Maggie Walker has returned to Marlowe after she purchased her late grandmother’s home. Maggie is also being harassed by a cousin wanting a bigger share of the inheritance left by their grandmother. and by a realtor insisting she sell him her property.

She’s helping her friend, Violet Bloom, open the newly established community garden, but Violet doesn’t show up on opening day. When a body is found in one of the newly tilled garden plots, Violet becomes the prime suspect. Her family and friends haven’t heard from her and have no clues as to where she may have gone. Maggie is busy trying to locate Violet, solve the murder (against the advice of local law enforcement), and keep the community garden on track,

This was a fun whodunit with twists and turns, several suspects, another body, an old flame whose wife has it in for Maggie, and more!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Exciting new series! I adore gardening mysteries. Plot summary: A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plot's on opening day. I really liked our amateur sleuth and hearing all about the community garden and the various gardeners. Can’t wait for the next.

Maggie has purchased her late grandmother’s home, in part because of the happy memories she associates with it. Her husband has died, and she's ready for a new beginning, so she agrees to help her friend Violet establish a community garden. But on opening day, Violet is a no-show. And when one of the gardeners complains that there's a boot in his plot, Maggie discovers that there's a body attached to it.
Days later, Violet still hasn't appeared, so Maggie and another friend decide to investigate on their own. But can they discover the murderer in their midst without becoming imperiled themselves?

This was a cute, cozy mystery. Nothing too dramatic. The first half of the book was a bit slow. Again. Cute story but sadly the book didn’t do much for me

Maggie Walker is happy to be back in the small, Berkshires town where she spent so much time as a child. She has always loved gardening, so she signs on to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden.

On opening day everyone is ready to get started but Violet is nowhere to be found. People start complaining. Then Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the plot. It's attached to a body. Suddenly, the police are looking for a killer and they keep asking questions about Violet who is still missing. Maggie doesn’t believe her friend could do this though so she set out to find the real killer.

I like the setting and the idea of a community garden. All of the details about plants and gardening are great. However, I found the pace to be slow so it took a while to get into the story. I also found it hard to connect with Maggie.

The Gardener's Plot is a pleasant read. Fans of mysteries with a gardening theme will enjoy it.

This is the start of a new series by a new to me author. I was intrigued because the MC is an avid gardener and lives in the Berkshires. Since I love gardens and plants and live in New England, I decided to give it a go, and I am glad that I did! Maggie has just settled into her late grandmother's house in a lovely neighborhood in western Massachusetts. Her cousin is being a jerk about trying to get more from the estate but the recently widowed Maggie bought it far and square and is enjoying updating the home and rediscovering the gardens that had gotten away from her grandmother her later years. Having spent time there as a child and visiting her grandmother, she has some friends and aquientences in town and has gotten involved as second in command of a new community garden project. When the person in charge leaves a note on her door on opening day telling her she's going to be late but to start without her Maggie moves forward, unlocks the gate, gives out plot assignments and is startled to find a shoe in one of the freshly tilled plots. When Maggie pulls on the shoe, she finds a foot attached and realizes opening day is not going to go as planned. With a dead body in the garden and Violet still missing, there are lots of questions to be answered. This was a good mystery, Maggie and her friend Sally asked a few questions, but I didn't find their behavior out of the ordinary or over the top. They go to small town events, talk to neighbors, and ask a few questions. I find things unfolded in a way that made sense. I will look for more from this author. Thanks to #Netgally, #Minotaur, and the author for a chance to read. #TheGardenersPlot #DeborahJBenoit #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

Maggie Walker has just moved back to her hometown, after the death of her grandmother, and findsmost people very welcoming. Her nemesis Catherine Whitaker is married to the police chief who Maggiedated in high school. A community garden is about to open and when it does a body is found buried in one of the plots. The head of the garden committee, Violet, is missing. Who could be causing such chaos and is it related to the gardening or something else?This is my first time reading a book by this author. I enjoyed but it seemed to move a bit slowly at times as the investigation is ongoing. I liked the characters of Maggie and Sally, neighbors and friends, who
can’t resist asking their friends and neighbors questions about the last time they saw Violet. The ending is great!
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

"A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots on opening day.

