This story has all the makings of a cute cozy murder mystery; small town, nosy neighbors, community garden. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat. I felt the story ran longer than necessary and other than her friendship with Sally, didn't really get to know the MC very well. If there is a sequel, I would like to get a bit more depth into Maggie's character. I also found myself confused with ages of the MC and her friends. I guess it doesn't really matter but, it was hard to get a good visual in my mind.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, and the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Gardeners Plot!

We follow Maggie Walker as she moves back to the town she grew up in after her grandmother passed and left her a home and garden to take care of. Maggie has volunteered her time to help tend and run the community garden with her friend Violet. When Violet is missing the day the garden is set to open, Maggie takes charge only to find a body in one of the garden plots. Everything quickly spirals as more bodies start to appear and things are pointing toward Maggie and her neighbor as the prime suspects.

The twists and turns of this book were astronomical and the writing was swoon worthy. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time for this one, and it is well worth the read. I can’t recommend it enough!

If there was an award for most boring book of the century, this would be it! It was so painfully slow that it was torture finishing it. It was a cute idea with the gardening and setting for the novel but this book just dragged and you'd think might be because of great character development but it was not. I could care less about anyone in this book and the final outcome. There was no real mystery, if at all. And by the time you got to the actual investigation, you were practically half-way thru. It was like the characters were stuck in this novel and so was I.

This was the perfect book club read! I highly recommend to all. The cover is also beautiful which is always a bonus!

I honestly struggled to make it through this book. It has cute setting and plot idea but the execution is really slow and boring. I found it hard to get into the book and care by the time that the sleuthing picked up.

4 stars!

First off, what a beautiful cover!

I really enjoyed this one and read through it quickly. I'm not a gardener myself (apartment life) but I found all the gardening talk very interesting and had fun googling all the flowers and plants they were discussing.

I enjoyed the characters and the author did a good job at making you hate the insufferable cousin Simon. i loved that I wasn't able to guess the killer until it was revealed to me.

I will definitely be on the look out for more books by Deborah J. Benoit.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

The Gardener's Plot is set in Marlowe, Massachusetts - a tiny town in the Berkshires. Recently divorced Maggie Walker has purchased her grandmother's house from her estate and is settling in, tending to her grandmother's prized gardens and reconnecting with townspeople she knew as a child.

Maggie is excited to be working alongside Violet Bloom on the new Marlowe Community Garden. Everything was all set for the grand opening until Violet didn't show up and nobody could find her. On top of that, there's a body buried in one of the newly tilled plots.

Maggie sets out alongside friend and neighbor Sally Kendall to dig up a killer despite being warned off by Police Chief Sam Whitacker. With plenty of suspects to question, their snooping lands Maggie and Sally in the sights of the killer. Sally's beautiful golden retriever Dreyfus just might end up being the real hero!

A fun afternoon read with plenty of twists and turns, just the right amount of darkness in what could be considered a cozy mystery, a delightful furry canine, a disgruntled relative and a splash of unexpected romance. I hope that there might be more adventures for Maggie and Sally on the horizon.

I received an advanced copy of The Gardener's Plot from NetGalley via Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Maggie Walker is back in her Grandmother’s home in the Berkshires. Maggie has had some less than fun times lately and is ready to settle in and do a lot of gardening.

The mean girls from school are still being mean, but the friends out weigh them.

After joining the community garden club, started by Violet, she is getting into a routine. Until the day the garden opens and there is already a body planted there!

Of course, Maggie is going to stick her nose in. And when her best friend goes missing, Maggie may have bitten off more than she can chew!

What a cute new cozy mystery! I adored the garden talk and hope we see more Maggie!

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press November 05, 2024

The last thing you want to dig up in a community garden (after weeds), is a dead body. Maggie has moved back to Marlowe, Massachusetts, buying her deceased grandmother’s house.
Her expertise in all things gardening leads her to assist Violet who is starting a community garden. But the dead body kind of ruined the grand opening. Oh, and Violet is nowhere to be found. Is she the killer?
Maggie and her childhood best friend Sally get busy trying to figure out what is going on. I had an inkling regarding the identity of the killer, but dismissed it when I couldn’t figure out the motive. And interesting start to a potential new cozy mystery series. I definitely would like to learn more about Maggie.

