The Lemon Chicken Jones [Paperback]

Les Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2002

In The Lemon Chicken Jones, comedian Nappy Kane, with his old coarse one-liners about mothers-in-law, nagging wives, and women drivers, is a dinosaur. His career is on the rocks, his bank balance is anemic - even his agent is turning his back on him. But the thing that has broken the old has-been comic's heart is that his wife of less than a year has disappeared, presumably of her own accord. At least, she's taken her clothes, her jewelry, and her new car along with her.

Enter Saxon: actor, amateur chef, single parent, and - what pays the rent - private detective. Saxon learns that Doll Kane was a mail-order bride, chosen by Nappy from a selection offered him by a rather mysterious "agency." Nappy, convinced she is the perfect wife, is genuinely in love with the young Chinese woman. That he is willing to pay a private detective is an indication of his desperation. Saxon gets a clue to Doll's whereabouts from her one friend in L.A., a Chinese-American cabaret singer. He calls in a couple of favors owed by a police acquaintance, and figures out that Nappy "bought" his Doll from an agency in a small town in the northernmost part of the state.

The next step is to go there, which is when Saxon's adopted son, Marvel, announces that he is coming along. Reluctantly, Saxon agrees. They find the agency - it's run from a massage parlor - and the whole organization is not only suspicious but dangerous. Saxon discovers he needs to protect not only his own back but Marvel's as well. But he's surprised to discover that though Marvel is still a teenager, when the chips are down, he’s a good man to have around. And the chips go down with a vengeance in Saxon's Case of the Mail-Order Bride.

Les Roberts is a native Chicagoan who spent many years in Los Angeles as an actor, screen-writer, and producer. An Infinite Number of Monkeys, Roberts's first novel featuring Saxon, was the first winner of the St. Martin's Press/PWA Best First Private Eye Novel contest. The current president of the Private Eye Writers of America, Roberts lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Southern California PI and occasional bit actor Saxon follows a trail of mail-order brides in this sixth entry (after Seeing the Elephant ) in a superior series. A washed-up comedy star hires Saxon to find his wife, a Hong Kong native named Doll whom he met through an organization called Asian Nights. Doll, to whom the comic signed over all his possessions, has disappeared and, through an uncommunicative lawyer, filed for divorce. Saxon and his black teenaged son Marvel, who was adopted in an earlier book, head north to a small town where the cops support a network that imports Asian women to live in conditions dangerously close to slavery. Doll begins to look almost fortunate, judged against the often brutal standard of life endured by most of the "merchandise" offered by Asian Nights. Saxon's probing irks some locals and leads to the sudden malfunction of the brakes on his Chevy. Never at a loss for female company, Saxon continues to be a glib commentator on California mores, though the vulnerabilities of parenthood prove mellowing as Marvel achieves full-fledged partnerdom in this outing. Roberts, who also writes the Cleveland-set Milan Jacovich series, plots with finesse and an admirable economy.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Les Roberts came to mystery writing after twenty-four years in Hollywood, having written and/or produced more than 2,500 half hours of network and syndicated television. He was the first producer and head writer of The Hollywood Squares, and has written for The Lucy Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Jackie Gleason Show and The Man From U.N.C.L.E, among others.

In 1987 he won the very first "Best First Private Eye Novel Contest" for AN INFINITE NUMBER OF MONKEYS. In 1988 he created Cleveland private eye Milan Jacovich in PEPPER PIKE, followed by ten more novels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Virtual Pub Group Inc (June 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930916353
• ISBN-13: 978-1930916357
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,450,997 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

3.0 out of 5 stars A Fast Read, January 7, 2008

By 

Sci-Fi Fan "Vince" (Simi Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lemon Chicken Jones (A Saxon Mystery) (Hardcover)

Lemon Chicken Jones is a fast read, and is OK overall. My preferences in Roberts' books are, as always, the Milan Jacovich mysteries set in Cleveland, Ohio. Anything else by Roberts pales in comparison.