Zen and the City of Angels

P.I. Zen Moses #2

by Elizabeth M. Cosin

In the madness of L.A., Zen Moses is a risk-taking P.I. who has already fought for her life and her sanity-so what's wrong with doing a little favor for a friend? The friend is Jim Gray, a trusted attorney, who needs her to find a missing dog. But this simple case leads Zen to a dead man with no face, the trail of a vanished dealmaker, and the hospital room where Gray is fighting for his life. Suddenly the suspect in a murder-and an unwitting participant in a woman's violent unraveling-Zen finds herself in a tight spot. And it may be too late when she finally uncovers the truth: that in the city of angels, she's been handpicked by some very powerful people-for a long hard fall down to hell...

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Katherine]

This was a very fun read. Zen (Zenaria) is a female private eye. Unlike Stephanie in the Evanovich series, Zen really knows her stuff, from detective work to hand-to-hand combat. She also has a great sense of humor and cajones.

[Amy K.]

Stylish, fast-paced, with interesting narrative choices, engaging characters, and a surprising amount of violence (but not gore). I was hooked from the first word of our protagonist and have already ordered the book that came before this one (which was a book sale find).

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D]

Read it quite a while ago. Wrote that it's about tough LA private eye Zen Moses. Not bad, but it lacked total credibility or something. Moved along well.

[Reynolds Darke]

Okay tough chic private eye novel.

[Theresa Leone Davidson]

Zen and the Art of Murder is the first in this 'series' of novels (can't really call it that because apparently there are only the two novels, then Ms. Cosin began writing for television). I did not read the first but started with this one. Zen (short for Zenaria) is a private eye in Los Angeles, who is hired to look for a missing dog; of course, dead (human) bodies start popping up so she is really solving a couple of old fashioned crimes. I really like the main character, Zen, who reminds me a lot of Kinsey in the alphabet books by Sue Grafton. Zen and her friend, Bobo, solve the mysteries without a lot of fanfare, not a lot of time spent on personal lives, and I like that. An easy, quick read, and my only problem was with one elderly character who is briefly mentioned and then forgotten without any closure, and, fictional character or not, I felt bad about it. Nevertheless, I wish Cosin had written more - she has talent.

[Jim]

What begins as a favor for a friend—finding a missing dog, turns into a dangerous and deadly investigation for PI Zen Moses. Zen is set up for a murder she did not commit. She must find the killer and unravel a deeply hidden secret to discover what is really going on. This is a good mystery, a little on the “noir” side.

[Jessica]

Very Robert-Crais like, which is a big compliment.

[Sandra Strange]

I like the protagonist. The plot is well executed. However, there's an awful lot of rough language. The core values are good--especially friendship and loyalty.

[Snap]

It's been awhile since I've read a hardboiled mystery in the vein of Robert Crais et al. Elizabeth Cosin also writes for television. This wasn't bad. Like her side kick BoBo.

[ajoyim]

great second book in the series and....the last! I guess she decided that was it, no more! :(