I loved the premise of this book. Very unique! Jill Johnson did a great job drawing me in with a storyline full of suspense and wonderfully developed characters. I didnt want to put the book down once I started it. I look forward to more books by this author.

The Woman in the Garden is a delightfully suspenseful read that will have you wishing that you could have a poisonous plant rooftop garden of your very own. I wasn't too sure that I'd enjoy all of the botany talk, but learning about all of the various toxic plants actually ended up being my very favorite part of the book. Who knew that there were so many amazing plants that could help you take out your enemies, annoying neighbors, and crappy exes? Um, theoretically, of course.

Eustacia Rose, a now-disgraced professor of botanical toxicology, is our quirky (and presumably neurodivergent) main character, and she's fantastic. Her second favorite hobby (plant collecting aside) is spying on others via telescope, and when one of her neighbors (who she might just be ever so slightly obsessed with) goes missing, she immediately puts herself on the case. From there, hijinks ensue in the best possible sort of way.

Really, I loved almost everything about this book. The characters, the setting (London), the plot, the diversity (neurodivergence and LGBTQ representation), etc. My only minor quibble is that the ending, specifically the wrapping up of the murder mystery, was a little too vague for my tastes. I like for the novels I read to be wrapped up tightly at the end, and The Woman in the Garden didn't quite get there. However, it really is a small issue because I loved the ending otherwise.

Also, this isn't a criticism of this book specifically and it's not factored into my rating at all, but why can loners never just stay loners in books? I mean, I daresay there are a lot of us introverts who are perfectly happy doing our own thing (if my husband left me tomorrow, I'd likely become a reclusive crazy cat lady and never date again) – we don't all need saving from our “loneliness” by unexpected friendships that make us completely change our outlook on companionship. /end rant

But, anyway, this book is so much fun. If you like mysteries with quirky main characters and lots of dangerous plants, you'll likely enjoy this one.

Overall rating: 4.4 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

Professor Rose is the woman in the garden of poisonous plants. She cares deeply for them.

She purchases a telescope and through it she sees her quite lovely neighbor. She sees men come and go and names each one after a dangerous plant.

She has a past, and what happens to the neighbor throws Rose right into the midst of crime and she becomes the amateur detective who must solve it.

I really enjoyed this read. The characters are nicely flushed out and the story captivated me - I didn't want to put it down. Thus, I consider this a good, satisfying read.