Down Dog Diary by Sherry Roberts

Maya Skye #1

by Sherry Roberts

DOWN DOG DIARY One man has died for it. Now it's Maya Skye's job to protect it. Can a yoga teacher hunt a killer and still find inner peace? In yoga, the Downward Facing Dog Pose turns your world upside down, and that is exactly what the Down Dog Diary does to yoga teacher Maya Skye. First, her mentor, a former Hell's Angel turned shaman, is killed for the book of secrets. Now Maya has it, and trouble is stalking her. When the mystical journal is stolen, Maya learns just how elusive inner peace can be at the point of a gun. Down Dog Diary is set in small Gabriel's Garden, Minnesota, not far from the Twin Cities. It's a mystery told with humor and drama, but it is also an exploration of the battle for inner peace that rages inside all of us. We may try to follow the path, but life isn't all Minnesota nice.

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Sherry Roberts is the author of award-winning contemporary fiction (Down Here, Up There, Book of Mercy, Maud’s House) and cozy mysteries (Down Dog Diary, Warrior’s Revenge, Crow Calling). Several of her books are Indie Author Project Select titles as well as finalists in the Midwest Book Awards. Sherry has contributed essays and short stories to various publications including Saint Paul Almanac, Minnesota Not So Nice, Dark Side of the Loon. and Mystery Magazine. Her essays are on The Hearth: www.hearth.sherry-roberts.com. She lives in Minnesota, where she feeds the hummingbirds, takes walks, reads by the fire, bakes cookies, and practices yoga.

Reviews

[Masquerade Crew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewer: Walki

Shaman James Tumblethorne, former Hell's Angel, has been murdered and yoga teacher (and Reiki master) Maya Skye has inherited his diary, the fabled Shaman's Diary that shamans have been writing and passing down for centuries, to keep and guard with their lives. Some people believe it carries the secret of immortality within its pages, and they will not hesitate to kill to get their hands on it.

Sherry Roberts, author of 'Book of Mercy', just crafted her first mystery and it is a beautiful work, dipped in zen and Native American lore, with echoes of Tony Hillerman and Abigail Padgett. 'Down Dog Diary' is a thriller written with a humorous and fluid style, and has many layers between caffeine and inner peace, between day-to-day reality and touches of paranormal.

Once again Sherry Roberts introduces memorable, colourful characters. Maya Skye is the most remarkable in the lot. Behind her strong appearance and beneath yoga, Reiki and Tai-Chi, she has buried anger and tried to escape guilt. Her new friend Peter Jorn is a non-believer who tries to hide his pains beneath wounds collected in Afghanistan, and his life as a reporter. Maya's family is a crazy motley crew between her mother the zen artist, her father the computer geek, and her sister who only wants a normal life.

Gentle and wise, 'Down Dog Diary' is also down to earth and realistic. It carries the beauty and ugliness of life within its pages, reminding the readers that life is coloured by our actions and thoughts and the paths we follow are from our own choices. 'Down Dog Diary' is a kick-ass mystery novel and I am looking forward to Maya Skye's next adventure. I hope the crow will be there, too.

[Jim Liston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written over many decades, the Down Dog Diary contains the mysterious of life, handed down from shaman to shaman. Some believe that among its wisdom and prayers is the secret location of the Tree of Life, one of the trees from the Garden of Eden. Finding the tree and eating its fruit would give you eternal life. Many people have died over the years protecting the diary and trying to keep its secrets from falling into the wrong hands. Maya is the current keeper and briefly had possession of it, but now someone has stolen it. It will take all of her natural ability to outwit the evil mastermind of the plot, retrieve the diary, and keep its powerful magic safe.

Author Sherry Roberts has created an inspirational story with many layers to keep you engaged. Down Dog Diary has an engaging plot that is, on one hand, a magical and mystical story with surprises around every corner. At the same time, her characters are real and you find yourself caring about them and, in some cases, hating them.

[Hamelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light and entertaining novel, nice and refreshing, despite the darkening of the intrigue and of the setting as the story carries on. The hippie characters are depicted in a vivid and sympathetic fashion, without parody nor pandering. The dialogues and interactions between characters ring true and drive the intrigue at a good pace. Certain aspects of the setting feel simplistic and hollow (e.g. how one protects her identity and personal information on the Internet), but this did not decrease my enjoyment of the story.

