This is an entertaining, well-written, murder mystery novel. It has a likable, intelligent, strong and capable female protagonist, small town drama, supportive friends, a loyal canine, murder, mystery, intrigue, the beauty of gardening, and a satisfying conclusion. I am looking forward to reading more mystery novels featuring Maggie Walker with great anticipation. Many thanks to Ms. Benoit, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley, from whom I received an advance reader copy of this delightful novel. This is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading The Gardener's Plot and will be looking forward to the next in this hopefully new series. Lots of talk of gardening which I know nothing of but thankfully it didn't make me feel out of my depth. I like the storyline of Maggie moving back home, taking care of her grandmother's old house and starting up a community garden. This cozy mystery is definitely worth a read!

This was a DNF for me not because I didn't like it or had a problem with it, just came to the conclusion cozy mysteries are not really for me. No complaints about this book and would recommend to anyone who likes this genre or wants to give it a try. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a first in a possible series by Deborah Benoit. I liked the story but it did seem stiff in places. I figured out early who the killer was. It took me a while to find a reason.

There were plenty of suspects for the dead man. As the victim, he isn’t well liked and didn’t deal fairly with people. There isn’t any gore so I would classify this book as a cozy.

Looking forward to book two to decode if I want to continue this series. Looking forward to book two to decide if I want to continue this series. I am rating this a 3.5 out of 5.

Netgalley provided me an e-copy of an Advance Readers Copy. I am not required to leave a positive review.

The Gardener's Plot was a fun, fast read, and the first book in a new series. Author Deborah J. Benoit, has created a good cozy mystery in what will now be called Book 1 of the Maggie Walker series. Benoit offers readers a small town with a murder victim, a missing community activist, and a new community garden in need to a a bit of cleaning up. The Gardener's Plot includes some nicely developed characters, a multilayered plot, several red herrings to keep the suspense working, and a good solution to the mystery. I do enjoy a cozy mystery set in a bookstore, but it is even better when an author deviates from a tried and true plot setting. And I loved the dog, Dreyfus, whose name is the same as my first Airedale, Dreyfus. I enjoyed the Master Gardener theme, since I also love gardening. I liked the many good gardening hints to try and remember for next spring's plantings. Although I did solve the mystery before the end, I definitely enjoyed the reading journey to that solution.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with this ARC to read and review. The comments above reflect my honest opinion.

I love a great title and play on words. This is a cozy little mystery (though with a body count and a lot of suspects. Maggie is helping launch the town’s new community garden where a body has been hastily buried.

This was an enjoyable read and a good mystery. A few of the characters are a bit over the top., but books like this need someone to dislike. And at times some characters don’t behave logically, but books like this don’t always operate on logic.

This wasn’t a particularly layered or sophisticated book, but it was a simple delight that I read quickly and read for comfort. The characters were fun, if a little too lightly developed. The plot kept me guessing enough to turn the pages and the ending made perfect sense even if it wasn’t quite earth shattering. Highly recommended for those looking for a quick comfort distraction from the horrors of the world.

Cozy Mystery about a Massachusetts master gardener who turns sleuth after a body's found buried in the new community garden and her friend the director's implicated.

4/5 stars: This is the first entry in Benoit's Maggie Walker series, which is Cozy Mystery that takes place at Massachusetts and follows a master gardener and gardening newspaper columnist who finds herself turning amateur sleuth after discovering the body of a pushy local real estate developer buried in the new community garden and her friend, the project's director, goes missing and becomes the police's main suspect. With plenty of twists and turns, Benoit has deftly crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, Benoit's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Maggie's great and I really like Sally, her neighbor, childhood friend and sleuthing partner. This is a great start to a new series and I look forward to reading more.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

What a fun cozy mystery! Lots of twists and so many suspects!!
This story was well-written with engaging characters.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you’re a fan of gardening and suspense, this one is for you. The story follows Maggie Walker, an amateur gardener, whose quiet life takes a dark turn when a body is discovered in her new community garden. As a debut novel, this was a very solid, enjoyable read with many fun twists and turns. The writing style was easy to follow but the descriptions of the characters were a little lacking and it made it a bit harder to visualize them while reading. Overall, The Gardener’s Plot is perfect for fans of true crime and botany and is sure to become a favorite of the genre.

A small town cozy mystery with some great characters, including Maggie, the MC. Her passion for gardening and care for people, as well as her newly single status and the issues with her inheritance, made her sympathetic to the point you could almost understand why she was determined to do her own investigation into the murder in her small town instead of letting the police do their job.

Like all cozy mysteries there were definitely places where I was yelling at the characters to stop interfering with the police. But I did appreciate the reasons Maggie had for investigating and the fact that she eventually realized she needed to step back.

I thought the story was well plotted, and the clues made sense. The ending was exciting and sufficiently unexpected. It was an excellent debut mystery and a great read.

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!