I was drawn to this cozy mystery by its title. Being an amateur gardener, I can't deny that a book entitled "The Gardener's Plot" and a pretty cover won me over.

What I found was an easy reading cozy mystery, set in a cozy small town, where a few murders pop up quickly like the tulips in springtime. But like any gardener knows, not all flowers grow at the same rate. Which sort of made the slooooooowzy cozy pace of the book that followed those early blooms not unexpected but a bit frustrating.

This book enjoyed a publish date of November 5, 2024. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my thoughts on the finished book.

The Gardener's Plot is a mystery set in the Berkshires, and not surprisingly it features garden plots, shared by a community of characters in the small town of Marlowe. I read this book during a stressful week, and it was one of those mysteries that felt kind of hygge. There was murder of course, but nothing too violent or dark. Sometimes, that is just what you need.

Maggie Walker has moved back to her hometown, and as she is a master gardener, she has volunteered to assist Violet Bloom in the opening of a community garden. But on the day of the grand opening ceremony, Violet is nowhere to be found. Then a body is discovered in one of the plots.

I read that this may be the beginning of a series, and it had that feel. We learn just enough about Maggie's backstory to be intriguing, but not enough to totally fill out her character. One is left with the feel that there is more to learn about Maggie. The town is populated with quirky characters, and I really liked Maggie's sidekick, Sally.

The mystery was not too hard to figure out, but it was fun getting to the solution. If there are more installments to this series, I will definitely check them out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Deborah J. Benoit, and St. Martin's Publishing Group for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie has just bought her late grandmother's house in the berkshires. She is assisting in the community garden on opening day a body is found.

I found this mystery kind of dry and had no heart. This is a debut and I had a hard time connecting with the many characters. This book just didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read "The Gardener's Plot" in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book by Ms. Benoit and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the first page to the last. We meet Maggie Walker in Marlowe, Massachusetts. She has inherited her grandmother's house and lives next to her best-friend Sally Kendall and her family.

Carl Henderson wants to buy up plots and houses to build a condo project and has been upsetting various residents with his plans. If that wasn't enough Maggie's cousin Simon wants his share of their grandmother's estate and wants the house, which is rightfully Maggie's. Simon is quite possibly the most annoying character ever created. He spends most of the story whining about wanting what is rightfully his but he never, ever visited their grandmother when she was alive.

Maggie and Violet have a Community Garden project where they are supposed to meet for the grand opening. When Violet is nowhere to be found Maggie lets the eager planters in and they find a body in one of the tilled plots.

When Maggie and Sally feel that Police Chief Sam Whitaker and Detective Matt Quinn are not doing enough to find Violet, they take matters into their own hands. What follows is another body and a disappearance. Dreyfuss the dog is the hero of the story as he provides vital clues.

These characters would make a wonderful series, they are well crafted and interesting. I would love to read more about them.

Classic cozy mystery with theme related murder and lots of red herrings that will keep your mind off your own troubles. Maggie is a likable character with good friends and some frenemies leftover from growing up under her grandmother’s care in the town of Marlowe, to which she has returned to rebuild her life. The pacing is inconsistent at times, but generally fast-paced and a quick read. I enjoyed my time in the town enough to visit again when / should there be a second entry in the series as there’s lots of room for Maggie and the other characters to grow and reveal to us.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for early access to this book.

Title: The Gardener's Plot
Author: Deborah J. Benoit
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: November 5, 2024

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies from Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press and Dreamscape Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Light • Cozy • Pleasant

📖 S Y N O P S I S

After life threw Maggie Walker a few curveballs, she’s happy to be back in the small, Berkshires town where she spent so much time as a child. Marlowe holds many memories for her, and now it also offers a fresh start. Maggie has always loved gardening, so it’s only natural to sign on to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden.

When opening day arrives, Violet is nowhere to be found, and the gardeners are restless. Things go from bad to worse when Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the plots... and there’s a body attached to it. Suddenly, the police are looking for a killer and they keep asking questions about Violet. Maggie doesn’t believe her friend could do this, and she’s going to dig up the dirt needed to prove it.

