Zen and the Art of Murder - Hardcover

Cosin, Elizabeth M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312193769 ISBN 13: 9780312193768

Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1998

Synopsis

Tough Los Angeles private detective Zen Moses finds an unwelcome surprise over a glass of beer in her favorite bar, Father's Office, when she stumbles over the body of her murdered long-lost cousin. A first novel.

About this title

Review:

Move over Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller--here comes Elizabeth Cosin with a heroine who's a worthy rival to Kinsey Millhone and Sharon McCone. Zen Moses is a hip, fresh, cigar-smoking PI who's so tough she's beat lung cancer, but she's still vulnerable enough to admit her attraction to Jonathan Brooks, a Santa Monica homicide cop she meets in this first of what will thankfully be a series of mysteries. When Zen (short for Zenaria) finds a dead man wrapped around a beer keg in the walk-in cooler at Father's Office, her favorite L.A. watering hole, she's only a little surprised. When she turns the body over for a closer look, however, she discovers that the victim is her cousin Danny--a man who supposedly died in a mass suicide with other cult victims 15 years earlier. It's enough to make a girl forget she's facing an IRS audit. Danny's father, an uncle from whom she's long been estranged, asks her to investigate, and she's quickly off and running. The plot is strewn with clues that add up to an intriguing solution, but the real star is California craziness as seen through the eyes of the funny, engaging Zen (who manages a wisecrack on every page). With a strong voice and a unique heroine, Zen and the Art of Murder is a promising debut that's just right for a rainy night. --Jane Adams

From the Publisher:

Praise for ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER:

"Zen Moses is as cool, tough, and hip as they come. Gritty, funny, and fast as a rocket, ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER is a righteous read!" --Janet Evanovich, author of FOUR TO SCORE and THREE TO GET DEADLY

"Elizabeth Cosin breaks into the mystery scene with a fine, funny, and suspenseful first novel. In Zen Moses, she has created the wise-crackingest, most resourceful and realistic detective I've encountered in years. Her writing is rich with Chandleresque echoes, yet her voice is hip and fresh and uniquely her own. Clearly, Cosin has what it takes to put herself front and center on the mystery map." --James W. Hall, author of BODY LANGUAGE and GONE WILD

"Elizabeth Cosin brings a fresh and welcome voice to crime fiction. She knows the secret: that the best mysteries are about the mystery of character. I think her character Zen Moses is going to be around for a good long while." --Michael Connelly, author of TRUNK MUSIC and THE POET

"Zen Moses...is witty, tough, frequently profound, and through her eyes, Los Angeles comes alive in all its eccentricity and grittiness. ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER is a strong debut." --Marcia Muller, author of WHILE OTHER PEOPLE SLEEP and A WILD AND LONELY PLACE

"Here's the deal with Elizabeth Cosin's ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER-it will knock your socks off. In the flush of private investigators (most of whom bore the hell out of me), Zen Moses is fresh, funny, and brings a wonderful new voice to the field. I read ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER in one sitting and can't wait for her next adventure." --Robert Crais, author of DEVILS'S CANTINA and INDIGO SLAM

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martins Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0312193769
• ISBN 13: 9780312193768
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 273