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.

Overall I enjoyed this book, very much a cozy mystery. I found it a bit slow in the beginning but I think that was part of the charm - I wanted to feel steeped in the town like the protagonist. I did feel at times that things could have been spelled out a little clearer regarding her relationships but overall this was a good book snack.

The first in what seems like it could be a new cozy series follows Maggie Walker back in the Berkshires town she grew up and living in what used to be her grandmother's house. She is really excited to be assisting Violet Bloom with the creation of a community garden. On the day of the opening, things go from bad to worse when first Violet is a no-show and then secondly, a dead body is discovered in one of the plots. Maggie is concerned about where Violet is and starts investigating to see is she can find her friend.

I enjoyed this debut! I found it super easy to read and follow the plot, key for a cozy! I did think the whodunit seemed obvious, but I read a lot of cozies, so maybe that's just me! I did have a few questions about Maggie that I don't feel like were answered - like it mentions in the first chapter that she writes but then it never really talks about what she writes as far as I could tell?? These could be answered though in future books. I also liked Maggie and her best friend, Sally's dynamic as investigators. I definitely will keep my eye out for the second in this series!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Looking to reset her life, Maggie Walker has returned to the small town where she spent much time as a child. Looking to get involved, she volunteers to help Violet Bloom set up the new community garden. But on the morning the garden is set to open, Violet is MIA. To add to the drama, they discover a body buried in one of the plots. With Violet missing, she rises to the top of the list of suspect. But Maggie refused to believe Violet would do something like that. And she's determined to prove it.

I picked up this book just after finishing a book I was thoroughly engrossed in and really loved. I saw it as a transition and didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It read fairly quickly and kept me engaged.

As the first book in a new series, we're introduced to all the characters. I liked the collection of personalities and enjoyed their interactions. Maggie loves gardening. She even writes a column for the hometown newspaper. She's loyal to her friends and would do just about anything for them. Her relationship with her friends helps create that intimate small town atmosphere. The story's antagonists were just the right amount of unlikable so I didn't really like them, but I didn't hate them either, and could feel for them if the situation called for it.

The mystery flowed smoothly. Each chapter providing both clues and questions. Though I was able to guess who done it a few chapters before the big reveal, it definitely didn't ruin the story for me. I still enjoyed experiencing machinations the characters went through to come to the final conclusion.

3.5 stars
Who knew opening up a community garden could lead to so many problems like finding a dead body in the garden bed and having one of the founders go missing. Maggie is determined to find out what happened to her friend and why someone would do this.

This was a cute cozy mystery! I enjoyed the plot and the characters in this one! This felt like a light fluffy read with a touch of suspense! One thing that was confusing at times was that the characters would some times jumble together for me. This was a great read overall that I definitely recommend checking out!

Maggie Walker has purchased her late grandmother's house and is eager to begin her new life. She volunteers at a community garden, but on the opening day, a body is found half-buried in one of the plots. Worse still, Violet Bloom, her friend and coplanner, has gone missing. The deceased is a would-be developer and brother of Maggie's arch-nemesis.

Despite admonitions from the local police, Maggie and Sally can't help digging into the mystery, spurred on by the fact their investigations prove more fruitful than the professionals'.

This is a fun, entertaining cozy with a somewhat different premise. Lovers of cozy mysteries, small town settings, and gardening will enjoy this series debut. #TheGardenersPlot #NetGalley

Perfectly standard cozy mystery. Good descriptions, somewhat interchangeable characters, nothing particularly memorable to me. Wouldn't bother with any in future, found it a little long and padded.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was such a wonderful read with a beautiful cover!

A new cozy mystery brings us a small town setting centered around a new community garden. When Maggie arrives to open the garden for the first day of planting, the woman in charge, Violet, is nowhere to be found. What she does find is a body is one of the plots. Who is it and where has Violet disappeared to? Maggie is on the case, even if the lead detective wishes she wasn’t. This is a cute start to a series, although this is a little repetition as Maggie discusses her theories over and over. I would like to see how the characters develop if this series continues. If you love gardening and mysteries, this one is definitely for you.

A solid cozy mystery! This one is perfect for those who have a green thumb or even those who don't and just love gardening.

This was such a lovely cozy mystery! I really enjoyed all of the characters especially Sally and Maggie. Maggie moves back into her childhood home after her grandmother passes and leaves it to her. The quaint Berkshires community is holding strongly to staying small and tight knit and even reenergizing their local community garden. Unfortunately, many outsiders including Maggie's cousin want to develop all of the land and turn it into apartments and commercial facilities. During the start of the community garden, while they are breaking ground a shoe is discovered! Leading to a buried body and a big mystery where no one is safe. I enjoyed this cozy read. Thanks to NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for this ARC.