💭 T H O U G H T S

As an avid gardener, the cover and title of The Gardener's Plot made this an easy add to my 2024 anticipated releases list. I don't read too many cozies, yet I was in need of a light palette cleanser after several fairly dense reads, and this one was the perfect fit.

Told through Maggie's voice as she tries to solve what really happened for a body to turn up in the community garden plot, the plot moves along with a consistent pace with clues being offered up at just the right time. From the start, it's easy to see Maggie has the personality for amateur sleuthing. While there are hints at a romantic relationships, to me it wasn't at all believable and would have been best left out of the plot altogether.

I really loved the idea of the community garden being the center of the plot. The idea was different and not like any cozy I've read before. It was also enjoyable to get some background and helpful tips on successful gardening. I wish a little more of the story had actually taken place at the garden.

The audio, narrated by Patricia Santomasso, was simple and made for easy listening. Her voice is clear and she manages to use different intonations to distinguish when different characters are speaking/thinking.

The Gardener's Plot had many of the makings of your typical cozy mystery, yet it could have easily been shorter and been just as effective. Deborah delivers a solid debut, and while I could see it being turned into a series, I think it would be better left as a standalone. I'd be curious to see what she does write next.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• cozy mysteries
• gardening
• female sleuths

⚠️ CW: murder, death, gun violence

What a cute garden themed cozy mystery! Along with the mystery it was actually pretty informative about plants as well, which I loved! As someone who loves gardening and plants, I loved the combination of cathartic gardening with a juicy murder mystery! The story flows very well and the characters are loveable. :)

The story follows the lead, Maggie, who is just trying to leave her old life behind for a simpler one. When, of course, her new “simpler” life is anything but that. After finding a body in the new community gardening plot and her friend missing, she can’t keep from uncovering the truth. Uncovering the truth may prove to get her into some thorny situations. (lol)

The story was nice and I loved it for exactly what it was: a cozy mystery. There were no great twists or crazy revelations. I enjoyed the details about gardening, tea making, gossiping, baking, and all the other tid bits that come with living a more quiet life. Would recommend to those who also like this sort of reading. :)
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ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•cozy mystery
•plants/gardening
•small town feel
•murder mystery

This is a fun cozy mystery, perfect for either spring or fall reading. It’s set in the Berkshires and revolves around a murder in a community garden. It’s a debut novel and looks like a standalone at this point, but definitely has series potential. I'll certainly look forward to more by the author!

I originally had this on my kindle, but I was able to also get the audiobook version and then I tore through it! Loved the story, the characters and really hope there will be more books in this series.

The narrator was Patricia Santomasso and she was enjoyable to listen to, I really liked that the characters weren't all 20 somethings.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read/listen to this story.

I recommend this story to all that love a good cozy mystery.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. But I must say I was drawn into the story from the very first page! I love an old house, an interesting main character (Maggie), and an intriguing mystery. Definitely worth reading! I hope it’s the start of a new series.

I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I wasn't sure where this was going to go based on the cover. There was not only a major mystery as to who was in the garden and what happened, but there are a couple of other mysteries as the story unfolds. I didn't want to put it down, I just had to keep reading until it was done. I hope this is the start to a series, I would love to see what happens to Maggie and all the awesome characters we met.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

Maggie Walker has inherited her grandmother’s house in a small town in the Berkshires. She’s long been a gardener, so when she is asked to help Violet with the new community garden, Maggie jumps in with both feet. But the morning of the grand opening, Violet is nowhere to be found. Then, a member of the community finds a boot in his plot in the community garden. A boot attached to a dead body. With the police thinking Violet might have something to do with it, Maggie’s set out to find her friend and prove she is innocent. But can she do it?

Since this book won a contest to be published, it caught my attention. Sadly, I don’t think it was quite ready for publication. The writing seemed a little vague at times, filling in details later, after we’d already made our impressions of things. The plot bogged down in the middle as Maggie spun her wheels before leading us to a good climax. The main characters were great, but the suspects were a little flat. The setting was charming, and even this non- gardener loved hearing about the plants. I wish I had liked this book better, but I probably won’t be moving on with the series.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a strong sense of community and a touch of horticulture This is a book to,read

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Gardener's Plot is a nice cozy mystery written by Deborah J. Benoit. The gardening theme was different from what I usually read, and I found it quite enjoyable. The main character, Maggie Walker, investigates in an interesting way. The storyline is solid and intelligent. The setting is also a key factor which makes The Gardener's Plot so interesting. It is a perfect book for readers who enjoy both cozy mystery and books that have gardening for a main theme.

