If you're a fan of cozy mysteries set in a small town, then I think you'll love this book.

BLURB:
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. 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.

I very much enjoyed reading The Gardener's Plot. It was an easy read, very descriptive without being overwhelming, I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Deborah J. Benoit for the advanced copy.

I loved this cute cozy mystery!

Maggie moves back home after her grandmother’s death, buying her grandmother’s old house. Her love for gardening motivates her to become involved in the planning of a new community garden. On the morning of the opening, Maggie finds a boot in one of the community garden plots, but quickly discovers the boot is attached to a foot! Whose body is buried in the garden? How did it get there? And now a beloved member of the community has gone missing. When Maggie feels the police are dragging their feet in the investigation, she decides to do something digging of her own.

Lots of suspense, great character development, and a really fun read. With so many potential killers, it was hard to put this book down. I couldn’t wait to find out whodunnit!

This book was slow for me. When sally and Maggie were on the hunt to find out what happen I just felt like it could have been more attention grabbing. I understand no one in the town saw anything but I just felt like she just kept asking questions. The mysterious called didn’t happen enough for her to feel like fearful to me. Me I wish she would have been a little for fearful while hunting for the kill and the body. There were personally many times I wanted to put the book down and not read it. But with it being an ARC I wanted to finish it to write my review. It was a good book at the end it did have my attention. I love that Mags was able to save Sally. It was a good book just slow for me

3.5/5
A cute little thriller. Small town feels, great mystery. Would love to read more by this author.

This was a delightful cozy mystery filled with characters in a small town and a state police officer. Maggie, a Master Gardener, has purchased her Grandmother's house from her estate. Her cousin, Simon, feels he has been cheated and she did not pay what it was worth. She becomes friends with Violet Bloom and works with her to create a community garden. On opening day of the community garden, a body is found and Violet is missing. Maggie, ever curious, asks a lot of questions trying to figure out where her friend is and why there is a body in her garden. I should also mention that her next door neighbour is her friend, Sally. The reader is guided along while Maggie makes her inquiries and deals with her cousin and her town nemesis Catherine. I feel like this will become a series. I recommend this story. It wasn't overly "heavy" or too much redundant wording. It was written in a simple style that I enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARD of The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit.

It’s the third or fourth mystery I read and omg it kept me coming back for more every time ! I liked that it was descriptive enough of all the events without dragging me for hours. The writing was so good but yet simple that I got all the details to make the story keep me hooked for hours. I devoured the last 30% when everything started to speed up with answers and evidence. I didn’t see the ending coming at all which I appreciate it a book of this genre because I love the feeling of “OMG that’s who it was!”, I suspected everyone but the murderer! The twists and turns (especially at the end) had me gasping every time. I loved the cover too! I can’t wait to buy my physical copy!

I had an amazing time reading this book and I’m so grateful I got to read this ARC! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Deborah J. Benoit for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley! It was an amazing experience and I’m so happy to share my review.

A very enjoyable cozy in the vein of Joanne Fluke, and I really liked it. The mystery was fun and kept you engaged, and the gardening is a great background subject. Happy to up-sell the title, and look forward to the next one

I love a good cozy murder mystery.
The old fashioned Agatha Christie style.

The Gardener's Plot reminded me of that style of story.

Maggie returns to her old home town where she has purchased her late Grandmother's beloved home.
I wanted to walk around in that old home and help Maggie renovate the gardens her Grandmother loved so much.
The descriptions made them clear and vivid in my imagination.
As Maggie settles into her new life, she doesn't waste any time rekindling friendships and becoming involved in the small town activities.
One of these activities is the new community garden.
Maggie makes a new friend through the community garden.

While she is establishing her new life, there are bumps along the way.
A troublesome cousin who won't go away. His whining annoyed me almost as much as it annoyed Maggie.
A tenacious realtor/developer that continues to hound her to sell her home.
An old female nemesis from high school.
She handles each of them with a firm hand.

Opening day of the new community garden, a body is unearthed.

Thus begins the mystery.
The author has laid the ground work (no pun intended) for the questions that are sure to come.
There are red herrings along the way.

I enjoyed the story.
This one was a quick read I was able to snuggle into.

I gave this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a cozy, easy to read, good old fashioned murder mystery.

The Gardener's Plot introduces us to Maggie Walker, a fresh, fun, character who is a gardening enthusiast. Maggie has bought her grandmother's home, and she and a local resident, Violet, are starting a community garden.
Naturally, not everyone is open to this idea, and when a body is found in a community plot, and Violet goes missing, Maggie becomes the prime suspect. With the help of her friend Sally, they follow Violet's footsteps, leading them both directly to the killer.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

3.5 - rounded up to 4!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
This is your classic "whodunit" story. Takes place in an innocent small town where Maggie and Violet decided to start a community garden - Maggie just moved back to town and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and Violet is missing. This story kept me interested and guessing on who could be the culprit. I do wish we would have been given more information on her late husband - early on in the story she talks about a divorce and being a widow and a small mention of cheating but otherwise there is nothing else. I thought that detail was going to be more pertinent to the story.
When I first started reading, I was thinking it might be an unreliable narrator situation. Maggie turned out to be trustworthy - but who was the murderer? :)