Maggie moved into her beloved grandmother’s house in Marlowe, Massachusetts. The place she grew up in, where she and her best and oldest friend Sally played, surrounded by a huge woods area behind both properties.
Now when Violet invited her to join the community garden project she said yes immediately. “She suggested edible landscaping along the perimeter and plots for individual gardeners, plus a large plot that all would work, its produce to be donated to the local food pantry”
All was according to plan until the day scheduled to start, Violet was missing and without a clue why. When a volunteer discovers a boot under one of the plant beds, not only that but a body of the man who was trying to buy many local properties to start some development plan.
Maggie and Sally have a goal, they need to find why their friend disappear and cross her off the suspect list. As they set their minds to accomplish the plan they put themselves into danger.
I loved this mystery, is one of my favorite genres and as it combines my other passion my vegetable garden, this book was one of my favorites.
It is my first book by the author and I would like a sequel just as I enjoyed the small town atmosphere and the friendly neighborhood.
Thanks to Minotaur Books, netgalley and Deborah J. Benoit for the advanced copy.

enjoyed the gardening aspect of this story. It seemed like a pretty typical "cozy" mystery other than that. Just once, I'd like to read about someone who took the advice and did not investigate on their own, thereby saving themselves or their friends so much grief. I was able to figure out who did it before the end. Thanks for the preview copy from St. Martin's.

*The Gardener's Plot* by Deborah Benoit is a delightful mystery that blends gardening with intrigue. Set in a charming small town, the story follows an amateur sleuth who uncovers secrets hidden beneath the surface of a seemingly peaceful garden community. Benoit’s vivid descriptions bring the garden to life, while her engaging characters and clever plot twists keep readers guessing until the end. The book offers a refreshing mix of humor and suspense, making it an enjoyable read for mystery lovers and gardening enthusiasts alike.

3.5 Stars
The Gardener's Plot is a cozy mystery. Maggie's life is turned upside down when her soon to be ex-husband is killed by a car and her loving grandmother dies. She decides to move back to small town Massachusetts and into her grandmother's home. She quickly becomes friends with a Violet a fellow gardener who is planning a community garden. On opening day of the garden, Violet is late and as her assistant, Maggie opens the garden only to discover a dead body in one of the plots.

I enjoyed the gardening aspects of the story and Maggie is a pleasant character along with her next door neighbor. They run into some issues with the cops investigating the murder when they decide to do some sleuthing and try to find out what happened to Violet who disappeared the day of the murder.

It's a comfortable small town murder mystery with the required nasty bigshots in the town along with lots of pleasant business owners and friends. Some nice plot twists
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An entertaining and enjoyable debut novel of avid gardeners, Maggie and Violet in particular, a community garden and an unexpected dead body. This was quick read with likable characters, a stuffy detective and a smart dog. I look forward to reading what Maggie will “dig up” next.
Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the early copy. This review is my personal opinion.

When Maggie Walker moves back to her hometown and into her grandmothers house that she inherits, she never imagines that she’d have to deal with murder and a missing friend as she’s setting up a community garden in the small town. The Gardener’s Plot was an easy, atmospheric, cozy read. The gardening aspect, the mystery, and the puzzle of figuring out the crime kept me entertained. Overall, this was a 4.2 star read for me, and I will read more by this author.

Maggie has recently bought her deceased grandmother's home and moved back to the town where they had lived. She has become fast friends with Violet and is helping her set up the community garden. Unfortunately, on opening day, the normally reliable Violet leaves a note saying she is running late and Maggie has to start the opening alone. When one of the community members begins tending to his plot, he finds a boot which Maggie soon discovers is attached to a dead body. Violet never appears and she believes the police are more interested in finding her for questioning than being concerned about her disappearance. She and her childhood best friend, Sally, start asking questions and retracing Violet's steps in hopes of finding her.

While I enjoyed the concept and the bits of gardening woven through, I found this book to be way too redundant and slow. I would fall asleep as I was reading it, which is abnormal for me. There was a huge clue to the murder's identity that Maggie didn't seem to catch that really irritated me. In general, most of the characters felt flat. That said, I definitely found this to be a cozy mystery since I didn't feel any real sense of danger until near the end.

The Gardeners Plot is about a woman named Maggie Walker that sets up a community garden and finds a body in one of the plots. When people keep asking about her friend, she sets out to figure out what happened.
I liked this book. The book went smoothly, it didn’t feel rushed. I liked how you learned about gardening and the how got an idea for how the character’s personalities are. I enjoyed reading the book and how it didn’t end with you needing answers.
I would recommend this book to anyone the likes cozy mysteries, gardening, and amateur detectives.

“The Gardener’s Plot” by Deborah Benoit is a delightful cozy mystery set in the charming Berkshires. The story follows Maggie Walker, who returns to her childhood town to help set up a community garden. Things take a dark turn when she discovers a body buried in one of the plots on opening day. I couldn't even imagine.

