The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Original price was: $14.99.$2.99Current price is: $2.99.
Price: $14.99 - $2.99
(as of Oct 09, 2025 06:45:30 UTC – Details)
Dante has come to the small coastal town of Te Kohe, New Zealand, for a fresh start in life. But he doesn’t want to open a BnB, or save a charming bookshop, or start a romance with a single mother in need of rescuing.
He just wants to forget about his past career (which involved a lot of dead bodies) and have everyone leave him the heck alone. Unfortunately for Dante, life has other plans…
ASIN : B0DNL9SM67
Publisher : Inkblot Publishing Ltd
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : January 25, 2025
Language : English
File size : 1.7 MB
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 390 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1991430007
Page Flip : Enabled
Book 1 of 2 : Retired Assassin’s Guide
Best Sellers Rank: #4,637 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #7 in Cozy Crafts & Hobbies Mystery #12 in Ghost Suspense #16 in Ghost Mysteries
Customer Reviews: 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,458 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this cozy mystery book engaging, with its intelligent and intriguing plot told from multiple vantage points and plenty of surprising twists. The writing flows effortlessly, and the characters are delightful with a range of pasts, while the story includes laugh-out-loud moments and a warm murder mystery atmosphere. Customers appreciate the pacing, with one review noting it’s a lovely little crime-solving team, and the paranormal elements are well-integrated into the narrative.
13 reviews for The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery
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Original price was: $14.99.$2.99Current price is: $2.99.
Old Time Tales –
In which I talk about a great book!
This was such a funbook to read. Strong, well written, clever heroes and strong, well written, nasty villains fill the wonderful village of Te Kohe. The plot is plausible, the mystery devious and deceitful. Dante is brilliant, Eleanore is remarkable, Charlie is darling, Avery is perfect and Ted is just a punk.A tale of how a man can remake and redeem himself One Day At A Time.
Mary B. –
A real gem
What a find! A well-plotted mystery by a very talented contemporary writer. I’m a golden-age cozy addict and it seems like the only mysteries I really enjoy are about a hundred years old and the authors long dead. It’s wonderful to find something modern in the genre that lives up to golden-age standards. I especially love Ms. Kuttner’s wry style and her clever use of language. She has created well-defined, engaging characters (even the assassin) that I really look forward to following from book to book. The paranormal touches are well done, and the book as a whole is just a lot of fun. I hope the author plans on writing lots of books in this series.
zook33p3r –
Quite good!
First time reading this author and I liked it quite a bit. Not having much experience with New Zealand, it was an interesting setting. Kudos to the author for avoiding that annoying trait some do of italicizing foreign words and places.The mystery (for me at least) was solved within the first few chapters, but thatâs why itâs a cozy mystery and not a thriller. The twists and turns kept it surprising and interesting.The characters are where the book shines. They were something truly special. Interesting and layered, poignant and relatable, even while being somewhat fantastical. After all, a retired MI6 assassin, the ghost talking gardener, and the enigmatic retiree (no spoilers) are hardly the norm. Even the addition of the supernatural fit cleanly and did not distract or overtake the story.Thoroughly recommend giving this author a try!
citygirlpz –
A Fun New Mystery Series
Book 1 in the series was a treat to read. The characters are superbly drawn, hangups and all, the writing is excellent (dry, acerbic wit and impeccable style) and the ghosts fit in well. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Cool Auntie J –
Such a clever book!
The mystery of the book was very well plotted and the characters are quite engaging. My absolute favorite thing is the authorâs cunning use of language. The assassinâs internal debates are a great example of a wonderful wordsmith. Very enjoyable.
Kindle Customer –
Hilarious, original and cool as
I cannot say how much I loved this book. It portrays small town New Zealand remarkably and makes a unique, cozy yet thrilling mystery. One of the best books I’ve read this year!
AnnieBlue –
Rated 4.5 â
Charming and entertaining story, very enjoyable.Pro – engaging characters, interesting setting, not a cookie-cutters storyCon – characters and story would benefit from more development. Parts of the story feel like an outline of plot, rather than actual completed story.Skinny story meant a quick read. I enjoyed the book, glad I got it on kindle unlimited, rather than paying real money.
SMS –
Exactly what it purports to be 🙂
âParanormal Cozy Mysteryâ indeed it is, and just what the doctor ordered, in my case :), so if thatâs what youâre in the mood for, then this is the book for you! No heavy lifting. Some genuinely touching moments. A bit of a chuckle every now & then. The characters are well developed, and I like that the story is told from multiple vantage points. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Jane Webster –
A really enjoyable book with likeable characters. It was a bit of a slow starter for me but then I stayed up late to read the second half. The mystery possibly wasn’t as strong as the people, but that’s what I prefer.
Anne V. –
All of the trappings of a small town cosy mystery, but itâs a little like a haycart attached to jet engines. The pace is quick and lively, more like a caper movie than a who dunnit. Only instead of daring heists our crack team of (mostly) scoundrels are solving crimes.
Gina –
I was hesitant to read a book about an assassin, even a retired one, but I’m glad I did. Parts of this reminded me of Richard Osman’s books, in that the characters all have interesting back stories which are gradually revealed as the plot progresses and I loved their interactions. The book has a bit of everything: fun and humour as well as mystery and excitement, some philosophy, maybe pathos, and even bit of supernatural. It might sound like a mess and in the wrong hands it could have been, but it really wasn’t.The only thing that gave it away as self-published were a couple of spelling errors (wrap for rap, and bear for bare) and a repeated paragraph. Sometimes that would have been enough to put me off but in this case it really wasn’t.It’s going to seem like a long wait till the sequel comes out, so I’m checking out the author’s other books.
Amazon Customer –
This was a really enjoyable read. Good development of a whole range of characters. Laugh out loud funny in parts, some move you to tears. But a good sit down and fantastic story.It has a baddie you just want to see brought to justice.And a hero who just wants a quiet life. I loved it.
Brian –
Full of amusing and quotable musings with a villain that everyone would want to smack in the face. Add in two murders, one historical and the other recent but diabolical in its cleverness along with a touch of the supernatural and there you have a novel that holds your interest.