ABOUT THE BOOK

BLOOD & WISDOM - PI Karl Gatlin takes Aria Piper’s case when a threat arrives—“if she doesn’t stop doing Satan’s work…” A few hours later, a headless John Doe bobs up in the wishing well at Aria’s New Age spiritual center near Santa Cruz, California.

With canine Larry by his side and a wise-ass hacker helping out, Karl confronts a ruthless pastor, the dead-eyed leader of a drug gang, and several suspicious members of Aria’s own flock as he hunts for answers.

More murders lead to more questions. How could violence on this scale emerge from such a peaceful spiritual community—led by Aria, no less, the kindest, wisest person Karl has ever met? Will Karl’s psychologist training be enough to save his new lover’s life?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Verlin Darrow is currently a psychotherapist who lives with his psychotherapist wife in the woods near the Monterey Bay in northern California. They diagnose each other as necessary. Verlin is a former professional volleyball player (in Italy), unsuccessful country-western singer/songwriter, import store owner, and assistant guru in a small, benign spiritual organization. Before bowing to the need for higher education, a much younger Verlin ran a punch press in a sheetmetal factory, drove a taxi, worked as a night janitor, shoveled asphalt on a road crew, and installed wood flooring. He missed being blown up by Mt. St. Helens by ten minutes, survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake (8 on the Richter scale), and (so far) has successfully weathered his own internal disasters.

http://www.verlindarrow.com