Maggie is a relatable and engaging protagonist, and her determination to uncover the truth about the murder keeps the plot moving at a brisk pace. The small-town setting is vividly described, adding to the book’s cozy charm. Benoit does a great job of balancing suspense with lighthearted moments, making this a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of the genre.

Maggie is helping to set up a community garden when she finds a dead body in one of the garden plots. Maggie's friend Violet has disappeared and the police want to talk to her. Maggie is determined to prove her friend's innocence! This was a really good cozy mystery and I enjoyed the characters. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This was such a delightful surprise! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery!

Maggie inherits her grandmother’s home in the Berkshires and is eager to share her interest in gardening with her new neighbors. Naturally, a master gardener would be involved with the community garden and its quirky characters. After a dead body is discovered, suspects, theories and motives become rampant in this small town.

Deborah Benoit is a new-to-me author and The Gardener’s Plot is the first of three installments. I am looking forward to reading them.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an advance galley through NetGalley.

Maggie has moved back to her small hometown, into her late grandmother's old house, soon after the death of her about-to-be ex. Gardening is her passion, and she's been looking forward to opening a new community garden with her friend Violet. However, when the garden opens up and boots--and a whole male body--are in a tilled bed and Violet is missing in action, Maggie sets out to find her friend her defiance of the authorities.

The small town setting and garden theme add fun to this cozy. I found the pace to be slow, though, and the cast didn't fully come to life. The murderer was someone I didn't expect, which is a nice surprise.

This was a fun cozy gardening mystery. The characters were likable and I did feel sorry for Maggie as she went through all of the anxiety of finding a dead body and missing friends. This was a quick read and perfect for those who love to garden.

Deborah J. Benoit, a brand new author to me, showed up in NetGalley earlier this summer, and I love murder mysteries and gardening, so it appeared to be a solid fit. Overall, I enjoyed the setting and getting to know a new cast of characters. Balancing the protagonist's personal mystery with that of the victim's made for a good dual-purpose storyline. I struggled a bit to keep some of the characters straight, and it felt a little too cardboard in some places, but it came together nicely in the end with a few things left open for future installments. I'll read the second to see if it cements the series for me.

The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit is a fun cozy mystery debut that I really enjoyed.

A woman takes on the task of setting up a community garden in the Berkshires.
During opening day, a body is found.

I enjoyed the characters, well written and interesting.

The mystery was well written. Looking forward to more books in the series.

This was fine. I enjoyed the story overall but felt it dragged a bit at times. A cozy mystery with some fun plot twists, but also a slow read. Absolutely lovely cover, definitely drew me in to read it

Maggie inherits her grandmother’s home and jumps right into a community that she loved as a child. She signs on to help with the community garden, but the morning they are set to open for the season, Violet, who is in charge of the project, disappears. And then a body is found in one of the plots. Unable to sit back and watch, Maggie starts digging (no pun intended) into the murder and Violet’s disappearance. And in the meantime, she’s also being harassed by a crazy cousin who is convinced he was cheated out of an inheritance. Definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of cozy mysteries.

I'm rounding up to a 4 star but honestly it was more like a 3.5 star read.

I did enjoy this quick, easy cozy mystery. I did figure out the killer pretty early in the book but I enjoyed the gardening references and the small town characters. While I did figure out the killer, I did have a couple of red herrings that made me second guess myself but in the end I was correct. That didn't take away from the story even though it was a little bit predictable. Then again, isn't predictable what we've come to expect from a cozy mystery? This was a good cozy mystery to read between those heavier books. I'd like to thank NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

The excitement in this book is high! This is my first read from Deborah Benoit and I found it to be a very suspenseful must read.

3.5 stars

This was a likeable enough debut for the most part, featuring master gardener Maggie Walker, newly single, and relocated to her childhood hometown after inheriting/buying her late grandmother's house. Maggie has gotten involved in the establishment of the local community garden along with her friend Violet. When the grand opening for the garden arrives, Maggie is perplexed when Violet is a no-show. But that is overshadowed by a grisly discovery in one of the garden plots: an old boot, attached to the foot of a dead body.

The victim turns out to be an unsavory local real estate wheeler dealer who has been pestering the townspeople including Maggie to sell their property. In the meantime, Violet is still missing, and when she still doesn't appear after several days, the town is quite worried.

Maggie and her best friend and neighbor decide they can find out things the police can't. The middle of the book is the typical cozy push-pull between the amateur detectives and the police telling them to keep out of the investigation.

This would have had a higher rating from me if it hadn't been for the TSTL actions of Maggie at the end. When the main character decides to go confront a primary suspect by themselves, I have to roll my eyes. The whole finish was a bit over the top. But I would read another and hope Maggie has a bit more sense next time out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.