Just as washed-up criminal defense attorney, life-long Deadhead (nickname “The Zen Man”), and current PI Rick Levine decides to get relicensed as a lawyer, he’s charged with killing one and ends up in the slammer with a half-mil bail.

Released on bond, Rick and his girlfriend Laura have 30 days to find the real killer. In the course of their investigations, they dig for dirt among Denver’s shady legal backrooms to its tony corporate centers. Dodging bullets, a kidnapping, trumped-up charges and the FBI’s unwanted intervention, Rick and Laura continue tracking key suspects who have motive…eventually learning that true redemption begins at home.

“I loved every single word of The Zen Man!”
~ Delores Fossen, USA Today Best-selling Author

“Move over Sam Spade, Nick and Nora; make room for a Denver who-dun-it, Colleen Collins’s The Zen Man. Brilliant and fast-paced writing. I couldn’t put it down.”
~ Donnell Ann Bell,
 Award-Winning Author of The Past Came Hunting

“The Zen Man is an homage and update of Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles, a well-paced mix of banter, action, and New Age philosophizing.”
~ Gerald So, owner-moderator of DetecToday for fans of the private eye genre

I’d read one of Colleen Collins’s romance novels from many years ago, and I loved how she could write fun, fast-paced novels. Have also checked out her nonfiction books on private investigations, so I knew she was knowledgeable about the real-world of private eyes. She’s brought all of that and more to The Zen Man. A book filled with thrills and chills and laughter. A mystery that doesn’t hold back its punches. A pace that kept me turning pages. But my favorite part of the book? The main characters: Rick and Laura. Flawed, complex, real…yet they hold onto a wry view of the world (not unlike Nick and Nora). Great read.

– Dana B., Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars

What a delightful book! Now, clean and sober, former lawyer Rick Levine thinks he’s on the right path to getting back his law license, but then he’s arrested for murder. The journey to clear his name is not only fast paced and a thrilling ride, it’s fun! Colleen Collins makes all the right moves in this who-dun-it, and I loved the characters, especially Rick and Laura. You won’t be disappointed with this one.

– Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars