I enjoyed this first book in a new series. It focused on gardening which is a hobby of mine. The story was slow at times but kept my attention. It is a nice typical cozy mystery for spending an afternoon on the couch. The reveal was a bit unexepected but I think because at times I had difficulty remembering characters. I would have liked the characters and scenery to be a bit more fleshed out to help bring the story to life.

What a delightful cozy mystery! Well written, the pages turning themselves to find out what happens next! I look forward to finding out what Maggie gets up to next.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review!

An absolute gem of a cozy mystery! Engaging plot, charming characters, and just the right amount of suspense. A must-read for mystery lovers!

Very slow burn. Took me awhile to get into and was kind of boring. Pleasant to read but not much was happening to keep intrigued.

Maggie Walker returned to Marlowe, Massachusetts, where she spent a majority of her childhood being raised by her grandparents. After the death of her almost ex-husband, she buys her grandmother’s house after she dies, and has plans to fix it up and improve the gardens.

One of the first things Maggie did was volunteer to help Violet, a new friend, create a community garden. On the opening day of the garden, a body was discovered and Violet was missing. This seemed to point to her guilt, but Maggie was not convinced. She and her best friend Sally began to trace Violet’s steps from the day before in order to find her. I really enjoyed the ride I was taken on to find Violet.

I loved this book! I was engrossed from beginning to end in the journey to find Violet and prove her innocence. I loved Maggie and Sally’s longstanding friendship. I was concerned that there would be a Maggie/Sam/Catherine triangle, but was glad this didn’t happen. I am not a fan of the mean girl mentality in books and hope Ms. Benoit finds a way to soften up Catherine so that she is not so hateful. I liked the small-town vibe going on and the potential love interest for Maggie in Detective Quinn. I am really glad I was able to get an ARC to this book and cannot wait to read more Maggie stories!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cozy-ish easy read but sloooooooow. In my mind it could have been a short story and just as effective. It feels like it’s trying to hard to be cozy and feels forced

While there was a good cozy in there somewhere, this needs a massive editing job to pull that story out of what we have currently. 😕 The first full quarter of the book could be cut, as well as so much more. And with all that, the murderer barely made sense. More focus on the things that matter to the story, less on.. everything else.

3.5 rounded up to 4

It's nice to read a murder mystery book once in a while that doesn't have extreme gore and isn't scary. The cozy vibes were there with the small town and some of the characters. I definitely thought Maggie was unreliable at first, but she turns out to be trustworthy. Good luck, guessing who the killer is! You'll need it. All my guesses were wrong.

Murder she wrote vibes. ✨

Having read the synopsis, I knew I was waiting for a body to be found. Problem is, they didn’t find it til the end of chapter three.
A modern day Nancy Drew story. The main character Maggie Walker is determined to find her friend, Violet Bloom, even if it means putting herself and her friend Sally in jeopardy.

This was such a good book. If I didn’t get an advance copy, this is a book that I would definitely buy, because look how beautiful the story is. The story inside is just as great.

The Gardener's Plot takes place in the town of Marlowe, MA. Margaret (Maggie) Walker is the main character. She inherited her grandmother's house and has moved back to Marlowe. She came as a child to visit her grandparents. Sally Kendall is her best friend and neighbor along with her husband, Dennis. Carl Henderson is a realtor who is very interested in buying her house and property along with others on her road for his development, Marlowe Community Gardens. She is co-working with Violet Bloom in opening a garden plot with spaces donated to townpeople for gardening. Howie Tucker owns the hardware store and donated the land to the town. Frank Wellman was hired by Violet to till the garden. Maggie met with Violet on Friday to go over the opening and was to meet her on Saturday for the grand opening. When leaving she found a note attached to her door from n aViolet telling her that she would be a little late and to go ahead without her. Upon arriving Maggie finds a line of people ready to do their plots that will be assigned to them. Roy Hanson has three plots,

Maggie waits awhile but when Violet does not show she unlocks and opens the gate. When Roy goes to do his plots he finds that it is churned up and complains to Maggie. She goes to check and finds a boot sticking out of the ground. She pulls it and it comes off showing a foot. The police are called. Sam Whitacker the chief of police arrives. He and Maggie had been an item while at highschool but remained friends. Catherine Witacker, his wife, does not like Maggie and makes her life miserable when she sees her. Detective Matt Quinn is a state policeman who later questions Maggie. The body is later adentified as Carl Henderson. Maggie and Sally are not satisfied with the answers from the police and the disappearance of Violet that they do their own investigation to find Violet.

