The Broken Rules of Ten

Tenzing Norbu Mystery #0.5

by Gay Hendricks, Tinker Lindsay

In this prequel to the popular Tenzing Norbu Mystery series, we meet Ten as a confused 13-year-old boy—before his life as an ex-Buddhist-monk, ex-LAPD-officer, turned private eye. The Broken Rules of Ten invites readers to join Ten as he navigates his first brush with mysticism, mystery, and maybe even murder.

Like most teenagers, Ten’s life is rife with change and emotional upheaval. In addition to his newfound fascination with girls and some unexpected bodily sensations, he’s been spending less time with his Parisian mother and more time in his Tibetan father’s Dharamshala monastery. This, in conjunction with the fact that his best friends, Yeshe and Lobsang, aren’t having the same revelations about the world around them, leaves Ten feeling puzzled and isolated.

When the brilliant 17-year-old scholar Lama Nawang, already a legend and a star, takes the lonely boy under his wing, Tenzing senses that his luck is about to change—and it does, but not in the way he expects. He becomes entangled in a dark web of intrigue including the theft of a secret teaching, the betrayal of a community’s trust, and the mysterious death of a local Indian boy. Tenzing breaks almost every rule in the monastery, along with a young girl’s heart, as he struggles to recover the Buddha’s sacred text and uncover the real reason behind Lama Nawang’s cascading series of seemingly wrong actions.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Buddhism, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Asian Literature

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2013

About the author

Dr. Gay Hendricks has served for more than 30 years as one of the major contributors to the fields of relationship transformation and body-mind therapies. Along with his wife, Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks, Gay is the author of many bestsellers, including Conscious Loving, At the Speed of Life, and Five Wishes.

Gay received his PhD in counseling psychology from Stanford University in 1974. After a 21-year career as a professor at the University of Colorado, he founded The Hendricks Institute, which offers seminars in North America, Asia, and Europe. He is also the founder of a new virtual learning center for transformation, Gaia Illumination University.

Throughout his career, Gay has done executive coaching with more than 800 executives, including the top management at such firms as Dell Computer, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, and KLM. His book, The Corporate Mystic, is used widely to train management in combining business skills and personal development tools.

In recent years he has also been active in creating new forms of conscious entertainment. In 2003, along with movie producer Stephen Simon, Gay founded the Spiritual Cinema Circle, which distributes inspirational movies to subscribers in more than 70 countries around the world. He was the executive producer of the feature film Conversations with God, and he has appeared on more than 500 radio and television shows, including Oprah, CNN, CNBC, 48 Hours, and others

Reviews

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the other Tenzing Norbu mysteries, but after getting the opportunity to read this one, I definitely am interested in the first two novels in the series. Ten is a lovable character, especially as a child - he is mischievous, curious, and is undergoing many changes as he begins to go through puberty. He finds life at the Tibetan monastery where his father lives and works to be very boring - well, the classes and such that he must go through, at least. The actual adventures he has are always outside of classes and usually break more than one rule.

What really got my attention was how smart Ten is. As an almost thirteen-year-old boy, the reader wouldn't imagine him to come up with some of the things he does. However, all of it is believable, and quite a bit of the story is sad. Ten faces loss in many ways in this novel, and although he toughs it out on the outside, the reader is privileged enough to see it from the inside, where he is struggling in many ways to cope with his loss.

I think what made this novel so fascinating for me was the information given about Buddhist monasteries and the items used there. The Tibetan names for them were used as well, which may be overkill for some readers, but I really enjoyed it. Aside from "meeting" a fascinating new protagonist at an early age and going through adventures with him, I feel as though I learned a fair bit about the Buddhist way of life too. Well done, Gay Hendricks, for writing a very readable novel!!

