Grow a Little Murder

There’s a certain comfortable predictability in most cozy mysteries:  a small town (or reasonable facsimile), a life-changing decision, an amateur sleuth who reluctantly takes on the task of unmasking a killer, perhaps a pet companion, definitely secrets. And to make things interesting, a little something extra.

The Gardener’s Plot is set in a small town in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. After a Murphy’s Law-worthy year, amateur-sleuth-to-be Maggie Walker returns home craving nothing more than the comfort and security of her late grandmother’s house, to cultivate friendships, and to do a little gardening.

What better place for Maggie to engage with neighbors who share her love of growing things than a community garden? It seems a rather innocuous setting for murder (even though garden tools could make handy weapons for anyone so inclined).

A community garden brings people together whose reasons for being there are as different as their day-to-day lives. Some may lack space for a garden at home. Gardening may be a way to afford healthier food. It can offer a place to learn or to share knowledge—or just plain show off. Perhaps they crave companionship. Or gossip.

Those of us who grew up on episodes of Murder, She Wrote and volumes of cozy mysteries know that small towns are never what they seem. But gardens? Gardens are sanctuaries of peace. A place to plant flowers and watch them bloom or grow veggies that will feed one’s hunger as well as one’s soul. Digging in the dirt is therapeutic. Except in a mystery novel.

There are hidden agendas for those who come to the community garden—not to mention the body buried in The Gardener’s Plot.

You can also read Deborah J. Benoit’s gardening blog here!