Title: The Gardener’s Plot

Author: Deborah J. Benoit

I had a hard time putting this book down. From start to finish, I was on the edge of my seat.

I mistakenly thought the book was a cozy mystery when I requested it on Netgalley so part way through the book I was a bit bothered by some of what was happening.

It seemed a little darker than a cozy mystery, but, so far, up to that point the book had been like a cozy mystery – very clean, no graphic descriptions of bodies, close friends for the main character, quirky characters in general, a small town, and a fairly straightforward mystery.

Eventually, I began to accept that this wasn’t a light and fluffy cozy mystery but one with a bit more grit to it. Not enough grit to be disturbing or horrifying, however.

There is a sad backstory for our main character, Maggie Walker, but I like how she deals with that story slowly as the book and mystery unfold. I like how she has empathy for victims of crime, which is something I don’t always see in cozy mysteries. Sometimes main characters are a bit more flippant about the crime that has occurred.

Maggie Walker is not flippant about what she has been thrust into the middle of, or what she has experienced in the past. She’s very realistic and faces it head-on without bringing the reader all the way down in the dumps.

I loved the friendship between Maggie and Sally.

I think Maggie needs a pet, though, so if there are going to be more of these books, I would like Maggie to have at least a cat so she isn’t rattling around in her grandmother’s old house all alone anymore.

My one negative was that the book dragged just a little bit toward the end for me. It was just a little bit, though, and not enough for me not to want to keep going and find out what happened. I am only adding that so other readers will know that if you feel the same way – don’t give up. Push through because the ending is worth it. Other readers may not feel that it dragged, however.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own and a positive review was not required or requested.