A Shoot In Cleveland (Milan Jacovich Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Les Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Series: Milan Jacovich Mysteries | Publication Date: April 15, 1999

The death of a ladykiller...

Who killed the superstar? P.I. Milan Jacovich, still grieving from the death of his oldest friend, is obligated to find out. After all, he'd been hired to "babysit" twenty-something Hollywood hunk Darren Anderson while his film was shooting in Cleveland-to keep the kid out of trouble and act as his bodyguard. But when Milan, fed up with his uncontrollable charge, walked out in disgust, the brat packer managed to get himself shot to death.

Following the trail of a studly superstar isn't easy. Everyone wants a piece of him, hot-or cold. As Milan unearths the nasty facts of Darren's life and death, it's clear he'll have to rekindle an old acquaintance with Cleveland's suave Mafia mogul to get to the bottom line of this production. He's already stepped on a lot of toes. And the burly P.I. is right in the line of fire...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the ninth Milan Jacovich mystery (The Cleveland Local, 1997, etc.), Roberts makes fine narrative use of the unlikely mix of Cleveland's blue-collar ethnic traditions with the fairy tale world of a movie shoot. PI Jacovich, depressed since the shooting death of his closest friend, homicide cop Marko Meglich, finally takes on a job, agreeing to try to keep Darren Anderson, the young star of a big-budget movie being filmed locally, out of trouble. Self-absorbed and hedonistic, Anderson has a weakness for underage girls. Evading Jacovich, he seduces the 15-year-old daughter of one of the movie's investors. Milan quits in disgust when Anderson tells him about it. The next day, the star is found shot to death, leaving a long list of suspects. Along with Jacovich, these include the 15-year-old's father; another woman whom Anderson had dallied with; that woman's jealous boyfriend; Anderson's co-star, who claims he had been harassing her; and Anderson's mother, stepfather and biological father. Staying on the case for his own reasons, Jacovich soon comes upon another corpse and, figuring out the killer's identity, finds himself in grievous danger before the tale's conclusion. Roberts, who also writes the Saxon series, tells his tale in spare and potent prose. His Cleveland stories get better and better, offering far more than regional insights and pleasures.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Still grieving over the death of his best friend, Cleveland PI Milan Jacovich agrees to take on a simple bodyguarding case. Hollywood has come to Cleveland in the form of handsome teen movie idol Darren Anderson. All Milan has to do is keep the kid out of trouble while he makes his movie. But then Darren rapes the daughter of one of Cleveland's most prominent citizens, Milan resigns as his bodyguard, and the next morning Darren is found murdered. With Darren's death on his conscience, Milan decides to nail the killer. Head-on encounters with temperamental Hollywood types, the local cops, sly tabloid paparazzi, and Cleveland's version of the Mob don't deter Milan from unraveling Darren's whole sad, sordid story. Roberts' eighth Milan Jacovich book--with its intriguing plot, provocative philosophical dilemmas, and strong Travis McGee^-like hero--is his best yet. This is a series that gets better and better and is strongly recommended for those who like their detectives cut from the classic mold. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Dead Letter (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312966946
• ISBN-13: 978-0312966942
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,025,735 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, November 21, 1998

By 

E. Arthur (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Shoot in Cleveland: A Milan Jacovich Mystery (Hardcover)

I have devoured the Milan series by Les Roberts. This is the last in the series for now, and it was with regret that I read the last page. I highly recommend this entertaining PI novel, but I suggest you read them in order, if possible. Milan goes through some rough times and changes, but he keeps getting better. The one constant is the wonderful city of Cleveland in the backdrop. Great book and terrific series.

4.0 out of 5 stars Milan Regroups, July 13, 2011

By 

JoeV "Reader" (Arlington Hts, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Shoot in Cleveland (Milan Jacovich Mysteries #9) (Paperback)

This is the ninth adventure of Milan Jacovich, ex-Cleveland cop, now Cleveland PI. The book opens with Milan still recovering from the tragic events chronicled in the previous entry in the series. Depressed and not doing much, he's talked into a 2-week job, baby-sitting a young movie star who's in town filming a movie - and who tends to find trouble whenever on location. This type of work is not something Milan usually takes on, but it's good money and gets him working again. Without spoiling the plot, while getting an inside glimpse of Hollywood our hero soon finds himself involved in a murder case, which proves the best remedy for his current doldrums. (He also finds himself a new girlfriend which helps too.)

Milan is a black and white, blue-collar type of guy and this is a no-nonsense gumshoe PI series - much like the books of Ross McDonald, Jonathan Valin and Jeremiah Healy. Although A Shoot In Cleveland takes a bit to get started, a few of the Hollywood-types Milan encounters are a tad too stereotypical, and our hero is somewhat moralistic taking on the case - once the story gets rolling, it's a good one, and a solid entry in the series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Carry On, Milan, January 7, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: A Shoot In Cleveland (Milan Jacovich Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Milan Jacovich and the Hollywood viewpoint. Author Les Roberts draws upon his years in the glitz capital and his work in the entertainment field (Hollywood Squares) to produce a novel in this series that is different than the others in thematic appproach. Roberts always produces a good mystery novel.