Wheel of Life

"McCoy was either a good guy or a brilliant pervert. That was the most exasperating thing on earth."

A novel of love, murder, Buddhism, and healing, Wheel of Life takes the reader through a mystery that also offers insight into the Six Realms of Existence regarding the Wheel of Samsara. Set in the United States as well as in the East, Elisa Mitchell decides to leave the States to help others in need. She has been coping with the death of her husband who was killed in 9/11 and who she discovered had been cheating on her. Along the way, she meets William McCoy, who falls in love with her but who is a suspect in murders in their home town of Philadelphia. He seems to be too good to be true, and while the police let him go to India to see Elisa, the psychologist on the case follows him in order to warn Elisa about his suspicions, which begets the question about the psychologist's real purpose.

The author offers a revealing story line regarding Buddhism with quotations from the book, Thoughts Without a Thinker by Mark Epstein, which interlaces each pertinent section of this five-part book that is based on five of the six realms of existence. Combining Buddhist beliefs and practices within the story of murder adds to the flavor of this book, for who is truly compassionate, following the Buddhist path, and who appears to be of goodness but is really a murderer? The rich details of India, interwoven with the plight of the Tibetan refugees and abandoned children, as well as prejudices regarding the culture, provides an excellent setting for this mystery. While this is a quick read, it holds the reader's interest not only with the plot line and odd assortment of characters, but with the teachings provided.

Dettagli