I didn't know that cozy murder mystery was a thing? I'm happy that I've found this genre and author. This was overall an easy good read, I just left it wanting more. I was anticipating a very dark twist or killer, but was left disappointed.

There were times in the end that I thought it was going to be Sally and that encouraged me that it would be a twisty end. The maybe love maybe not love story that was brewing read almost a little old? I thought the MC was young 30s, but the end made her feel dated.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more of this genre and author!

I considered DNFing several times and should have followed that instinct.

The story of The Gardener's Plot is a cozy mystery lacking mystique. Any suspense died on the vine thanks to repetitive dialogue, a painfully slow pace, and a lackluster narrative. Plenty of irrelevant scenes should have been weeded from this too-long book, and the non-existent character development left me detached from the narrator. Its barely pieced-together storyline unearthed a sorrily predictable killer but didn't address blatant plot holes or continuity issues.

Overall, The Gardener's Plot was a disappointment. The summary suggests a fun story. Cool idea, poor execution.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was written for me!
✅ Small town characters
✅Intense gardeners who love compost (married to one)
✅mystery without gore

I read this while packing for a trip with the intention to read it on the trip but finished it while packing. So good.

My girl Maggie is settling back in her small town of lovable busybodies when tragedy strikes at the opening of the local community garden she got roped into volunteering for. A juicy whodunnit proceeds. You feel Maggie's frustration at how things move slowly, and how she's navigating re-entering a community she had once left behind.

I want to read this a second time to catch the clues I missed as I didn't see the end coming; thoroughly enjoyed it. I was a teensy bit confused about character backgrounds, so took off 1/2 a star. 4.5 stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's press for opportunity to review this ARC.

A predictable cozy mystery, this time involving a small town, a community garden, a new/old resident and a murder. Maggie has returned to the town where she was raised by her grandmother. Getting involved with a new venture, that of a community garden, seems to suit her perfectly, and make good use of her talents as the assistant director. She loves her cuppa tea and is always putting the kettle on.

The day the community garden is to open, she and the other gardeners discover a dead body buried in one of the plots - only one boot is sticking up. Then, the director of the community garden goes missing. Maggie and her best friend, Sally, can't resist looking into the murder and the missing person.

The plot seemed a bit thin and pretty routine for a cozy mystery, as well as overlong. How many times do we have to have that tea brewed? How many times do we have to have the same information repeated over and over and over? For all the length, there was very little character development.

The author did a great job presenting this finely tuned whodunit. The tone was comfortable, and the writing style made it easy to follow along with what the author intended. The visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue created an atmosphere where I wanted to know who was doing what to whom and I enjoyed how it played out in the end. The multiple red herrings throughout would eventually make it clear as to the killer’s identity and their motive. I like how this drama gave me satisfaction, which became a pleasurable read. Overall, this was a pleasantly entertaining tale and I hope there is a second book with Mags, Sally and the residents of Marlowe, MA.

A cozy mystery about finding a dead body in a community garden and the director has gone missing. Maggie is second in command at the graden and feels compelled to solve the mystery. I thought this had the bones of a good mystery, but there wasn’t as much character development as I would like.

I was invited by the publisher to read this book. I recommend this book if you are looking for a cozy mystery, as Maggie tries to clear her friend Violet's name from the police's suspect list for a body that was discovered in their town's community garden. I enjoyed this book because the author kept the reader guessing about who the culprit was, and provided many options, all while keeping that intimate feel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC.
As an avid gardener I really enjoyed the overall gardening theme of this cosy mystery. I also think the author did a great job of suggesting something vaguely sinister in the woods early in the book raising the suspense. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. The characters were interesting and the main character has an interesting backstory that I hope we will learn more about in future books. I enjoyed this.

I don't often pick up a cozy mystery but happy I snagged this one!

Fabulous character development, tons of suspense, and just a fun read. Lots of potential killers that I couldn't put it down till I found out who did it!

First of all, when I read the author’s bio for this book, I was 100% IN and immediately requested an ARC of this new mystery from Macmillan Publishers via NetGalley. Benoit, whose debut novel The Gardener’s Plot won the First Crime Novel Competition sponsored by Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America. Prior to taking to the blood-dripping pen of mystery writers, Benoit was a legal secretary for 30 years. As an aspiring writer working on my first novel, who coincidentally spent 20 years in the legal field, I take great comfort in knowing it’s not too late to swing for the fences!
It was obvious to me early on that this was no run of the mill debut novel. The writing is solid and engaging. The characters are fully developed and the plot is compelling. While I spent the first quarter of the book angsting over the disappearance of Maggie’s good friend and fellow gardener Violet, a body is found in the new community garden…and it’s not the missing Violet! Nice twist there.
In The Gardener’s Plot, I didn’t find many of the usual weaknesses in debut novels, but if I had to quibble over anything it would be that there is not much in the way of physical description of the characters. I like to be able to paint a picture in my mind of the characters and I found it difficult to do so with this one. Not a deal killer by any stretch, as the imagery and descriptive writing for the flowers and trees was excellent. It is a book about gardening after all!
I zipped through this mystery at top speed, not just to learn the identity of the killer, but because the plot and character development kept me very interested. The ending is very satisfying, if a bit of a nail-biter—to be honest a bit less cozy than the traditional cozy mystery—but it left a few loose threads that I can only imagine Ms. Benoit is hard at work to tie up in book #2. I’m banking on this one being the start of a Maggie Walker series! As stated earlier, I’m 100% IN on this one! Well done, Ms. Benoit, well done!