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.

The Gardener's Plot takes readers to the heart of the Berkshires and introduces amateur sleuth Maggie Walker in Deborah J. Benoit's Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut."

Personally I would have expected Violet to be the body blooming out of the garden... An intriguing twist!

The Gardener's Plot is a chill, enjoyable mystery with a fun cast of characters. It’s perfect for when you want something engaging, cute and entertaining, especially if you're into gardening or small-town vibes. The story keeps you interested, I loved all the twists, and it’s a great book to unwind with. Overall a cozy, feel-good read!

This was such a cute cozy mystery!! I loved the setting, I loved the premise (a new-to-town gardener working to set up a community garden and the small town drama that follows), and I loved the characters!

I thought it was fun that the characters are all tied to each other in some way, even though some hadn’t seen each other in years. It very much resembles the reality of growing up in a small town and then moving away—only to occasionally return and pick right back up where you left off years before.

I thought this was a perfect spring/summer read.

"The Gardener's Plot” by Deborah J. Benoit set in the Berkshires. What a great start to a new series! A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots on opening day.

I rather enjoyed this story and getting to know Maggie and Sally. One thing I liked is you didn’t have to be a gardener to enjoy it and you might even learn something.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep engaged right to the very end. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I was right on who the killer was.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends. I can’t wait for book two!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Minotaur Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you #netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: November 2025

Maggie has always loved gardening, so when she signs up to assist her friend in a community garden project in her old hometown, she’s delighted. Things are looking up for Maggie despite her annoying cousin who insists on taking advantage of her, constantly nagging her; Maggie is determined to hold him off from his threats. When she discovers a dead body in one of the garden plots and the friend responsible for the project goes missing, the town detectives turn to Maggie with questions she can’t answer and suspicions Maggie can’t fathom.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but I struggled through the first 1/4 (22%) to be exact. I was pretty much ready to abandon this when, suddenly, it clicked at the 25% mark, and I’m glad I pushed through the beginning as the rest of the story flowed effortlessly and entertainingly.

The small town feel was cozy and welcoming, and I also didn’t solve the mystery, and I usually do, so that was a bonus, too.

Overall I give this one 4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Nov. 5, 2024
Maggie Walker has returned to the town she spent a lot of her childhood in, after inheriting her grandmother’s home after her passing. Delighted to live among the memories and to be back in the town she loves with the people who know her best, Maggie decides to help community member, Violet Bloom, set up a community garden. Finally, the day of the garden’s reveal is upon her, and everyone is lined up to begin tilling their plot- until Maggie uncovers a dead body. Although the police are investigating, Maggie is desperate to know how a man’s dead body wound up in the community garden her and Violet spent so much time working on. Speaking of- Violet has been missing for days and no one has heard from her. Has something happened? Could this small town have yet another murder on its hands?
Deborah J. Benoit’s debut, “The Gardener’s Plot”, is a murder-mystery with a floral twist. Focused on the creation of the town’s community garden, amateur sleuth Maggie uproots more than weeds, which leads to an intriguing who-dunnit that kept me guessing.
For those who lack green thumbs (like me) Benoit ensures that “Plot” does not drown the reader in the specificity of planting and growing. Although there are a few sections that provide knowledge and some helpful tidbits, the plot focuses on the murder and the subsequent investigation. There are a lot of characters in this novel, mostly all of the members of the community (including many small business owners) and its’ garden aficionados, so there are lots of options to choose from when it comes to solving the case, if you can keep them all straight.
I enjoyed Maggie as a protagonist, as she was likable and relatable. Benoit managed to write an entire novel without describing the physical characteristics of any of the characters, although I’m not sure if it was intentional or not. This required a bit of an adjustment on my part, as I was so unfamiliar with this style, but I do have to give props to Benoit for not giving Maggie any romantic interests in this novel. It was nice to see a female protagonist without men being thrown at her feet, which was also something I’m not used to (but this was definitely a positive aspect!)
“Plot” wrapped up nicely, so it’s hard to say if more Maggie Walker stories will follow. I enjoyed Benoit’s writing style, for the most part, and was invested enough in Maggie to read more from her, if that’s where Benoit wants to go with this. Otherwise, I was extremely satisfied with the ending and was not left wanting.

