The Dutch (Milan Jacovich Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Les Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Series: Milan Jacovich Mysteries | Publication Date: July 6, 2001

Milan Jacovich, Cleveland's most popular private investigator, specializes in industrial security, but when another type of case comes up that is too good to resist he will agree to work on it. That is exactly what happens when Professor Carnine walks into his office in this 12th addition to the series.

Milan recognizes Dr. Carnine's name, but can't remember from where until Dr. Carnine explains. His daughter's body was found under a local bridge. The police agreed that 30-year-old Ellen Carnine committed suicide, or in street parlance "did the dutch." However, Dr. Carnine cannot accept that answer and wants Milan to find out what could have driven his daughter, somewhat of a recluse, to take her own life? He is filled with guilt that maybe there was something about his daughter he should have known, that maybe there was a way he could have helped her. Reluctantly, Milan agrees to take the case knowing that the outcome will not be happy for anyone.

Milan finds that Ellen spent most of her time on the computer either working or on the Internet and that she was appreciated by her bosses, a pair of young Cleveland entrepreneurs who made movies. But interviews with her few friends lead him to see her as an independent person who got satisfaction from her work and had accepted the fact that she was seriously overweight and physically unattractive.

Digging further, Milan comes upon upsetting small clues that shout "murder" to him, and suspicions about what her employers were actually up to grow. His investigation begins to take a different, and eventually dangerous, direction until he uncovers the horrific truth behind Ellen's death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A distraught father asks Milan Jacovich, Cleveland's dogged Slovenian-American private eye, to discover why his daughter Ellen jumped off of a bridge to her death, in Roberts's 12th workmanlike whodunit (after 2000's The Indian Sign). Although it appears a simple, lucrative job, Milan uncovers inconsistencies (e.g., Ellen was in her pajamas and barefoot, yet her feet were clean). Two friends for whom she worked at Wheetek Inc., a Web-site design company, provide no clues to Ellen's suicide. Milan's son's computer-expert girlfriend guides him to "fat girl" chat rooms that the obese Ellen visited, but the leads gleaned from these all prove dead ends. The plot picks up speed after two hoodlums warn Milan off the case and he persuades two homicide cops that Ellen was murdered. Perhaps the book's best moment is the surprise ending, which hinges on a sinister pornographic "fetish" Web site. Milan, loyal and brave, possesses a finely tuned moral sense. However, we hear too much about his failed marriage, while otherwise his personal life remains a blank. Roberts paints an intriguing picture of Cleveland, even if most of what we learn is what his hero eats and the names of delicatessens and streets. Though Milan has a Jack Russell terrier's determination to uncover rats, the white hats and black hats are too easily discernible. Finally, many readers will find the emphasis on physical appearance the women are either gorgeous or fat and ugly disconcerting.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

What constitutes ugliness forms the core of this philosophical mystery of character starring, in his twelfth outing, Slovenian American industrial-security specialist Milan Jacovich. Drawn into a death investigation at the pleading of a grieving father whose daughter jumped to her death from the Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland, Jacovich pieces together the life of Ellen Carmine, a highly successful dot.com executive whose extreme homeliness seemingly condemned her to the "special hell on earth for girls born ugly." Chat rooms formed the basis of Ellen's social life, and there Jacovich finds the leads that force him to wonder if the suicide may have been murder. What is most fascinating here are Jacovich's reflections on Ellen's character and those of the people with whom she had relationships, however tenuous. Brilliantly plotted, with a powerhouse climax. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (July 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312265794
• ISBN-13: 978-0312265793
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,206,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Les Roberts is the author of 15 mystery novels featuring Cleveland detective Milan Jacovich, as well as 9 other books of fiction. The past president of both the Private Eye Writers of America and the American Crime Writer's League, he came to mystery writing after a 24-year career in Hollywood. He was the first producer and head writer of the Hollywood Squares and wrote for the Andy Griffith Show, the Jackie Gleason Show, and the Man from U.N.C.L.E., among others. He has been a professional actor, a singer, a jazz musician, and a teacher. In 2003 he received the Sherwood Anderson Literary Award. A native of Chicago, he now lives in Northeast Ohio and is a film and literary critic.

Visit his web site at www.lesroberts.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Milan Jacovich--what a guy!, June 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dutch (Milan Jacovich Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I am a real live 100% Slovak. I have lived in Cleveland my entire life. I can relate to lot of Milan's memories, though I think he eats a lot better than I do and I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. I've enjoyed this series since the first book, "Pepper Pike". I wish Mr. Roberts had stayed with naming the books after the Cleveland 'burbs. (For you non-Clevelanders, Pepper Pike is one of Cleveland's wealthier suburbs). We have lots of neat city names in this area and that would have been fun. Anyway, I stopped reading the series for awhile after Mr. Roberts killed off Marko. I still don't see the point of that. Milan is a good guy who does a good job. Except for some street names (Avenue vs. Road, etc.), Roberts gets the Cleveland stuff right. This was a good story. It's well worth your time and money, especially if you know Cleveland. I read a lot of mysterys and I usually don't figure 'em out, but I did on this one. Must be my Slovak blood, right?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dutch, November 28, 2002

By 

Ricky N. "Ricky C. Nelson" (Commerce, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dutch (Milan Jacovich Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Les Roberts has become one of my favorite mystery writers. His character is Cleveland private investigator, Milan Jacovich. Milan is asked by William Carnine to find out why his daughter, Ellen, committed suicide ("did the Dutch") by jumping off a bridge. Most thought that Ellen did the Dutch because she was overweight and unattractive. She was 3rd in command at Wheetek Inc., a computer graphics designing firm. Milan discovers that she is very bright and a decent, caring person. Ellen also spent quite a bit of time in chat rooms on the Internet. As Milan talks with her friends and investigates her on-line friends, it becomes likely that Ellen was murdered. Milan sets out to find the killer knowing that his own life is in danger. "The Dutch" has a very strong plot and the suspense builds until the very end. I also like the main character, Milan Jacovich. This novel is highly recommended.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, fast paced read if you know Cleveland you'll love it, January 24, 2002

By 

Kevin C. Kropf "I ADMIT" (Albion, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dutch (Milan Jacovich Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I am not sure if reading this Roberts book first is a good thing or not. On the one hand with no previous knowledge, Milan Jacovich is a fresh character, fairly well developed in this book, exciting and complex. However reading the other reviews it seems that reading his earlier books would be the prudent thing to do to really know our hero. As a stand alone this book is certainly a strong piece, but once I read his other works, I may change my mind.

This was a quick read for me (one day), but a very good one as well. Being familiar with Cleveland and her landmarks adds greatly to this book, but the thrilling nature of the story should grasp you even if you've never been to the Rock and Roll City. It turns out to be a bit more kinky than I was expecting, but then surprises are usually just that!

Two minor problems I had with the book had to do with Roberts overuse of the word "bucolic" and the ending. I counted his use of the word 3 times and lets be honest here, it's a great word, but when overused, as it is here, it loses its flavor. Secondly, the ending comes too fast and leaves a few things dangling. I don't want to ruin any of the plot; however he could have tidied up a few of the "relationship" strings.

I've heard that this will be the last Cleveland based book (something about his publisher or agent saying he's worn out Cleveland). I hope this is not the case and I really look forward to reading his other works.

This is a solid effort and well worth you time if you like thrillers.