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

#TheWomanInTheGarden #JillJohnson #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #booklover

Right off the bat I was in love with Eustacia Rose as we see her dealing with grief and her career at the start and it Definitely is such a unique hobby having to tend those types of plants. It’s a slow one but a good one!

Eustacia Rose is a Professor of Botanical Toxicology who lives alone in London with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company. She tends to her garden with meticulous care. Her life is quiet. Her schedule never changes. Until the day she hears a scream and the temptation to investigate proves irresistible.

This was a fun start to a new mystery series. Eustacia is an interesting protagonist and the framing of poisonous plants is intriguing.

🪴 Book Review 🪴

Title : The Woman in the Garden
Author : Jill Johnson
Genre : Mystery
Rate : 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to @netgalley for an arc copy of this book. This was published on the 16th July 2024.

“I’ve always been better with plants than people … “

We meet Eustacia Rose, a professor of botanical toxicology. She lives in London with her extensive collection of poisonous plants to keep her company. Her lives a quiet life and her routine never changes.

Until one day she hears her neighbour (Simone) scream and she looks across the street through her telescope and she becomes fascinated with her.
There men come and go (she nicknames them after plants) and after she believes the neighbour has been kidnapped, she makes it her mission to investigate and discover what has happened to her.

It took me a bit to get into this one and see where it was going. It was well written and read smoothly once I got into it. He definitely had me in suspense and I loved the idea of a rooftop garden (even if it was of poisonous plants 😅)

This was an enjoyable read and I’ll definitely look out for more of her books.

#books #booksbooksandmorebooks #bookreview #netgalley #arcreview #bookstagram #irishbookstagram #corkbookstagrammer #booklover #bookreader #bookaddict #ebook #ebookreader #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #thewomaninthegarden #jilljohnson #mystery #mysteryreader

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Jill Johnson’s The Woman in the Garden is a mesmerizing dive into the world of botanical intrigue and psychological suspense. This novel masterfully intertwines the beauty of nature with the darkness of human obsession, creating a narrative that is both captivating and unsettling.

The story centers around Professor Eustacia Rose, a reclusive botanist specializing in botanical toxicology. Eustacia’s life is meticulously ordered, revolving around her extensive collection of poisonous plants and her peculiar hobby of observing her neighbors through a telescope. Her quiet existence is shattered when she hears a scream and becomes fixated on her new neighbor, Simone, and the various men who surround her life.

Eustacia Rose is a fascinating protagonist. Her transformation from a solitary academic to an amateur sleuth is both believable and compelling. Johnson skillfully portrays Eustacia’s internal struggles and her gradual emergence from isolation. Simone, the enigmatic neighbor, adds layers of intrigue and complexity to the story. 

Johnson’s writing is vivid and evocative, painting a rich picture of Eustacia’s world. The detailed descriptions of the plants and their toxic properties add an authentic touch to the narrative. The pacing is well-balanced, maintaining a steady build-up of suspense that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

The Woman in the Garden explores themes of obsession, isolation, and the fine line between curiosity and voyeurism. It raises questions about the ethical boundaries of scientific inquiry and the consequences of crossing them.

Jill Johnson has crafted a novel that is as intellectually stimulating as it is thrilling. The Woman in the Garden is a thought-provoking exploration of the darker aspects of human nature, set against the backdrop of a beautifully described botanical world. This book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone who appreciates a well-crafted, suspenseful narrative.

While I found this one a bit slow to start I really enjoyed Eustacia’s story by the end.

When we meet her, she’s still grieving the loss of her father and her career at the university.

But when she realises Simone is in trouble and befriends her to try help, she learns to lean on the people around her and accept help when she needs it.

As a character, she has a great development arc and it was so interesting to see how the use of the poison garden matched with her personality.

Thank you to Poised Pen Press, NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plant lovers....This one is for you. This book follows Eustacia Rose an ex-professor of Botanical Toxicology, she is such a unique and quirky character. Eustacia lives alone and tends to her toxic garden. I think the fact that she had such a unique garden, not just pretty flowers, but deadly plants was my favorite part of this book. Overall, the book was well written well with a very unique characters.

This book was a slow start, and quite frankly, slow throughout for me. I wasn't a fan of this book. While I like detail in books, sometimes it's too much and too focused, but doesn't really play that much of a factor into the book. While this book wasn't for me, if I think someone else would enjoy it more, I would certainly recommend it at that time.

Who knew I would ever want a poisonous plant garden of my very own? This novel was suspenseful and diverse, with great main characters. If you like plants and botanicals, then this is a book you would enjoy. I appreciate the opportunity to read this !

The Woman in the Garden is the first book in an intriguing mystery series by Jill Johnson. Released 16th July 2024 by Sourcebooks on their Poisoned Pen Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. The book's alternate title is Devil's Breath, with a similar date of release. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a beautifully written book with often breathtaking prose. The author is wonderfully adept with description and setting, and the characters are at turns odd, toxic, quirky, and strange. The main character, a neurodivergent botanical toxicologist and former university lecturer, has a collection of rare poisonous plants and a quiet but regimented life. She's unwillingly drawn into investigation when her rooftop poison garden is vandalized and poisons from her plants are used to commit a murder.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 18 minutes and is capably narrated by Rachel Capell. She has a warm, well rounded alto voice and does an amazing job with the disparate accents (Brazillian, RP English, London, regional), of a range of ages and both sexes. Much of the dialogue is rapid fire, and she changes character easily and well. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

There is a great deal of botanical information as a tie-in here, so horticulturalists will be especially engaged. The botanical info is precise and correct as written.

