This was a charming cozy mystery that was full of garden 🪴 puns that wasn’t rushed with it’s character development, but came with time.

Interesting read. A woman returns to her hometown to live after her soon to be divorced husband is killed in a hit and run accident and her grandmother passes away so she buys the family home and begins her life as a newly widowed woman. She meets a kindred spirit who enjoys gardening and they plan a community garden but on the day the garden is supposed to get underway, the woman is nowhere to be found and a body is found in one of the gardening plots. What happened in the garden?

This book was such a charming escape! It’s got the perfect mix of heart, humor, and a little mystery woven into a beautifully described setting. The characters felt so real—quirky, lovable, and full of personality—and I found myself completely invested in their journey. The writing is warm and engaging, making it such a cozy and enjoyable read. If you love stories with a little bit of intrigue and a whole lot of heart, this one’s definitely worth picking up!

A cozy mystery about gardening , missing person and murder.
Maggie helps with a community garden and on opening day doesn't go as plan.
An easy read.
Voluntarily reviewed

“𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭: 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡.”

I adored this cozy mystery debut from Deborah J. Benoit!

Sometimes cozy mysteries are just like Hallmark movies. There are tropes to expect, of which this has in spades: someone coming home to their small town after many years away, receiving the family home after the death of a loved one, small-town enemies, an old flame/friendship reunion, and a hot detective investigating the murder that the main character discovered. I really appreciated the way Benoit uses these tropes to give a total comfort read. Maggie is a fun protagonist, and Benoit infusing her real-life master gardener knowledge into the story made this stand out. Maggie’s discovery of the body at the opening of the local community garden was an interesting way to prolong the reveal of who the victim is, with them buried in the dirt, alongside the second mystery of her missing friend Violet missing. Maggie’s levelheaded sense of curiousity is balanced well with her best friend Sally’s adventerous spirit - I am so glad Benoit concentrated on their friendship in teaming up to find Violet and find information about the murder, rather than a romance between Maggie and the detective (although it is cleverly hinted at). I got sucked into this mystery: I wanted to know why Maggie was targeted (does the land of family home have something to do with it?!), where Violet went, and why the victim was killed, all of which had satisfactory resolutions.

The Gardener’s Plot is a whimsical and fun cozy mystery; I really hope it is the beginning of a series as I’d love to see more of these characters. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Fun quick read. Thanks for the advanced reader copy Netgalley! If you like to garden and like murder, check this out!

I have yet to be disappointed when I have picked up one of the First Crime Novel winners from the MWA and Minotaur. Maggie, the only grandchild who decides to purchase their grandmother's house as detailed in her will, has settled into life in a small Berkshires town. Maggie is passionate about gardening and assists Violet in the opening of the community garden. I'm sure you know where this is going, where there's dirt there's usually a body in these books and I loved every page while learning about the people around town and the crime.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
This author was new to me and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this cozy mystery novel. I enjoyed the characters and also the principal protagonist. The other characters in the book fit in perfectly. The story flows well and allows the reader to feel like he/she is a part of the story. That is always important to me to feel like I am a part of it.
While I had several ideas who the "bad" person is, I enjoyed the twist and actually had it all wrong 😅 Even though the story closes out with no lose ends, I am hoping for another installment or continuation!

I love a good cozy mystery and I wanted to give a new author a try. I wasn't in love with the gardening theme. I struggled a bit to keep the characters straight. However, if this turns into a series, I would try the next book.

Maggie Walker is back in the Berkshires and ready for a fresh start. When she decides to help Violet Bloom with establishing a community garden Maggie is excited to have something to focus on. But when a body is found in buried in one of the community garden plots and Violet goes missing, Maggie is determined to figure out what happened and who ruined the new community garden. With her best friend Sally at her side and an annoying detective always seeming to be around, Maggie finds out there are a lot of people in town with grudges and an incentive for murder.

While I loved the premise of this mystery I found it difficult to be invested in the story because a lot of the characters were so unlikable, including the main character Maggie. I also felt the pacing was a bit slow as well.