This is where the story takes off but has so much going on that it is hard to put on paper. I will leave it to the reader to enjoy to the surprising end of who killed Carl and later Violet as well as the kidnapping of Sally. The story ends with a backyard picnic at Sally's house. Matt gives Maggie a liliac bush as a present which opens to the discussion of gardening.

I enjoyed the book and hope the author makes it into a series.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

This novel effectively captures the charm of small-town life while weaving an intriguing mystery. However, some readers might find the pacing slow and the mystery predictable. Overall, The Gardener’s Plot earns three stars for its cozy atmosphere, relatable protagonist, and the author’s passion for gardening, which shines through the pages, despite some conventional elements in the mystery genre .

Second chances and intrigue
I loved this book. Ms. Benoit perfectly scripted a tale of a woman returning home to rebuild her life after betrayal, only to have to face down a childhood bully and figure out why she can't get in touch with her new friend Violet,,,and why someone desecrated one of the new garden plots,
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC gratis and highly recommend

This is a really, easy read mystery. I would have liked to have a little more backstory on the characters, But it is a well-constructed story that is a nice cozy mystery. A cool setting, bodies, plenty of suspects, gardening and a hint of romance to come, what more is needed for a good cozy mystery.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Minotaur and St. Martin Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

A volunteer at a community garden finds a boot and a body at the opening. Soon it becomes a case of murder as her friend is kept questioned by the authorities. She doubts that her friend was involved as she finds herself sniffing out the clues to find the killer. It was an interesting read.

I just reviewed The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit. #NetGalley. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked the plot and the characters. It kept me guessing up until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the access to read this early!

When someone turns up dead in the new community garden and Maggie’s friend goes missing, she’s starts asking questions! A cute theme for a cozy mystery with gardening - it’s what drew me to it in the first place!
I would’ve liked to have seen more depth to the main character, Maggie, to help feel more connected to her.
Often times she seemed abrupt with less persona than other characters which made the connection to her and the full story difficult.

This definitely had the bones of a good cozy mystery, but fell short. I felt very disconnected from the narrator and I had to skip through the repetition. The idea was good enough that I finished the book to see what happened but the whole thing was very bland and wishing there was more time with expanding on characters and their relationships rather than rehashing the same plot points 1000 times.

I received this from net galley in exchange for a review.

Coming in November 2024 and currently available for pre-order, The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit, is a cozy mystery title about Maggie, a woman who recently inherited her grandmother's house in the Berkshires and finds a body on opening day for the community garden she helped organize. Meanwhile, her friend Violet, who led the community garden effort, has gone missing. Maggie and her neighbor's search for Violet lead them to another body and the killer.

Overall, this is a well-structured mystery that sits nicely in the cozy genre. After all, we've got bodies, lots of suspects, gardening, an idyllic setting, and the hint of future romance. It is somewhat predictable - I guessed the killer well before the climax. And, there were some character choices that are a little too convenient, like, how Maggie did not immediately worry that the body she found was the missing Violent or how conveniently she never has her cell phone on her, as well as some dated pop culture references to 80s and 90s tv shows like the A-team and X-Files. Nevertheless, it's a fun read that's definitely worth picking up!

A small town, gardening, and murder come together in this cozy mystery by a debut author

After years in the city and the death of her adulterous husband, Maggie returned to the small town where she was raised by her grandmother. Her tranquility is rocked by the discovery of a body in the community garden where she is the assistant director and the disappearance of Violet Bloom the garden’s director. Maggie and her best friend are both curious and worried and decide to investigate.

Liked:
- Wholesomeness! It was refreshing to read a story without swearing.
- The potential for a series. I would like to get to know the characters better.

Didn’t Love:
- Characters were simple and not well-developed.
- The plot was predictable and the mystery obvious.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for an ARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.