When Maggie Walker finds a body in the community garden, her small town is shocked and everyone has a theory about what happened. The director of the garden, and Maggie's friend, is missing and all eyes are on Maggie. With the clock ticking and her friend still missing, Maggie an her childhood best friend, Sally, set out to figure out exactly what's going on. With small town charm and a cast of even more charming Characters, The Gardener's Plot is the perfect suspenseful yet cozy mystery.

I think I might just not love the cozy mystery genre, it’s me not the book. However I loved the authors writing style!

Maggie Walker is starting her life over. After the death of her husband, almost ex-husband, she moves back to her hometown in the Berkshires. She loves gardening and gets the perfect job of setting up a community garden. She will assist Violet Bloom in this project. Opening day arrives, but Violet doesn’t. Maggie has no choice but to step in and take charge until Violet gets here.

Things take a nasty turn when Maggie finds a dead body buried in one of the garden plots. When Violet still doesn’t return, the police turn their eyes on Maggie. They wonder if she could be behind these horrible events. Meanwhile, Maggie’s concern is for Violet. She hopes nothing has happened to her and that she shows up soon.

This is the first book in a brand-new cozy mystery series. The characters are well written with Maggie and her best friend Sally being my favorites. The supporting characters are good, but I’d like to get to know them a little better.

The plot moved along at a steady pace. There were many suspects, and the storyline kept you guessing. I had my suspicions but ultimately, I guessed wrong. I’m looking forward to another entry into this series and another visit to the Berkshires.





FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Gardeners Plot by Deborah J Benoit, After the death of Maggie Walker’s grandma, she moves into her home back in Marlowe, where she has plenty of great memories. She makes fast friends with her neighbors, Sally Kendall, and violet Bloom, and becomes the assistant to Maggie who is the president of the new Gardening club. On the first night of it’s opening Violet text and says she’s going to be a little late so Maggie runs down to open the gardening center, but everything is brought to a screaming halt when a body is found buried in one of the gardening plots. because of violets passed with the deceased they think she’s the guilty party but soon when she doesn’t show up and stays missing Maggie, to detective Quinn‘s dismay, takes it up on herself to find out what happened to her friend. When the truth comes out, it will be the last person anyone would’ve thought capable. I really liked Maggie‘s friendship with Sally and Violet and was so sad that she wasn’t going to be in the book the whole time I mean Violet Sally was. I also liked the cantankerous relationship between detective Quinn and Maggie. This book had a cozy mystery field to it and so I was also surprised to learn this is a standalone novel because it totally could be a mystery series so if you like mysteries, then you will definitely enjoy this book. I certainly did they head likable and not so likable characters, intelligent writing it certainly is a great way to pass the afternoon. #NetGalley,#SaintMartin’sPress,#DeborahJBenoit, #TheGardenersPlot,.

The Gardener's Plot is a cozy mystery by Deborah J. Benoit. This has a community garden that ends up with more than plants found in it. The main character is likeable along with her close friend, some others not so much. Of course, Maggie decides to investigate what has happened to her missing co-worker putting herself and others in danger. While the detective in charge later apologizes for warning her off sternly, I didn’t think he needed to do that. She knew all about gardening, not murder. This turned out to be a twisty one at that with a killer who found it far to easy to kill once started.

An interesting tale especially enjoyed the compost lecture, so this author does know her gardening. It will be interesting to see if the detective returns in the next book as well as the childhood nemesis.

I enjoyed this small town murder mystery very much! Master gardener Maggie and best friend Sally are engaging characters and very supportive of each other. When a despicable man is murdered and buried in the new community garden, well, let the police deal with it. But when friend Violet who was in charge of the garden's organization vanishes, that's different. Maggie and Sally jump in, much to the disapproval of the police.