The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

The Gardener’s Plot
Deborah J. Benoit
Minotaur Books

This is a great series starter and well titled with a main character is a master gardener named Maggie/Margaret Walker. Maggie finds herself back in her hometown after 15 years, to settle her Gramma’s estate which included purchasing the family home where she spent so much of her life. While there was an offer on the house, Gramma’s heirs had right of first refusal and Maggie couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Maggie wasn’t the only one who wanted the house; annoying Cousin Simon and shiftless wheeler dealer Carl Henderson have been more difficult than invasive weeds each badgering her to sell for different reasons. Thankfully, Violet Bloom is keeping Maggie busy as her assistant for the city community park project. Maggie has never been busier, what with the disappearance of Violet, the death of Carl Henderson, and the endless nagging calls and certified letters from Cousin Simon. The other troublesome problem in the cozy town of Marlowe is that gossip is a major league sport and Catherine Walker is a heavy hitter. We have no idea why Catherine has such a strong aversion to Maggie but the past romantic high school history that Maggie shares with police Chief Sam Whitaker aka Catherine’s husband, doesn’t help.  

As I said, this mystery is well titled between the body drop location (a plot spot in the community garden) and the plotting that the killer must have done throughout the story to achieve their goals. At least they tried. The story does a great job of keeping you guessing and hoping against hope.  I was hoping that Cousin Simon would give it a rest. There is humor, angst, a smidge of sassiness, a touch of sarcasm, and some ride or die friendship. This was a great series starter; at least I hope it is a starter and that there are more in the works. An entertaining cozy it is also educational with some great gardening tips right alongside of the clues that are sewn into the story.