From Publishers Weekly
Although Cleveland PI Milan Jacovich, last seen in The Cleveland Connection, comes up against murder, violence, the mob, devious electioneering, a burgeoning love affair and even some timorous pedophilia, his new case is as flat as a Midwest cornfield. Jacovich returns a favor he owes to Victor Gaimari, stockbroker and scion of the Ohio mafia, and agrees to act as security chief for a woman running for mayor in a small exurban town. Candidate Barbara Corns, wife of a legitimate Gaimari client, is bashful, inept and going nowhere in her race against veteran incumbent Gayton True. Although True has a few skeletons in his closet (wifebeating, a kiddie-porn dealer brother-in-law), Barbara's campaign/manager husband ("I call all the shots") refuses to use them. The hit-and-run death of True's wife, hidden plans for a gambling casino, Gaimari's secret backing of True and a would-be producer of kiddie-porn spark up the action only a little. Jacovich waxes nasty about the last but he's only in a four-cylinder dudgeon. We do learn the difference between "kielbasi" and "klobasa"-Serbian and Slovenian words for the same spicy sausage-but even so, there's much sameness here.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Roberts' rugged hero, PI Milan Jacovich, is a lot like Parker's Spenser--he's often in situations where his machismo wars with his principles; he has a strong sense of right and wrong; he's a bit of a renegade; and his beloved hometown (in this case, Cleveland) plays a big role in the story. Milan's latest case has him paying back a long overdue favor to Mob boss Victor Gaimari. Even though Milan dislikes Gaimari, the mobster once helped him save a kid's life, so when Gaimari asks Milan to head out to the posh suburb of Lake Erie Shores to make sure the mayoral election goes smoothly, Milan can hardly say no. Ostensibly, he's supposed to play bodyguard, political adviser, and baby-sitter to Barbara Corns, who's running for mayor on a "Back to Basics" theme. Milan can't believe the candidate is in any danger, especially in such a white-bread-and-mayonnaise town. But there's more to the story than Victor has let on, and after the wife of Barbara's opponent is killed, Milan figures he had better put on his PI hat and go to work. Every new Jacovich adventure is better than the last, and this one is no exception. An outstanding entry in an outstanding series, and a must for every mystery collection.
Emily Melton
