Pepper Pike (Milan Jacovich Mysteries #1) [Paperback]

Les Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005 | Series: Milan Jacovich Mysteries

#1 in the Milan Jacovich mystery series . . .
Introducing Milan Jacovich (pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovich), Cleveland's favorite private eye.

Milan, an ex-cop, Vietnam veteran, and former football player, is a private investigator with a master's degree, a taste for klobasa sandwiches and Stroh's beer, and a knack for finding trouble.

Milan gets a cryptic late-night phone call from high-powered advertising executive Richard Amber, who wants to pay him a thousand dollars for twelve hours of bodyguard service. But when Milan gets to the Amber house in the elegant suburb of Pepper Pike, no one is home. The next morning, Amber's beautiful but brittle wife hires Milan to find her husband, who, it seems, has disappeared.

The search will lead Milan through the haunts of the very rich, including an exclusive country club where the Slovenian American sleuth almost loses his life, and onto some of Cleveland's meanest streets. He'll meet Cleveland mob kingpin Don Giancarlo D'Allessandro and his sophisticated but deadly nephew Victor Gaimari, and even cross paths with the governor of Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A clever plot, a vibrant Cleveland and rural Ohio setting, and a realistically drawn hero make this series one to watch. It exudes much the same sort of charm as the early Spenser novels did. --Booklist

Roberts handles the private-eye format with aplomb and takes full advantage of his Cleveland scene . . . Best of all is his Slovenian sleuth, vulnerable and fallible, whom we are likely (and would like) to see more of. --San Diego Union Tribune

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Co., Publishers (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598510010
• ISBN-13: 978-1598510010
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,308 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Second String P.I. Fiction, March 13, 2001

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pepper Pike (Mean Streets) (Mass Market Paperback)

Les Roberts's private detective Milan Jacovich has all the right moves to be great character on the order of a Phillip Marlowe or a Matthew Scudder. He's wisecracking, lonely, cynical, capable of violence and he spends a lot of times in bars. He also lives by his own incorruptable moral code. If author Les Roberts had come up a story worthy of his hero, he'd have a classic on his hands. Unfortunately, "Pepper Pike" is a fairly pedestrian who-dunnit? closer in spirit to Agatha Christie than Raymond Chandler. Some of the scenes hardly ring believable, like when Milan roughs up a mob boss and only gets beaten up rather than killed for his trouble. The story lacks a great villian and Roberts relies on the old knock-on-the-head move a couple too many times.

"Pepper Pike" has atmosphere and attitude to burn. It shows plenty of promise, but is ultimately unfulfilling.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for commuting!, November 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Pepper Pike (Mean Streets) (Mass Market Paperback)

With the various twists and turns in Pepper Pike, you really can't guess "who dunnit" until the end. But the trip is a thrill with each turned page. Mr. Roberts also does a wonderful job capturing the heart and soul of the Greater Cleveland area - alive and full of excitement.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, February 3, 2011

By 

Gavin Ramsey (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pepper Pike (Milan Jacovich Mysteries #1) (Paperback)

I've read 4 of these Les Roberts books now, including Pepper Pike, and I am now officially "hooked" on the series and the characters. Les has a great ability to keep the pace moving and the books never seem to have slow spots. Well done.