The Woman in the Garden – Jill Johnson.

Summary

Eustacia Rose is about to learn that people are just as toxic as her plants…

Eustacia Rose is Professor of Botanical Toxicology and lives alone in London with only her extensive but exquisite collection of poisonous plants for company. She tends to her garden with meticulous care, buys the occasional rare specimen off the black market, and likes to look through her telescope at her neighbors (it’s science, not spying). In all, Eustacia’s life never changes.

That is, until the day she hears a scream and the temptation to investigate proves irresistible.

Through her telescope, Professor Rose is drawn into the life of an extraordinarily beautiful neighbor, Simone, and nicknames the men who visit her after poisonous plants according to the toxic effect they have on Simone. But who are these four men? And why does Eustacia Rose recognize one of them?

Just as she cares for and preserves her secret garden, she feels inexplicably compelled to care for and protect her neighbor. But when her precious garden is vandalized and someone close to Simone is murdered with a toxin derived from a rare poisonous plant, Eustacia find herself implicated in the crime and decides to take matters into her own hands…

Review

The Woman in the Garden started as a nice, cosy read! I feel like I always start my reviews by complimenting the covers, but this is such beautiful cover art! It’s so attractive and captures the vibe of the book very well.

Now, onto the actual story. Professor Eustacia Rose lives her days in peace on her own, still having been touched by her father’s death, until a new neighbour moves in. Rose becomes fascinated with the newest addition to the neighbourhood, Simone, and without noticing, she becomes entangled in a police investigation when she witnesses Simone get kidnapped. What happened to her new neighbour? And why does she recognise a man from her past as Simone’s lover?

The book flowed well, but as it progressed, I felt frustrated by Rose’s antics and the way she spoke and acted. I understand the character was neurodivergent, but I feel like this characterization was played a bit too much for my liking, like her not knowing what social media was and hating having a cell phone. Hopefully it’s not just me that thought this. I liked the LGBTQ+ representation, though!

There is a very thoughtful and interesting glossary of plants at the end, and that is such a nice and fun addition to the book. I really liked it! The ending was hopeful and sort of open, but since this is the first in its series, I’m kind of curious to see what awaits Professor Eustacia Rose.