3🌟

Thank you netgalley for the arc! A cozy mystery that fell a little flat in certain parts. Some of the story seemed to drag more than I wanted it to and I found myself struggling to pick it up. The characters were not likeable, and for a cozy mystery I tend to like the stories with more depth, or likeability (one of the two). Loved the cozy mystery vibes, some fun plot twists, I wish I connected with the characters more.

Maggie Walker is back in her hometown after a failed marriage. She has purchased her grandmother's house and is eager to build her new life. As a master gardener, she's eager to restore her grandmother's gardens. She has also been encouraged to volunteer with the new community garden that is just opening by new friend Violet Bloom.

However, on opening day, Violet is a no-show. Worst of all, Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the newly prepared plots and there is a body attached to it. Carl Henderson is a local real estate developer with a shady reputation. Maggie knows him because he has been pressuring her to sell her grandmother's house.

The police want to talk to her, and they want to talk to Violet who seems to have disappeared. Maggie and her next-door neighbor and childhood friend decide to look into the case despite the police strongly discouraging their help.

I enjoyed this mystery. I liked that Maggie was very upset by her discoveries which seems much more realistic than many cozy mysteries. I also liked that Maggie wasn't going to be deterred from finding out what has happened to her new friend.

Maggie returns to the Berkshires where she grew up after inheriting a house there. Doing what she loves she helps Violet set up and organize the new community gardens but on opening morning Violet doesn't show up. Turning over one of the new plots a body is found. Can Maggie and her neighbor solve the murder and find the missing woman? A great read for readers of cozy mysteries. Good plot and characters and an enjoyable read.
Thanks to #NetGalley#TheGardenersPlot#StMartinsPress for the EARC

While I love a good cozy mystery and a good police procedural, I feel like this cross could have had better execution. It felt a bit…clunky? The plot didn’t move as well as it could have, there were a few too many characters and they weren’t as fleshed out as well as they could have been… Overall, it was just ok.

Sigh... where do I even start? Please hear me when I say I wanted so badly to love this one, cozy murder mystery meets police procedural? Sign me up! Except... execution REALLY matters and the execution on this one falls completely flat.
First, the writing is extremely awkward and the dialogue doesn't flow at all. I respect that this is an ARC, and perhaps there is additional editing planned before publication, but, my reading notes are full of the phrase "please edit more" quite literally everywhere.
This one also took me FOREVER to get through because the first half completely failed to grab my attention. I wish Violet's character had been developed more before her disappearance. She wasn't really written about and I therefore didn't connect with her or feel invested when she went missing.
There are plenty more issues I could present, but the final one (and perhaps my biggest complaint) was our narrator throughout this story. Annoying and really dumb are the first two words that come to mind. Usually, with a book written by a woman, I expect a female character to be better developed and overall smarter then this character.
Overall, I felt like this book was poorly edited, the characters insufficiently developed, and the whole thing, including the ending, was pretty much a flop. Perhaps this just wasn't my cup of tea.

As always, thank you for letting me read :)
This review is now posted on my GoodReads account

Master gardener Maggie has moved back to the Berkshires after her Gramma's passing and is thrilled to be second in command of the new community garden in her small hometown. The excitement of the garden's opening day turns to horror when a body is discovered in one of the plots and the garden's director, Violet, goes missing. Worried about her friend, Maggie and her next-door neighbor/BFF Sally dig around town in hopes of finding Violet alive and well. The Gardener's Plot is a really successful cozy mystery with a cast small town characters that if you've ever lived in a small town you definitely relate to their behavior. Between the quick pacing and the shout-out to Murder, She Wrote it was a solid read.

Such a fun read. I've been telling so many people about it. I can't wait until more of the people I know have time to read it.