The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J Benoit Book Review

About the Book:

A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots 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.

My Review:

This is the best debut cozy mystery I have read in some time. It is the winner of the publisher's first novel award and I can see why. Benoit has created a number of interesting characters. I like Maggie. A gardener at heart, she is living in the freedom of her near-ex being accidentally killed before their divorce was final. She has returned to the town familiar from her youth. That reveals friends and enemies. I like Sally, neighbor from childhood, now an aggressive sidekick who is as determined to solve a murder as Maggie is. But there are also those who despise Maggie. Catherine, wife of the town chief of police, has been at odds with her since grade school. Benoit provides readers with good character construction of both friends and foes.

The plot has a good balance of mystery investigative development and character thought and action. Benoit's writing style is quite good with some clever word construction along the way. There is a serious dose of suspense near the end that made me want to know how the last scenes worked out. I do wish there had been a few more gardening tips though I really appreciated her description of planting tomato starts.

A great cozy mystery with well drawn characters, a well constructed plot, a good dose of heart pounding suspense near the end, and the potential of a romance in the near future. I do hope there is another in this series as I liked this one so much. I will be eagerly watching for it.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

About the Author:

DEBORAH J. BENOIT was a legal secretary for 30 years before deciding to pursue more creative endeavors. Her debut novel, The Gardener’s Plot, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition. Born and raised in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, there’s no place she’d rather call home, even in winter. Determined to never stop learning, Deborah loves sharing her knowledge of gardening, through articles she’s written, in person, and on social media. When not writing or digging up plots in her garden, she can be found working on her latest fiber arts project. Photo credit: Deborah J Benoit

Minotaur Books, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)