Description Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow
A Buddhist nun returns to her hometown and solves multiple murders while enduring her dysfunctional family. Ivy Lutz leaves her life as a Buddhist nun in Sri Lanka and returns home to northern California when her elderly mother suffers a stroke.Praise for Verlin Darrow
"I don't know when I've enjoyed a murder mystery more. Between the insightful sarcasm, inside jokes, flat out madcap hilarity and keenly wicked observations, there's literally something to laugh or chuckle about on every page. This is truly a clever, one of a kind book that really turns everything upside down and inside out."-Donna Thompson, Amazon ReviewAbout Verlin Darrow
Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth
Guest Review by Laura
“You can nail the son of a bitch,” she managed to gasp.
“Who?”
“Dennis—Mom's husband. He murdered her. I know he did. She's not dead yet, but he murdered her.”
'The Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth,' starts out with a bang and just keeps building from there. I was captivated by this book from the first page, when former Buddhist nun Ivy Lutz returns home after years of living in south Asia to be by her mother's bedside after the woman has had a stroke. Apparently, Ivy's mother had been doing better, but she suddenly took a turn for the worse that left her doctors mystified.
Ivy's sister, Jan believes that their stepfather, Dennis may have done something to hurt their mother and this belief only gets stronger when their mother dies only minutes after Ivy's arrival.
Jan tells Ivy that the police won't listen to her and that Ivy needs to investigate Dennis herself. She believes that Ivy's intelligence and her innate ability to sense when people have bad energy will help her discover the truth about Dennis.
Although she is daunted by the task and still grieving heavily, Ivy agrees to question Dennis. This decision leads her on a road to becoming a sleuth and brings her into working with the police to try and find out what really happened to her mother. Of course, Dennis is actually hiding some things about himself and this causes the whole case to become even more intriguing.
I have read another of Verlin Darrow's books before and this one was just as great! I love the way he writes and the funny and entertaining protagonists that he creates. I can't wait to see what stories he comes out with next! I can only hope that it will be soon!
Verlin Darrow Excerpt- The Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth
I called Rick early the following morning. “Is there anything you can share about the ongoing cases? Ray Petrie told me not to bother you, so let me know if this call is a bother.”
“No bother. I’ve been keeping an eye on both cases. It turns out the so-called other wife is full of it. Oops. Sorry, Ivy.”
“I’m fine with off-color language, Rick. You can even fart and tell dirty jokes if you want.”
He laughed. I’d always liked his laugh, a low rumble.
“I think I’ll pass. Anyway, Dennis was separated from Maria and had been for years, and they were never married, except by some friend when they were all drunk. There’s no paperwork. The thing is, she’s a nut job all the way around, and the way Dennis dealt with her was to always take her phone calls so she wouldn’t freak out and show up at the house or something. Apparently, your mom knew about her.”
“She did freak out and call the police when he didn’t answer,” I pointed out.
“Yes, which was handy. She about drove Petrie nuts in his interview, though. They were in there for an hour and a half, and mostly I think she talked about her cats.”
“So she doesn’t know anything about his murder?”
“Who knows? She said Dennis used to deal with some nasty types in the past, but he’d been out of the business for years.”
“Nasty types? Criminals?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“What about my mother’s death?”
“They’re still investigating up in the city.”
“Can you tell me more about that?” I needed to find out all I could before Rick clammed up.
“I shouldn’t, but what the hell. The nurse on duty—the guy who was supposed to keep an eye on her—got a phone call and disappeared for twenty minutes shortly before you arrived at the hospital. Pretty convenient, right?”
“Absolutely. Oh, and I just remembered something,” I said hurriedly. “My sister said Dennis’s sister was an administrator at the hospital. That might figure into things.”
“I’ll pass it on, but I’m sure the force up there already knows that. I’m sorry, Ivy, but I shouldn’t even be on the phone right now. You need to deal with Art Petrie on the murder down here. He’s a great cop.”
“Can’t you put me in touch with whoever’s looking into Mom’s death. I think I have some insights gained from talking to Dennis that might help.”
“No, I can’t do that. Sorry.”
“I understand. Are you comfortable telling me a little more about Detective Petrie?”
“Why?”
“He intrigues me.”
“Intrigues you, huh? Is that Buddhist code for wondering if he’s single?”
“We don’t use codes. We just speak pig latin around Christians. Sometimes we surreptitiously pass notes in the back of classrooms.”
Rick laughed again. “Like us in high school.”
“Exactly. That was proto-Buddhist behavior. I stuck with with it and you didn’t.”
“So is that what you want to know, Ivy—whether he’s single?”
“You detectives are relentless, aren’t you? Yes, I’m interested in his life circumstance. It’s a little embarrassing to admit it.”
“No, I get it. If I were a woman, I’d go for him. He’s a great guy, as well as a great detective. The thing is, he doesn’t hang out in bars with the rest of us or gossip at the water cooler, so I don’t know him all that well.”
“That’s a real thing? Water cooler talk?”
“Absolutely. Water and coffee are the only free perks we get, so we all end up in the break room. I can tell you this about Art. He lost his wife to breast cancer about six years ago and he doesn’t have any kids. Originally, he’s from somewhere like Chicago or Milwaukee. I don’t remember exactly.”
“Thanks, Rick.”
“I’m surprised you’re interested. Isn’t being a nun all about not hooking up with men?”
“My future is full of possibilities.”
“Well, there’s a vague answer if I ever heard one.”
“Thank you. That’s what I was shooting for.”
“In other words, it’s none of my business?”
“Thanks for your help.”
“I get it. Bye, Ivy.”
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