The Retired Assassin's Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Name: The Retired Assassin's Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Availability: InStock
Author: Naomi Kuttner
ISBN: B0DNL9SM67

by Naomi Kuttner

Paranormal Women Sleuths Humor Amateur Sleuths

witches gardening

🛒 View on Amazon

About The Retired Assassin's Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery

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

What readers say

Readers enjoy this quirky New Zealand cozy for its odd-couple cast of a retired assassin, a ghost-talking gardener and a sharp older neighbor, along with gentle humor, charming small-town scenery, a relaxing pace and a mystery that keeps them guessing. A blog reviewer was delighted by the ghosts and the house turned fortress, and the audiobook narration earns praise. Common criticisms are a slow start and sagging middle, flat characters, multiple viewpoints, convenient plot turns and ghost elements that feel underused. Some readers say there is little actual gardening and spot editing problems.

Best for: Readers who want a humorous, offbeat paranormal cozy with a lovable misfit lead and don't mind loose plotting.

Summary of public reader reviews, updated November 2026.