Please join me in welcoming Naomi Kuttner to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting.

Assassin. Gardener. Reluctant cat adoptee.

All Dante wants is to be left alone in the small New Zealand town no one’s heard of. No drama. No bodies. No questions. But then, of course, the orchid convention comes to town, and Dante is knee deep in suspects, intrigue, and red herrings.

On top of all this, Dante must navigate a mysterious woman from his past, cat issues, and the terrifying prospect of a first date. And he has to do it while fighting his instinct to solve problems the old-fashioned way: permanently.

The ‘Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting’ is a cosy paranormal mystery with found family, ghosts, a grumpy assassin and a sunshine gardener.

Come for the murder, stay for the cat, the gardens, and the New Zealand country charm.

Naomi has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it. 

*****beginning of extract*****

In which Dante grapples with moral ambiguity.

Dante drew the blinds, checked the room for any details that might identify his location, and sat at his desk in his front parlour. It was time for a weekly Thursday meeting he’d attended without fail for the last six months.

Under the desk, his fingers wrapped around the handle of his Glock 17. He let out a slow breath, chasing the inner calm his therapist had said this would bring. His fingers tightened around the stippled grip of the gun, the polymer plastic cool against his palm.

The cat butted its head against his calf, and Dante’s pulse slowed. His focus drew inwards to a single point as his shoulders relaxed. It was time.

Dante keyed the connection, and the screen of his computer flared to life. Looking back at him were four faces: John, Aubrey, Jasmine, and Frankie. Four retired assassins, four members of Assassins Anonymous, four killers doing their level best to keep their days homicide free.

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