Maggie Walker has returned to her hometown after her almost divorce and the death of her almost ex-husband on the way to court. She has found a niche in the town. She is helping Violet establish a community garden. On opening day, Violet is nowhere to be found. What is found is a boot containing a man’s foot buried in one of the plots. Is Violet responsible? If not, where has she disappeared to? This is a cozy mystery set in a small town. The characters are well developed. You learn to love them or hate them. The ending was a surprise. I’m hoping for more novels from this author.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the digital copy to review.

Continuing on my recent inadvertent cozy mystery streak, this one was super enjoyable and just downright fun to read. Maggie has returned to the small Berkshires town she spent a lot of time in as a child for a fresh start, and is helping her friend Violet set up a community garden. Then they dig up a boot (attached to a body), and then Violet disappears. So, Maggie is not getting the exact fresh start she wanted, but she does have to try and figure out who the body is, where her friend is, along with what in the holy heck is going on around here. It was a lot of fun to read and try and figure out what was going on myself in addition to Maggie, who could not help herself as much as she was told to stay out of things, and fun fact, I did not figure it out. I highly recommend this one if you are a cozy mystery fan.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars
Maggie Walker has moved to her hometown in the Berkshires after her soon to be ex-husband. She purchases her deceased grandmother's home. When she arrives in town, Violet approaches her and gets Maggie involved in a community garden project. On the day of the garden's opening, Violet doesn't show. Maggie proceeds with the project and makes a grisly discovery. But, she still doesn't know what has happened to Violet.
This is a cozy mystery with a new sleuth. I chose this book because I loved the cover!

3.5 Stars

I enjoy cozy mysteries and this one fit the bill. I hadn't read a gardening one before but I enjoyed the gardening in the story. It was a quick fun read and I did not guess who did it though I did wonder about a few characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.

2.5 stars

This was not a bad read but it wasn't for me.

I will start with saying, though I am not a fan of gardening, that alone would not deter me from reading this novel! Deborah J. Benoit is a new author to me, and I did enjoy her writing style. The story itself was just too bland and underwhelming for me. There were moments of some suspense, but it wasn't gripping enough to be dying to know what was going to happen next. The characters were slightly uninteresting and predictable at times. I wasn't able to connect with any of the main characters, so it was a difficult to become fully invested in the story.

This was more along the things of cozy mystery, and I tend to enjoy the more intense suspense and thriller mysteries more!

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

The Gardener’s Plot is one of the most enjoyable cozy mysteries I’ve read recently. I enjoyed the small town setting, interesting townsfolk, and plot pacing. I also found the double mystery - who murdered the person in the garden, and where did main suspect disappear to - compelling, with some many loose ends and possibilities to unravel. The tension between the main character and the police investigator added to the overall appeal. I’d definitely recommend it!

Cozy mystery during cozy winter days, yes please. This was a fun, quick read with some entertaining twists. Enjoyed this and look forward to another.

I was originally captivated by this book because of the cover. I could tell that it was going to blow my mind based on the fact that at first glance you are expecting a garden how to. I ATE IT UP. I loved this story and had a great time devouring these pages. I'm so glad I based this book on the cover and gave it a shot.

What happens when you find a body in the community garden? This the story of Maggie and the community garden's opening day. But the body puts a kink in that plan. When she can't find Violet, the person in charge of the garden, Maggie has to start investigating on her own...and there are a lot of suspects. I love me a good cozy mystery, and this one was great. Funny, lots of quirky characters, and a lovable protagonist. I hope there are more in this series. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Books for letting me read a copy of this book prior to its publication in return for a review.

It's not secret that I am a fan of the cozy mystery genre, and this book absolutely scratched that itch for me.

The Gardener's Plot follow Maggie Walker who moves back to Berkshires, a town that she spent time in with her grandmother when she was younger. Upon arriving, Maggie signs up to help set up a community garden, as an avid gardener and garden blogger, is seems like a great step to help her become a part of the community. All the planning for the grand opening of the community garden takes an unexpected turn when Violet, the project's leader, is late and there's a body in the garden.

This is the third cozy mystery that I read that follows a gardener this year and I am loving it. There is something very peaceful about setting the mystery within a garden and gardening communities are always filled with a variety of characters.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book and the character development throughout. It was very balanced and pleasing to read.

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from this author in the future.