Many thanks to Hay House Publishing through Netgalley for an opportunity to read and review this book.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This prequel novella to the excellent Tensing Norbu series recounts a time during Ten's youth when he is only 12 years old and takes place at the monastery where he forms much of what he will become in his later career. I enjoyed the interactions Ten had with his friends and his fear of what was happening to him as he was starting to go through puberty. It was also good to see the events that are often mentioned in the novels, including the beginnings of his appreciation for Sherlock Holmes and his own developing need to solve mysteries.

For me though, there was just too much of the Buddhist aspects. I like dipping my toe into things like that for flavor to the story but here it seemed like I was getting bombarded with doctrine and strange (to me) terminology. That also tended to overshadow the mystery aspects of the story.

I do hope there will be more novels written. The last one published (The Fifth Rule of Ten) was published in 2016. However I also see that there may be a TV series based on the series with Daniel Dae Kim's production company behind it. So maybe that is a distraction...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short story about Tenzing’s past. It takes place during his last summer at the monastery, and fills in the mystery of why he left, and lays the basis of why he became a cop. It’s a story about love, loss of innocence and personal growth.

I loved the glimpse into monastery life. It is so different than my life, and seems like a unique experience. The schedule and rituals are so rigid and steeped in tradition. I find it utterly fascinating.

This is a stand alone story, but I think that it would offer the most enjoyment to readers already familiar with the series. This is one of the pivotal points in Tenzing’s life, and I loved learning about it. It strengthened my love for the series overall.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Broken Rules of Ten is a short read, only about 100 pages or so. But it fills in a lot of the history in his life, as he travels between his life with Mother in Paris and his Father in the Buddhist Monastery. Both parents and both worlds may as well be a million of miles apart, and this is confusing for a boy of 13. There are other complications as his body changes and he has a crush on a local girl who lives near the Monastery. His two best friends, Lobsang and Yeshe, try their best to understand Tenzing, but he is always the "different" one in any crowd he is in, even as an adult. As Tenzing leaves the Monastery this time, it seems that he will never go back. But I love the Tenzing Norbu series, and since I've read the first two, it seems Ten (as he wants to be called now)does return to India, at least for a few more times, before he makes his decision to become an LA cop. He finds a Sherlock Holmes book while cleaning at the Monastery for an important ceremony, and loves the mysteries and the way Arthur Conan Doyle writes them. As you will see if you read the other books, these characters have a big influence on Ten's later career and life choices. Ten is the most exciting and original character I've read about in a long time, and these books are well worth reading! I hope the authors plan to continue onward, I would hate to think I've just read my last book about this interesting person.

[Sedonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of the Tenzing Norbu stories and enjoyed this prequel a lot. Since i have read the first two stories already, It was cool to read more in depth about Tenzing's adolescence in the monastery in India and the roots of his future as a brilliant detective. He is a lovable character, flawed and very human. A wonderful cast of side characters and just good, enjoyable storytelling. I look forward to digging in to The Third Rule of Ten soon. I like to save these books as a treat after getting a lot of work done because they are a fun escape read but also try to offer readers a little something deeper on the level of mind and spirit.

[Patricia]

It took me a while to get into this prequel to Tenzing Norbu's story as a private detective in Los Angels. It made me realize that I'm energized by the LA highways, fast cars and super bad guys in the series. It was hard to shift gears to the 12 year old version of Ten. However, Hendricks (and his co-author Tinker) did a great job of getting into the heads of pubescent kids AND the mystery developed as did the action. Not to fast paced cars but something that created tension. It was interesting getting this back story, which was somewhat revealed in the Fifth Rule of Ten. But I, for one, want to get back to Ten in speedy LA.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming of age story of a boy in a Tibetan monastary

Tenzing is a half American, half Tibetan son of divorced parents. His mother ships him off to his father in India whenever it becomes inconvenient for her. Since his father became a Buddhist monk, Tenzing is forced to study as an apprentice monk while visiting him. During his latest visit, Tenzing is very confused by his feelings for a pretty village girl and at the same time pulled under the influence of a charismatic older student.