The Gardener’s Plot was an enjoyable and pleasant read. The characters and small town vibes were charming and loveable, making me want to get involved at my own community garden. It was honestly lovely to read a mystery novel where there wasn’t a ton of blood and gore, or suspense that had me shaking in my shoes.

This cozy mystery totally wowed me! This is my first time reading anything by Deborah Benoit. I read the reviews and found some three stars, four stars and five stars. I decided to read this mystery and loved it from the start. It grabbed me into the story hook, line and sinker. I thought it was scary. The main character thought so too because she was always checking to be sure the dead bolts were locked on her doors. After reading this book in the evenings every time I heard the slightest noise I would be checking my doors also. It was an easy read and I enjoyed the Author’s writing style and the flow of the story. There was more than one murder and there was plenty of suspects who had enough motives to want to kill one of the victims. The characters were all awesome and made this cozy come to life. It was gripping and unpredictable. I had an idea who the killer might be and I hit the nail on the head with the one I picked. I’m glad I decided to read this book. Not only have I found a new to me Author but I’m hoping this series will continue so I can read book two when it becomes available.

I recommend The Gardener’s Plot to readers of cozy mystery and suspense books. This is the first book to the series and it’s scheduled for release on 11/5/24.

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here in this review are solely my own.
#TheGardenersPlot #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC!

"The Gardener's Plot" by Deborah J. Benoit introduces readers to Maggie Walker, a woman returning to her childhood town of Marlowe in the Berkshires for a fresh start. Maggie, drawn to gardening, eagerly joins Violet Bloom in setting up a community garden. However, on the garden's opening day, Violet mysteriously disappears, and Maggie makes a grim discovery: a body buried in one of the garden plots.

Suddenly thrust into the midst of a murder investigation, Maggie finds herself determined to clear Violet's name, convinced her friend couldn't be capable of such a crime. As she delves deeper into the mystery, Maggie uncovers buried secrets and faces unexpected challenges in her quest for justice.

Deborah J. Benoit's debut novel, which won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, captures the essence of small-town life in the Berkshires while weaving a compelling tale of suspense and intrigue. Maggie Walker emerges as a tenacious amateur sleuth, navigating through twists and turns to uncover the truth amidst a community rife with secrets.

"The Gardener's Plot" promises readers an engaging blend of gardening passion, community dynamics, and a gripping murder mystery, making it an enticing read for fans of cozy mysteries and amateur detective tales.

This debut crime novel is going to make a fun series. Maggie Walker moves to the Berkshire’s in the house her grandmother left, and can’t wait to redo the gardens. In the meantime she teams up with one of her grandmother’s best friends to develop and open community gardens available to all. On the day of the grand opening her grandmother’s friend Violet is a no show and a dead body is found in the ground.

The Gardener's Plot is a cozy mystery with a garden theme. Maggie Walker has returned to the Berkshires where she spent most of her time growing up in her grandmother's house. Now that her grandmother has passed, Maggie is keen to work with Violet Bloom on the brand-new community garden. Unfortunately, on the day of the grand opening, Violet is missing and there is a dead body in the garden. In true cozy mystery style, Maggie can't help but get into the investigation. With her best friend and neighbor's help, Maggie ruffles more than a few feathers as she tries to solve the mystery. I enjoyed the gardening elements of the story but found it a bit slow and hard to get into. The ending is action-filled and it is clear that there is a lot of potential for future books in the series.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh I like this one. It has an interesting storyline, good characters and holds my interest. The garden plot is such a good idea for small communities. Violet Bloom has pushed to get this community garden going and several plots have been claimed. Now it just needs to get open for planting. But she doesn't show up and there is a dead body where there should be none. Maggie is our main character that is way beyond curious and why did anyone die? A good story that was fun to read. Maggie just made me smile. She seemed a bit nutty.

I really enjoyed this one as it had several twists and turns I didn't see coming! Maggie is Violet's assistant and they are excited to open the first community garden when a body turns up on opening day. It's a small town in Massachusetts so everyone knows everyone else and though not all get along, they manage to keep the peace for the most part. But of course a dead body is not an every-day occurrence, so tensions are running high and suddenly another resident is missing, Maggie sees herself as an amatuer sleuth so she begins her search for clues even as she's warned to leave things alone. And you never know what will turn up in a small town!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was the first book I read by this author. While I do enjoy cozy mysteries, they usually are not my go-to genre. I was attracted to this book by the title since I am a gardener.

I am so glad that I found this book and author. I totally enjoyed every minute within the pages. Great characters and a plot that was easy for me to follow. I, of course, did not guess who done it, and usually that is the case for me.

I definitely will be reading more books by Ms. Benoit.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading this book.

This was a fun, quick read. The story kept me intrigued throughout the entire book. While I can often predict the ending, I was unable to with this book. Just when I thought it was winding down, it took me on an unexpected roller coaster. It’s hard to make a character who isn’t the killer the worst person in the book, but that is what this book offers with its antagonist. Just a good, fun mystery that most people would enjoy.

I enjoyed The Gardener's Plot. The quirky characters add a lot to the story. Maggie Walker and her friend Sally are on the trail of the killer, even as the handsome detective warns them off, but without them will the crime be solved. I'm not a fan of the curse words that were sprinkled throughout the book, but I won't deduct stars for that. The story is well-written and the setting is great. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this is a good one. I received a free copy from Netgalley, opinions are my own.