D.K. Collins

Murder, mystery and magic in Jazz Age Prohibition Chicago. Part Indiana Jones, part Agatha Christie, Zeppelin Murders starts with a battered body on the promenade along the Chicago River and all the clues lead to the maiden voyage of the dirigible, The Chicago, bound for New York, London and Berlin. Stolen occult artifacts, gangsters, agents of foreign powers & a missing motion pictures vamp all complicate the lives of our detectives- a psychic mystery novelist and an intrepid female reporter. Untangling this web will take all their powers of deduction and a lot of help from their friends – a magician, an archeologist and a police detective

Excerpt – Dianna Manderley Reporter has climbed out on a ledge to listen in on a gangster’s conversation.
“That Manderley dame was here, boss, and den she was gone. I dunno where she got to, honest, but I swears I never took my eyes off her for one moment.”
“Get the boys and search the place,” Valentine said.
The door to the office slammed. Dianna waited until she was sure all three men had left. She then inched back to the office window and climbed in.
Papers had been scattered all over the desk. Dianna didn’t stop to read any of them, she merely glanced at each page knowing she could call each up in her mind and “read” it later. Voices in the corridor approached the door. Dianna headed for the window led onto the fire escape. She reached the bottom and shoved her skirt back down. She hugged the alley wall until she came to the window to the ladies’ lounge and smiled when she saw it slightly open. She smiled again when she found the room empty. She pushed the window up enough to squeeze through, adjusted her gown, and stepped out into the club just in time to see Anthony Romanno coming down the stairs.
“Miss Manderley, I am understanding you gave my Mr. Bugs the, how do you say, slip?”
“He must just not have heard me when I told him I had to powder my nose, Anthony”
Anthony sniffed the air. Dianna stepped back. Anthony moved closer.
“When snooping, you should not wear such distinctive perfume I think, Dianna.” Anthony smiled.
“Why, whatever are you talking about, Anthony?” Dianna tried to take another step back and instead found herself against the wall. Anthony smiled. Dianna smiled back. Then she screamed very loudly and charged Romanno. Anthony, startled, stepped back to allow Dianna just enough room to slip by and head up the stairs to his office. She reached the office just as Romanno, Handley and Valentine reached the top of the stairs. Dianna waved and slammed the door. She locked it and raced for the window.
As she climbed out the window, she noted Anthony’s third goon, Vic Mareno, in the alley below. She pulled off and tossed one of her shoes as far down the alley as she could. The shoe landed and Mareno started in that direction.
Dianna took off her other shoe. The office door burst in. Mareno turned and yelled. She ran for the fire escape on the other side of the building. She could hear Anthony, Valentine and Bugs right behind her.
I’ll never make it, she thought as just a few steps from the edge she turned and brandished her shoe at Anthony.
“Let us be reasonable about this, Dianna. You know I would not like to hurt you”
The three men started advancing. Dianna, still swinging, stepped back. She stumbled and began to fall. Arms wrapped around her from behind. Two shots rang out. Dianna watched Romanno drop face down onto the roof. Bugs cursed and dropped. Valentine threw himself forward. Two more shots rang out. Dianna screamed