[Steve Willey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting prequil to the series. Sets up the backstory for Tenzing Norbu and the Sherlock Holmes connection although that is pretty thin. We will have to see how that is fulfilled in the next book. I will continue the series and I have high expectations..... we shall see!

[Donna LoCastro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read

Great book...I love reading about Buddism and Tibet!! A wonderful novel can't wait to read the next books!! Enjoy every minute of reading!!

[Patzia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible

Life in a monastery is not all as it seems. Great

[Bruce Mendelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short prequel to the Tenzing Norbu Mystery series. I have previously read the other books in the series. This is a very nice introduction and I would recommend this, and the other books to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and has an interest in Buddhism. Tenzing is introduced as a curious adolescent who is struggling with family ties and with relationships with females. All of the books are very well written and entertaining. There are some very good discussions of the roles of females in Buddhism in this book. It also sets the stage well for the later volumes. I recommend the whole series highly.

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first two “Rule of Ten” mysteries and enjoyed them immensely. In the first books, Ten is an adult ex-monk, ex-cop turned private eye. He hints at his unusual upbringing in which he was shuttled back and forth between his alcoholic mother in France and the strict discipline of a Tibetan monastery where his father lives. Now we have a book dedicated to Tenzing’s childhood. We join him as he is arriving at the monastery in Tibet at the age of thirteen to spend time with his father. Thirteen is not an easy age for boys, under any circumstances. It’s true he is bewildered, troubled in many ways, and - like many boys his age – believes rules are made to be broken. My son is also thirteen. By comparison, I find young Tenzing to be much more contemplative and insightful than any thirteen-year-old boy I know. Maybe that’s because he’s been trained in the Buddhist discipline, which involves following strict rules and sitting silent and still in meditation for hours on end. Or maybe it’s because the author writes through the eyes of an adult. I enjoyed this inside look at life in a Buddhist monastery, and the time spent with Tenzing at a pivotal point in his childhood. The book is short (121 pages) and I’d say that’s enough. If you are a fan of the “Rules of Ten” books, this is a must-read. It's also suitable for teens, free of foul language, graphic violence, and graphic sex. I hope some teens will read and enjoy it.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Broken Rules of Ten is a prequel to the Tenzing Norbu series. I really liked the first two in this series about Tenzing Norbu, the former Buddhist monk, who came to the U.S., joined the LAPD, and then left the police department to become a private investigator.

This novella reveals more of the background of Ten, his divided life between his alcoholic mother in Paris and his Buddhist monk father in Dharamshala. The training of novice monks is an interesting feature, and so is the adolescent Ten's advance into puberty.

The plot is less interesting than the insight into Ten's training, friendships, and shaky relationship with his father.

Anyone who has enjoyed the Tenzing Norbu series will probably enjoy this short read. Ten is a unique character in the mystery genre, and I look forward to the next in the series of the grown-up Ten.

NetGalley/Hay House

Mystery. 2013. Print version: 121 pages.

[Dani Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

If formulaic main characters, bore you. If reading the same old stories frustrates you. You MUST read this book and those that follow after in this series! Tenzing Norbu is like no detective you have ever encountered. The way he thinks, moves and acts have little in common with most detectives and this book has little in common with most mystery novels.

This is the story of how he got started, where he comes from and why he is like he is. The son of a drunk Parisian mother and a Tibetan monk father, he truly has a foot in each world like few ever will.

You will see how spending time in the monastery with his critical father nurtures his self doubt while it feeds his ability to focus and control himself. How spending time in Paris with his dependent mother nurtures the rescuer and self reliant side of himself. Tenzing is just a boy, and learns many painful truths about life and about himself. This story is the beginning.

