The Woman in the Garden

by Jill Johnson

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Woman in the Garden is the first book in an intriguing mystery series by Jill Johnson. Released 16th July 2024 by Sourcebooks on their Poisoned Pen Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. The book's alternate title is Devil's Breath , with a similar date of release. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a beautifully written book with often breathtaking prose. The author is wonderfully adept with description and setting, and the characters are at turns odd, toxic, quirky, and strange. The main character, a neurodivergent botanical toxicologist and former university lecturer, has a collection of rare poisonous plants and a quiet but regimented life. She's unwillingly drawn into investigation when her rooftop poison garden is vandalized and poisons from her plants are used to commit a murder. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 18 minutes and is capably narrated by Rachel Capell. She has a warm, well rounded alto voice and does an amazing job with the disparate accents (Brazillian, RP English, London, regional), of a range of ages and both sexes. Much of the dialogue is rapid fire, and she changes character easily and well. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

There is a great deal of botanical information as a tie-in here, so horticulturalists will be especially engaged. The botanical info is precise and correct as written.

Four stars. The book would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, and gift-giving purposes, especially to gardening enthusiasts. It's not at all derivative, but there's a slight Alan Bradley vibe (MC Eustacia is so anachronistic that hearing her talk about cell phones is a shock), with a whiff of classic Christie poison; the prose is so precise, it's a thing of beauty.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.