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.

This was a very good read. I enjoyed the plot, the twists, and the cast of characters. The mystery was intriguing and fun. Being a gardener myself, I loved the gardening aspects of the story.

The characters were likable and
the writing was easy to follow. This book was uniquely entertaining and a nice simple book to spend an afternoon reading.

Overall, the Gardener's Plot was a lighthearted murder mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I hope to read more books by this author in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. An interesting cast of characters drive this plot along. Entertaining location and small town.

An excellent mystery that mixes elements of cozy (small town, amateur sleuth) with a sharp description of small town life and a solid mystery
Maggie is a clever and strong woman, she grew on me and I would be happy to read more about her.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Not my favorite cup of tea. A little slow at the beginning, the tram is certainly interesting, but it could have been done better. Thanks to nNetgalley for the chance of reading this book in adv, and sorry for the delay :)

I loved, loved, loved this book! Maggie is a great main character. I love a good mystery and this one had it all. Grab it!

I was a bit behind on my reviews and I just happened to find the audio to this so I was able to read and listen I highly recommend the audiobook!
Small down cozy mystery with 2 dead bodies and a kidnapping!

This was action packed and it didn't slow down. I didnt even see who the suspect was. I was shocked and the ending was great.
As far as cozy mysteries go I'll be loking for more.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery and.a quick read. I enjoyed the references to the master gardener program and wanted to get digging in the dirt with them. A little too much introspection that got a bit repetitive. I couldn't get a real feel for the ages of these folks. Why wasn't Maggie working? I did like the characters and was kinda sad to see one go.

“The Gardener’s Plot” is the nicely done debut mystery novel by Deborah Benoit. The book introduces readers to Maggie Walker who bought her late grandmother’s house and has moved back home to the Berkshires. Determined to make a fresh start, Maggie volunteers to help set up a community garden. Unfortunately, things bet off to a bad start when she finds a dead body and someone else is missing. The police are investigating but Maggie and her friend Sally do some digging on their own but will their sleuthing put them in danger?

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. It serves as a nice set up to future books in the series – setting up Maggie as a strong main character, introducing the town she lives in, and the various people in her life including her relationship with Sally, the police, Catherine who hates her for reasons Maggie can only guess at, and friends and neighbors. The gardening aspects were well done – I am not a gardener but I found that there was just enough information about the gardening without it being overwhelming. Unfortunately, while there was plenty of information about the gardening I found the book to be low on details about other things – Maggie’s age, how she was surviving money wise (she used much of her money to buy the house and I doubt her part time gig writing a gardening column paid that well), even the name of Sally’s children (one was finally named late in the book). While I thought the mystery was good, with some great moments of suspense, I did find there was a lack of suspects. However, as a first book this was well-written and I think future books in the series will fill in some of the missing gaps.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of The Gardener's Plot! All opinions in this review are my own.

I really like that there are two mysteries in this one - a body and a missing person! I wish there had been more clues or discoveries in the middle of the mystery, but it makes for a very exciting ending! I can't wait to read the next book in this series!