The Garden Plot - Review

The Garden Plot by Marty Wingate

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  American Pru Parke desperately wants to stay in England, the place where she feels at home and where her mother grew up.  Staying depends on finding a job as a gardener and with her time and savings rapidly decreasing she begins to give up home.  When she takes a temporary job making a garden presentable she doesn't expect to stumble on a Roman mosaic and she really doesn't expect to stumble on a dead body the next day.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression:
Pro: I really liked that Pru's future was as much of a mystery as the murder.  This isn't a case of someone who has a decision to make.  This is someone who has made her decision, who really wants to stay where she is and is trying her best but it might just not work out.  I liked the characters in the book.  Pru, Christopher and Jo were nice people and seemed to all genuinely like each other.

Con:  While I did like the characters and the focus on Pru's future the murder itself got a little lost.  I also didn't quite understand her insta-loyalty to the Wilson's.  They were nice to her but she hadn't really known them that long.  There was an incident where the both a character and the incident itself came out of nowhere.  It felt a bit manufactured to give the plot a bit of a boost.


Overall Impression:  This was a nice cozy mystery with a unusual premise and an older main character.  It wasn't perfect but it was an enjoyable read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, I'll definitely keep an eye out for the next in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  This isn't a drop everything and go buy it right now kind of book but if you like cozy mysteries and gardening you would enjoy this book.