[Nancy Elson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading The Broken Rules of Ten, I didn't know about the series of books that make up the Tenzing Norbu Mysterys. This book begins when Tenzing Norbu is a teenager; his father is a Tibetan monk, his mother lives in Paris. Tenzing spends half the year at the monastery and half of year in Paris. Learning to like this character was easy, but I wasn't sure that I really wanted to read a book about monasteries. I set it aside and read another mystery novel, all the while thinking about Tenzig Norbu. I picked The Broken Rules of Ten up again and finished reading it quickly. It is a prequel, we meet Tenzig, a curiously rambunctious 13-year old, and we go along on a journey of discovery like no other. And, now, I'm happily hooked on Tenzing Norbu.

[Susan (aka Just My Op) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book, more of a novella, is a prequel to the first and second books of Ten, although I read it after those two. As that, it gives background to Ten's life when he was still a monk, and offers insight to his attitudes later in life. For that reason, it was worth reading, but it didn't have the appeal of the other two Tenzing Norbu books I've read. There was a little too much Buddhism philosophy for me, although I enjoyed the amount in the other two books, and it moved just too slowly for a mystery. Still, I'm a fan of this series, and will read The Third Rule of Ten when I get a chance.

[Nelda Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very focused on decription of garments,activities, rules of the monestary and light on plot. Some good buddhist responses/queries to troubling questions Ten has but neither are enough to carry the weak plot. Interesting peak into Ten's difficult parentage which sets the scene/is background for events in The Second Rule of Ten and The Third Rule. More for Ten series readers than a general read and not a good introduction to the Ten series. A little too much like a Buddhist lesson as well.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the other books in this series, but this one was disappointing. Perhaps because it took place in the monastery, it was too heavy on the spiritual elements,which are lightly interspersed in the other books in the series but here seemed to take over the writing all too often. The heavy spiritual musings probably added to the major problem, which was that the story really dragged. It took too long to get started, which is practically fatal in a book that is only 120 pages long.

[Garnett Zamboni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Positively fabulous!

I began reading the Tenzing Norbu mysteries with The First Rule of Ten prior to reading this book. I'm awaiting The Fifth Rule of Ten now.
I'm not sorry that I read this out of order. This book is a prelude the the world of Tenzing Norbu, detective.
The authors of this series are talented, gifted story tellers. You'll not be be disappointed! Open their books and fall into the world of Ten.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the reviews here criticize the amount of Buddhist teachings in the story, but I wonder, how can you tell a coming of age story about a young monk living in a monastery without giving voice to the questions he's asking about the beautiful teachings he is struggling to understand. And explain the decisions he makes and actions he takes.

[Rex Apps · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good installment in this great series. It was nice to have a prequel book to help give some of the back story to this really interesting lead character. I can't wait for the next installment!

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the four books in the Tenzing Norbu series, I realized I never read this one. It is very short, more of a novella, and it fills in the blanks of Ten's early life in the monastery and the events leading to his departure at 13. I love this character and the entire series.

[Bookish Enchantment (Katherine Quirke) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot say I am jumping out of my seat with this one. I chose to read this on recommendation although this person has not read this prelude book to the series. So I will give the 1st of the series a go and fingers crossed it will snap me in like it has her.

[Tom Kauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with life lessons

Ten is a beautiful human spirit filled with all the contradiction that we all have in this life walk. The story grabs one from the very start and takes the reader into Ten's world. Wonderful!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series and hope they come out with more, soon. This prequel felt like more of a sketch. It was novella length and could have been much more developed. It provided interesting background on the main character.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The First Rule of Ten some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This short story was written after the first two books in the series and it explains Ten’s past and how he became who he is today. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good prequel. Prefer the mysteries.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the other two books in the series, but this prequel just didn't captivate me like the others. I do look forward to the next sequel.

[Marilyn Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming prequel to the Tenzing Norbu series. Not as long (or as gritty) as the adventures of his adult counterpart. 12+.

[Greg Maslak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the first two books in the series getting this prequel was very helpful. The third one just arrived from Amazon today. Ready to dive into it.