Four stars. The book would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, and gift-giving purposes, especially to gardening enthusiasts. It's not at all derivative, but there's a slight Alan Bradley vibe (MC Eustacia is so anachronistic that hearing her talk about cell phones is a shock), with a whiff of classic Christie poison; the prose is so precise, it's a thing of beauty.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

***A big thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.***

*“The Woman in the Garden”* unravels a story of obsession, danger, and botanical intrigue. Professor Eustacia Rose, a London botanist with a passion for poisonous plants, finds herself drawn into a murder mystery after spying on her glamorous neighbour, Simone. As her fascination with Simone deepens, Eustacia's life becomes entangled in a deadly web where science meets vulnerability.

The novel shines through its portrayal of Eustacia, whose neurodivergence and toxic plant expertise make her a captivating, though emotionally distant, character. The slow-burn pacing mirrors her methodical nature, immersing readers in a world where beauty and peril coexist.

Beyond the murder mystery, the story explores the theme of obsession—both its allure and its dangers. Eustacia’s fixation, like her plants, is toxic, but the novel also underscores the importance of letting go, discovering unexpected beauty in the process.

Jill Johnson’s debut mystery offers a unique perspective for fans of botanical intrigue and unconventional protagonists, though it lacks surprising twists or clever resolutions. If you enjoy slow-burn mysteries with rich character studies, this book is worth a read.

Eustacia Rose is a woman who is comfortable living a lonely life with only her exotic and deadly plants to keep her company. Eustacia is a unique character who loves to keep tabs on her neighbors with a telescope. This seems to be her only real connection to others since she was unfairly fired from her last job. Eustacia likes living her life the same day to day with little to no changes, until one day she is enraptured by her beautiful neighbor, Simone.
As the two women seem to form a friendship in real life, Simone takes a sudden interest in Eustacia’s rare collection. But when one of the strange men in Simone’s life ends up dead and with a deadly poison in his system only from one of the plants in Eustacia’s garden all fingers seem to point to murder. But who did it and what happened to Simone? Can Eustacia overcome what has happened to her in the past so she may have a future?
Overall rating 3/5
Reminiscent of Rear Window, this novel delves into the struggle of being isolated for long periods of time with no real contact with others. How as humans we crave and need human contact even if we think we do not. I liked the confusion behind the motivation for the murders and who was truly to blame, which added to the convoluted plot. I do wish that the book had multiple POVs, possibly from Simone’s perspective.


*Thank you to Jill Johnson, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

#TheWomanInTheGarden #NetGalley
Nice.
Eustacia Rose is Professor of Botanical Toxicology and lives alone in London with only her extensive but exquisite collection of poisonous plants for company. She tends to her garden with meticulous care, buys the occasional rare specimen off the black market, and likes to look through her telescope at her neighbors (it's science, not spying). In all, Eustacia's life never changes. That is, until the day she hears a scream and the temptation to investigate proves irresistible. Through her telescope, Professor Rose is drawn into the life of an extraordinarily beautiful neighbor, Simone, and nicknames the men who visit her after poisonous plants according to the toxic effect they have on Simone. But who are these four men? And why does Eustacia Rose recognize one of them? Just as she cares for and preserves her secret garden, she feels inexplicably compelled to care for and protect her neighbor. But when her precious garden is vandalized and someone close to Simone is murdered with a toxin derived from a rare poisonous plant, Eustacia find herself implicated in the crime and decides to take matters into her own hands…
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me an advance copy.

The Woman in the Garden pulled me in right away. The book was a mystery/thriller which is a genre I truly enjoy. Eustacia Rose is a retired professor whose specialty was poisonous plants. Rose is very much a recluse, but is also a gardener and a voyeur. This book is the first of a new series to be written by Jill Johnson and I can't wait to read more!
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press (isn't that a hoot!) for this ARC which I really enjoyed! This review is entirely my own opinion.

The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson is a thriller-crime novel following Dr Eustacia Rose - a professor of Botanical Toxicology with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company. Her life is painfully excruciatingly mundane, but her one other hobby is watching her neighbours through her telescope from her apartment’s well hidden balcony.

Alas, all obsessions have consequences as she gets caught up in a mysterious tangle of mysterious disappearances and crimes, upending her solitary little life.

I really enjoyed The Woman in the Garden. I felt that the prose was elegantly written and the suspense was devious. I enjoyed the diverse range of characters peppered throughout the book, which made it such an exciting read. I even at one point thought there might be mention of vampires (don’t tell anyone). But among all the plot devices, Johnson’s pacing stood out the most to me. Every detail was well placed. The set-up and payoffs were satisfying.

Even though the story was written in first-person, Eustacia’s unhinged obsession with her observation subjects made me feel like we too were watching her. For someone who thrived on routines and monotony, Eustacia’s sudden obsession left her openly vulnerable and unpredictable and I could not help but be frustrated with her humanness that seemed to awaken as the story progressed.

The themes of The Woman in The Garden encompassed solitude and desperation, making Johnson’s commentary on identity that more interesting. Without revealing too much of the story to you, Dr Eustacia Rose struggles with her own androgynous identity after the death of her beloved father - also a professor at a University. Of the overall prose, this line sums it up best, “In the bathroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror and snatched off my glasses. Sometimes it’s easier to exist in a blurred world than to face harsh reality.” I found this incredibly humanising and relevant as a glasses wearer myself.

Overall, The Woman in The Garden is a great mystery read and lovers of botanical science will devour this whole.