The author brings up many aspects and contradictions of new age worldviews, such as live and let live, non-violence, survivalism, DIY economics... We all want to live peaceful lives, but if something needs to be protected, how far must one forego peace? This kind of fodder for reflection is very valuable to me, and deepened my enjoyment of the novel.

[Sisiggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick read -- Sherry Roberts' books make me feel good about people.

[J. Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just going to cut right to the chase – I loved this book. I would give this book a foot massage after a long day of work, lend it $100 no questions asked, and throw myself in front of a sprinkler that threatened to dampen its pages.

James “Tum” Tumblethrone – previous Hell’s Angel, current peaceful shaman who enjoys baking bread – is attacked by two muscled goons that want one thing – a mystical diary that has been passed down through generations of shamans. Tum refuses to talk and pays for his courage with his life. This murder sets in motion a long trail of events that begins with the diary coming into the ownership of Maya Skye, a yoga teacher in Gabriel’s Garden Minnesota who yearns for enlightenment but is somehow always pulled back to gritty reality by her powerful sense of justice.

When Maya receives the diary – she calls it the Down Dog Diary – she soon learns that others are looking for her new possession, believing that it possesses powerful secrets. Even as Maya tries to understand her new responsibility as the diary’s keeper, she must also keep it from harm, unravel the clues to “Tum’s” murderer, and watch out for her own safety.

Maya Skye is a delightful protagonist. Soaked in the new age world of Namaste, reiki, and energy vortexes, she brings a fresh perspective to the role of heroine. She may be willing to throw a round-house kick when cornered, but Maya would much prefer to meditate on a problem or find a non-violent solution that will protect her karma. Down Dog Diary exudes incense and the warm smell of a pine-scented candle. That’s not to say that the book doesn’t move. The pace is tight and gripping without strangling the reader. The mystery aspect of the story is well plotted, and the culmination is exciting and satisfactory.

But author Sherry Roberts gives us more than a good mystery and a peek into the new age culture. Her true talent is breathing life into characters who stick with you. Maya’s struggle to be a good person and preserve peace even when evil comes knocking is something I think we can all relate to. Maya lives in a town filled with great characters, including her gentle hippy parents and her overly-practical sister, Heart. Even the main baddie in this book shows off a few different layers.
My favorite character of all is Peter Jorn, the hard-nosed journalist who limps into Maya’s yoga class under strict doctor’s orders to recover from injuries he received while reporting in Afghanistan. When Jorn finds out about the Down Dog Diary, he may not believe in all that hippy, feel-good mumbo jumbo, but he knows a good story when he hears it and agrees to team up with Maya.
Jorn is the perfect foil to Maya, always rolling his eyes at her interpretation of events. Their relationship is sincere and magnetic and bubbling with unspoken romantic tension.

Oh and llamas. Adorable, furry, pine-bathing llamas! Need I say more? Pick up this book and you won’t be disappointed.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best mysteries I've ever read. Written with a deftly constructed sly beauty, I was crying after the first few pages. As a student of sacred mysteries and lover of wild gnosis, this story hit my sweet spot: well-constructed characters, great dialog, solid plot, and a writing talent that demonstrates an observant author with a wry sense of humor and depth of wisdom. As one who cultivates inner peace but understands that to live fully means to recognize predators - and the predator within - I loved the juxtaposition of a main character who teaches yoga and trains for hand to hand combat. This story manages to expertly convey life's major themes within the context of a mystery story set mainly in a small town and other small communities.

I understand that the author is writing another adventure for main character Maya Skye. This is a GREAT thing. In some ways, Maya reminds me of Dharma, from the TV show Dharma and Greg. But she's Dharma with more of an edge, sort of like Dharma blended a bit with Greg's mom, Kitty. And the romantic interest, the "Greg" of the story? He's Peter Jorn, the cynical journalist who has returned injured from Afghanistan, now taking yoga classes at Maya's studio in small town Minnesota. Driven by pursuing a good story and the truth behind it, as well as despising the bad guy, whom he has history with, Jorn is a complex, solid complement to Maya. Since she's not 100% new age crystal banger, he keeps returning to yoga class, as he's a resistant seeker. And since he is drawn to the healer in her, the peacemaker, the wise yoga teacher, their relationship is full of unspoken respect and connectedness.

