Review By Kayleigh
The Gardener’s Plot is a modern take on the beloved cozy mystery.
Book Synopsis:
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.
The Gardener’s Plot takes readers to the heart of the Berkshires and introduces amateur sleuth Maggie Walker in Deborah J. Benoit’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut.
Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed Deborah J. Benoit’s debut cozy mystery about a master gardener who ends up unexpectedly at home clearing out her family home and rebuilding her life. She joins a committee to help open a community garden and of course, mystery and murder occur. Maggie, our main character, is struggling to adapt to life back in a small town with people who think they know her but don’t know adult her.
When a body is discovered in one of the gardener’s plots, and a dear friend of Maggie’s goes missing, the plot literally thickens. I loved watching Maggie try to balance rebuilding her own life while trying to figure out what is going on with this town. Who would murder someone over some dirt? Maggie is focused on trying to figure out who is threatening fellow gardeners and trying to find out where her dear friend has gone.
This is a strong debut mystery, and I hope it’s setting up for a series. The characters, and possible love interest, are engaging and the small town is one I’d love to return to. My only beef was that the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out, especially Maggie, who keeps to herself even with the reader. This is why I’m hopeful there will be more books and we can watch her relax around us.
If you’re looking for a delightful small town mystery with a middle aged woman rebuilding her life, then The Gardner’s Plot is sure to delight.
Thank you Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
