The Zen Man cover

Review: The Zen Man

The Zen Man (A Humorous Colorado Mystery, #2) by Colleen Collins

The Zen Man coverThis book is a contemporary mystery about an ex-attorney who is now a private investigator in Denver. His past as a drugged up party guy comes back to haunt him when his ex-wife is murdered at his place. He’s been framed for the murder and must find the real killer before his own trial. His girlfriend helps him, along with some hilarious employees.

The writing is clever and fast-paced, with plenty of humor. The language sounds genuine, including the cursing (heads up), and many references to drugs and alcohol; which went with the story but were not so enjoyable. There are lots of questionable actions by the ‘good’ guys, too, including breaking and entering, illegal possession of a handgun, theft, and more. If these were the good guys, I’d hate to meet the bad ones. The book certainly does nothing to improve the reputation of criminal defense attorneys.

I was a little irritated at some of the condescending attitudes voiced by the male protagonist, including those against law enforcement and administrative types, but I assume that sounds like a typical lawyer. This main character was definitely flawed. He was also a deadhead, and the silly Jerry Garcia quotes on the chapter pages didn’t help.

The mystery itself was decent, although I could have guessed at the solution early. The investigative work was interesting, other than the aforementioned questionable tactics.

Altogether, a quick read and enjoyable story with some annoyances.

©2014 We Need More Shelves, Jan McClintock
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