As they travel together to find the missing diary, they meet more fascinating characters and reveal other sides of themselves to each other. They're well-suited to adventure, both of them tenacious in their own way, as the story hurtles toward its exciting conclusion.

What will future adventures hold for Maya? Will Jorn and the diary be featured?

[Nancy Higgs · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a little while for me to get into it but I thought the book was entertaining! I enjoyed that it was set in Mn. Lots. Of action in the end. I will read another one of her books.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book through my library's OverDrive service in a collection of independently published books with "Always Available" status, meaning they can be checked out to an unlimited number of users at once. I love mystery novels and I'm interested in yoga, even though I know only a few basic poses, which this book taught me are called asanas. This was a short, fun book, and I'm glad I checked it out.

The characters were the best part of this book. The main character, Maya, a yoga instructor, was relatable, especially her occasional inner struggles with the principle of non-violence when she was so angry with those who had hurt her friend Tum. I wish we would have learned a bit more about what was in the Down Dog Diary, as well as a little more about how the people hunting it had learned about it (unless I missed something). I wasn't quite sure how everyone was connected. Overall, I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 4. I would like to read more in the series.

[Sarah Delacueva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small-town Minnesota yoga teacher Maya Skye inherits—and then has stolen—a mysterious diary. Someone has already killed once trying to find it and Maya must find the diary both to solve the murder and keep the powerful book out of the wrong hands. Down Dog Diary is a well plotted mystery, made all the more enjoyable by its charming setting and quirky cast of characters. For all of their quirk, the residents of Gabriel’s Garden Minnesota do not become caricatures. Instead, they weave together to form a vibrant community not unlike Stars Hollow of the Gilmore girls. Roberts makes you care even about peripheral characters as you meet them on the fast-paced ride through Minnesota as Maya searches for the mysterious diary. A well written treat and hopefully the first of many Maya Skye mysteries.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery & a spiritual journey in one. I enjoyed this book's spiritual dimension and healing message. The heroine’s sense of belonging and unity, and of taking the right or the wrong path, guides her throughout the story. As she searches for a missing sacred diary that promises eternal life, Maya tries to prevent further attacks by others who are also after it. At the same time, her investigation explores her past and present, her family and friends, as she seeks reminders of where she used to belong and what her new mission is now as chosen keeper of the diary. Favorite lines from the book: “Here I was part of everything” and “the scent of peace greeted me.”

[Shelley Kubitz Mahannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Ms. Roberts' first book in her Maya Skye series. Her characters are wonderfully and vividly drawn, while her Minnesota story setting is calming as her main character's zen personality. I am very much looking forward to the next books in these series.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I absolutely fell in love with characters. The author has a way of painting her characters to life. The mystery was well thought out. And as all good mystery writers do the threads of other mysteries were embedded and leave the reader wanting to solve them as well.

[Bear Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book! Believable characters, good plot, giving closure but leaving you wanting to stay in touch with everyone.

[Kally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn't a deep thinker, but I enjoyed reading it.

[Nicole Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a yoga teacher and energy worker I was particularly fond of this book. Many books put a yoga teacher character in the story but they don’t quite get it right. They put in what one of my teachers would call an Instructor not a yoga teacher. Maya is a Teacher! And her struggle with aspects of herself that some would consider not to be “yogic” makes her that much more real and relatable!

[Uma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, enthralling book!

The book held me in its magic from the word Go! As a person who grew up with Sanskrit prayers, yoga and things that Maya practices, I felt one with the story and just floated along. I do hope that these stories keep continuing forever.

Thanks very much for such inspiring and heartwarming clean tales, Sherry!!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing was well done but the mystical story line and bunch of violence was not my kind of story.

[Velvetink]

kindle

[Rina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story if you like ones involving yoga practice and reiki and the beliefs that go along with them. Nice little cozy .