Tenzing Norbu Mystery books in order

The Tenzing Norbu Mystery series follows a former Tibetan Buddhist monk working as a private investigator in Los Angeles.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 The Broken Rules of Ten 2013 Tinker Lindsay N/A
2 The First Rule of Ten 2012 Tinker Lindsay Buy
3 The Second Rule of Ten 2013 Tinker Lindsay Buy
4 The Broken Rules of Ten: Tenzing Norbu’s First Mystery 2013 Tinker Lindsay Buy
5 Third Rule Of Ten, The 2014 Tinker Lindsay N/A
6 The Third Rule Of Ten 2014 Tinker Lindsay Buy
7 The Fourth Rule of Ten 2015 Tinker Lindsay Buy
8 Fifth Rule of Ten 2016 Tinker Lindsay Buy

The Tenzing Norbu Mystery series follows a former Buddhist monk who trades his robes for a PI license in Los Angeles. The five main “Rules of Ten” books, published between 2012 and 2016, each present a new case alongside a spiritual principle that Ten must learn or apply.

The concept is unusual – combining hard-boiled detective work with Tibetan Buddhist wisdom – but it works because the character of Ten is both genuinely spiritual and genuinely capable as an investigator. The Los Angeles setting provides plenty of material for crime stories, while Ten’s monastery training gives him a perspective on violence and deception that other fictional detectives lack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Tenzing Norbu Mystery series?

There are eight books in the Tenzing Norbu Mystery series, published between 2012 and 2016.

What is the first book in the Tenzing Norbu Mystery series?

The first book in the Tenzing Norbu Mystery series is The Broken Rules of Ten, published in 2013.

Who is Tenzing Norbu?

Tenzing Norbu, known as ‘Ten,’ is a former Tibetan Buddhist monk who left the monastery and became a private investigator in Los Angeles. He uses both detective skills and spiritual insight to solve cases, making for an unusual combination of crime fiction and Buddhist philosophy.

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