Customer Reviews

Zen and the Art of Murder (A Zen Moses Mystery)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This first chapter is amazing, it grabs you with wit and humor and then ends up with a tantalizing teazer that begs you to read the book in one sitting. The writing takes over from there and before you even realize it, you've read the book in one sitting and you only wish you could just start over cause you just want more. Thank goodness Zen #2 is out, I can't wait to read it.

"It rained the day I said good-bye to my best friend; the kind of storm that was packaged in a San Francisco-like cold front. December in Santa Monica could blow in from the Pacific like the draft from a meat locker. Perfect funeral weather." Those are the first few lines of this story, as told by Zen Moses, a private eye who has lived through cancer and a lot more. She's tough, she's smart, she's funny as hell. And she's real. If you read the book, you'll know what I mean. Besides Zen, there's a great supporting cast of characters (including Bobo, a side-kick for the ages), and a story line that's faster and smoother than any roller-coaster. Above all, it's the writing, the sheer quality of the prose itself, that makes this book so good. It's the best mystery debut I've ever read, period.

that the author has alot of potential. I'm particularly looking forward to more Zen Moses books. And I think that character development, plotting, etc will improve with experience. Cosin and her editors should stress RESEARCHING locales, etc.
Also - when did CHEVROLET start making Grand Ams??
Now specifics about this book - I read probably 25 to 30 mysteries, PI's, Crime Fiction's a month. Like peanuts. I judge that a book in the genre by entertainment value - humor, excitement, imaginative, etc. I NEVER expect deep intellectual, Nobel Peace prize winning writing.
I liked the Zen Moses character, her struggles and her methods for solving a crime. I look forward to future books in this series. I expect both the author and character to evolve. Zen is refreshing, with flaws to be sure, but someone I care to read more of.

This novel was engaging and enjoyable, and Zen Moses is a promising new character. Zen's voice is one of the best things about this story: you really feel like you are inside her head. She has a ton of quirks and interests that the author uses to sketch Zen's character to us. However, I also felt -- frequently -- that Zen was holding out on me.

The novel begins with Zen disposing of the remains of her "best friend" -- Ira, the cat. There are a couple of peripheral references to how Ira met his fate, but Zen never acknowledges that she feels any grief for him after the first two pages, and even that is more annoyance at the unreal situation she finds herself in by paragraph two. Zen is a cancer survivor, but her treatment for lung cancer is mentioned once or twice as if it's not very important to her. This feels like either work by an author who doesn't know how to handle her character's emotional life -- or a picture of a character who has suppressed her emotions for so long, she isn't sure what to do with them. I am opting for the second explanation and hope that in future novels, Zen begins to deal with what seems to be a colourful and painful past. In this novel, there are passing references to everything from past cases, to her mother's abandonment of her, to her slugging of the World Series MVP (I wanted to know what happened there!) but Cosin lets these hints fall and does not follow up on most of them. Since Zen is also notably shy, awkward, and guilty when reunited with a family member she hasn't seen in years, I am inclined to believe her reticence is deliberate, and we'll eventually, perhaps throughout several novels, get to know her better. I hope so.

As a character sketch, the novel is tantalizing, but it works a little less well as a mystery. Part of the problem seems to be the fact there is too much story for the space Cosin uses. There is a case involving a client's long-lost family, and a subplot involving Zen's long-lost family. Both seem to get short shrift, which is a shame. The first case turns into a murder in which the culprit is obvious right from the beginning, and most of the motive as well. The second case is a bit of a distraction, and is resolved far too quickly (almost perfunctorily) in the final chapter. This is a shame, because both feature interesting characters and situations that could have stood up to a lot more fleshing out than Cosin does. There's at least one clue we are told was noticed earlier, but I couldn't find a passage mentioning it earlier, which felt like an editing mistake. Since Zen "gets it" almost at once, there is no benefit to not telling the reader about the clue as soon as Zen sees it the first time. It wouldn't have given anything away.

Zen's sidekick, the menacing Bobo, did not capture my interest the way she did. He feels a bit like a Robert Parker retread, but I am hopeful that he'll get more interesting as the series progresses.

As it is, I nearly gave this novel four stars for Zen alone. If Cosin can resist the temptation to try and substitute Zen's musical tastes, her cigar-smoking, and her quirky transportation for emotional development, I think this series will be a real winner.

While there are a lot of female private eyes, few bring a fresh, tough voice to the genre. Elizabeth Cosin delivers that and more with Zen Moses. This smart, wise-cracking PI hits the ground running. Cosin's crisp economy of words and snappy dialogue contribute to a relentless pace. Take a sick day. You'll be up all night reading this one!

ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER is a mystery without little old ladies and dead bodies in tea cups. Zen Moses is a real, tough, woman who has been through it all and is still ready to go on sleuthing. This is tough, gritty, funny stuff. I can't wait for the next adventure through L.A. with Zen. This book rocks!

Zen Moses is a cynical, wise-cracking P.I. who is both a loner and a survivor. At thirty-three she's already beat a bout with cancer and she still smokes, cigars, that is. But even a tough girl can have a bad day. Her cat is dead. The IRS wants to audit her. And she just found her cousin Danny's body bound to a beer keg at Father's Office, her favorite neighborhood bar. However Danny had supposedly committed suicide a dozen years earlier, one of the many in the mass suicide of Guru Tama Tai's followers out in High Cliffs Ranch.

Danny's father asks her to investigate, which is the least she can do, plus she'd like to know where he's been all this time. Also doing this might end the long estrangement she's had with the only family she's known. However she also has another case. She's looking for the long-lost father of TV talk-show host Latisha Maxwell.

Then someone starts shadowing her in a Mercedes and Zen realizes that she's just one step ahead of a hit man. Why? Was is it because of the dirty secrets and dirty money that had been swilling around her dead cousin or does it have something to do with Latisha's missing father, last seen heading toward the border?

This is a moody, dark and fast-paced book with just the right amount of twists in the tale to stay one jump ahead of you as you speed along toward the satisfying end. I predict that wise-cracking Zen (Zenaria) Moses will have you rushing out to the bookstore to buy the next book in the series. I know I did.

Karen Holtz, New Jersey Book Girl

I have found a new PI to follow-and her name is Zen. This first novel by Elizabeth M. Cosin has a protagonist who tries very hard to hide her softer side-and usually is successful. I am looking forward to adding her exploits to my shelves along with V.I. , Kinsey , and all my other favorites.

Following the twists and turns of not only Zen's life, but those of her clients, is a thrilling and intimate ride through the twists and turns of the streets of Los Angeles and areas north and south. With details so vivid it's as if you're watching on a screen, Zen brings this book and everyone in it to life, that is, except her cat. Zen is an intelligent, introspective female private detective who shares her soul and her wit with those who are willing to jump on the roller coaster. So, hop on, strap yourself in and follow Zen on her experience - it's worth it!

I got an advanced copy of the book from a reviewer friend and I was really pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed Zen Moses. She was funny and insightful. Cosin's descriptions of Los Angeles were right on target. The side characters were cool, especially Bobo. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, with a couple of microbrews (Zen's favorites) and I can't wait to see what Zen does next. I sent the book to my Mom back East and she's already started passing it around. This book will top my Christmas giving list.