Being chosen to read a book is such an honor and I am so thankful when it happens!! While I did finish this book, it was so painfully slow that I almost did not. I don't know if it was because I don't naturally have a green thumb or an interest in gardening or if there just wasn't enough to keep me wanting more. This book did not grab me at any point so I really never felt invested in the characters or the outcome. I didn't feel like there was enough suspense or twisty-turny excitement. I felt like the characters were just going through the motions...and reading it felt the same unfortunately.

Nice cozy mystery with a garden theme. The pacing is very slow and it took a while to get through as nothing made me want to keep reading. I did put it down a lot and if not for a Netgalley review, I probably would not have continued reading

We love a cozy mystery! Full of suspense and thrills. All the characters are written so well! Maggie wanted a fresh start but someone is murdered she investigates what happened!

Maggie Walker moves back to her small hometown in the Berkshires, and helps to set up a community garden. On opening day, things go awry! Maggie and her friend take it upon themselves to figure out who done it.

I love a cozy mystery and this one has to do with gardening. Sign me up! I also liked the small town vibes where everyone knows everyone's business. It did feel a little slow at times, and it was hard for me to keep up with all the characters and how they were connected. Overall I enjoyed the book and it had me guessing until the end.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery with the small town garden theme. This was a fun read that kept me intrigued throughout the entire book. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a book with small town vibes.

I found this book to be painfully boring. I started to skip towards the end as it just kept going in circles and repeating the same thoughts over and over from the main character. I did like the gardening aspect as I am an avid gardener. This is why I wanted to read the book. However, the plot was extremely weak and the characters were just blah. I would not recommend this book. There are plenty better murder mysteries out there. I understand what the author was trying to do in having their main character be a "detective," but it fell short in that it was just run on thoughts over and over. I was given an advanced copy from Netgalley, thank you!

I received an Advance Readers copy through NetGalley. I enjoyed the small town mystery. Who killed Carl and why? Lots of questions are asked. Why is Simon so persistent? What happened to Violet? Gardening and community gardens are so important. Clever premise. Sally and Maggie are lifelong friends. I did guess correctly. Can you?

I love a good cozy, murder mystery! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of "The Gardener's Plot" by Deborah J. Benoit. The cover is what drew me in, it's absolutely stunning and I would love to have a physical copy on my bookshelf! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a murder mystery without all the blood and gore. Make sure you get your copy November 5, 2024!

Maggie, a master gardener and writer looking for a fresh start, is happy to be back in the small town where she spent so much time as a child after being given the opportunity to purchase her grandparents’ home from her grandmother’s estate. Her love for gardening leads her to agreeing to help her friend Violet set up a community garden.

When opening day for the community garden arrives, Violet is mysteriously absent, and Maggie discovers a body in one of the plots. The small-town charm quickly fades as the police begin searching for a killer, and focus their attention on Violet. Refusing to believe her friend could be involved, Maggie decides to conduct her own investigation, determined to clear her friend's name.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves cozy mysteries featuring amateur sleuths and a charming small-town setting.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and author Deborah J. Benoit for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The story is very well written. When the community garden sprouts more than the garden variety weeds and plants in the form of an unkind realtor’s dead body, everyone becomes a suspect. Especially the missing manager of the community garden. A crazy and chaotic mess ensues as a killer stalks the small town.

Maggie Walker has a lot going on in her life. She is widowed on the day she was to be divorced, she lost her grandmother who raised her and has moved back home after buying her grandmothers house. Becoming involved in the community, Maggie works with a local woman to start a community garden. On opening day, a body is found in the garden and the gardener is missing.

Worried about her missing friend, and being on the persons of interest list, Maggie can’t help but try to find out where her friend is. She certainly doesn’t believe Violet had anything to do with a body, but then again everyone seemed to hate the man. can Maggie figure out where her friend is and what happened with finding herself, pushing up daisies?

This is a great start to what I hope is a new cozy mystery series. The setting is perfect and memories of my own Somers spent with my grandmother in the mountains and working in her garden. A lovable protagonist, a solid mystery, and plenty of red herrings, make for a good read.