Author: Verlin Darrow

ASIN ? : ? B0CTHT

Publisher: ? The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

“This was what theuniverse had presented, like it or not, I realized. My job was tocooperate with how things needed to be, and apparently playingdetective was just that. For now.” 

'The Not Quite EnlightenedSleuth,' by Verlin Darrow is a novel that is exactly as quirky andwonderful as the title would lead you to believe. I have read one ofDarrow's novels in the past, 'Murder for Liar,' which was soenthralling that I rated it highly among my reads for last year. 

This novel is an entirelydifferent story, but with just as much punch. Having recently givenup on being a Buddhist nun, Ivy Lutz returns to the United States tovisit her dying mother one last time. But there is a problem, Ivy'smother passes away before she can properly speak to her, and Ivy'ssister, Jan, believes that their mother was murdered. 

Ivy isn't so sure that thewoman was murdered, but she is willing to indulge her sister and lookinto the case herself, as Jan does not feel that the police areinvestigating it well enough. Pretty soon, Ivy does begin to findsome things that don't match up, mostly surrounding her newstepfather, Dennis, whom she has never met before. 

It turns out that Dennisis not who he says he is, and Ivy begins to wonder if her sister isright and Dennis may have done something to cause their mother'sdeath. But before she can look into him any further, Dennis is killedas well, and the race is one to figure out just who wanted both hermother and her stepfather dead so badly. 

This book is a delight andone that I'm sure any reader will enjoy! 5 enlightened stars for thisentertaining read! 

About Verlin Darrow

Award-winning novelist,Verlin Darrow is currently a psychotherapist who lives with his psychotherapistwife in the woods near Monterey Bay in northern

California. 

They diagnoseeach other as necessary. 

He is the author of Bloodand Wisdom, Coattail Karma, Prodigy Quest, and Murder For Liar. 

Two ofthese won major book awards. Verlin is a former professional volleyballplayer, country-western singer/songwriter, import store owner, and assistant guruin a small, benign cult.

Before bowing to the needfor higher education, a much younger Verlin ran a punch press in asheet-metal factory, drove a taxi, worked as a night janitor,

shoveled asphalt on a roadcrew, and installed wood floors. 

He barely missed being blown up by Mt. St.Helens, survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake (8.0), and

(so far) he’ssuccessfully weathered his own internal disasters. 

To learn moreabout Verlin and his books,visit https://www.verlindarrow.com/

Ten things YouDidn’t Know About The Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth

1) I didn’t know how itwould turn out until the last twenty pages. Sometimes my seat of

the pants approach borderson the ridiculous.

2) Like my protagonistIvy, I had to reintegrate into the world after being part of a

spiritual community.Fortunately, I didn’t have to solve any murders while I was doing so.

3) There are multiple plottwists in my book, which, so far, no readers have anticipated.

4) As a psychotherapist, Iran a group for twelve years for patients like Ivy’s sister, who

struggles with managingher bi-polar disorder.

5) The Not QuiteEnlightened Sleuth is my fifth novel, and my third mystery. The other

two mysteries werefinalists in major book award contests.

6) This is the first bookI’ve written in a woman’s voice. I didn’t really know if Icould

manage it or if it waseven kosher in the publishing world these days. Since a publisher

green-lighted it, I guessit is.

7) I have a friend who isa Buddhist nun of sorts whose Sri Lankan teacher gave a talk I

attended. Someone askedhim what he thought about humanity ruining the planet. He

told him not to worry.“There are plenty of other planets on which to reincarnate.”

8) This book represents anattempt to reach a more traditional mystery readership than

my earlier novels. Withits amateur woman detective, a bit of romance, and a plot to

puzzle those who enjoytrying to solve puzzles….We’ll see.

9) The Bulgarian gangstercharacter is based on someone I actually know.

10) My astute wife/firstreader/critical thinker has given this book her stamp of approval.

©VerlinDarrow