Customer Reviews

A Shoot in Cleveland

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

A more mature Jacovich, still interesting, humorous. My interest was maintained from the first page to the last. One of his better novels,though I have enjoyed them all.

By juxtaposing the glitz and glitter of a major Hollywood film shoot with the no-nonsense, working-class city of Cleveland, Les Roberts has managed to blend tension, action, and humor into a most enjoyable reading experience.

His Hollywood-type characters ring true, and he manages to make the spoiled young movie star, Darren Anderson, sympathetic and appealing all the while he is being a louse. And hulking, tattooed muscle-for-hire Albert Wysocki is one of those indelible bad guys you love to hate - - quirky and funny while being chillingly sinister.

It is Cleveland private op Milan Jacovich, in his ninth and best-yet outing, whose presence is the glue that holds it all together. His wry wit is in full throttle, and his often rigid principles cost him dearly here, as they usually do, and we find ourselves rooting for his budding relationship with a bright, funny woman who matches his strength and determination.

A fast-action and highly entertaining entry in a superior series.

Local detective Milan Jacovich is a big, square kind of guy. In more ways than one. He tends to see things in black and white, strongly filtered through his own unique sense of ethics. Would there more people everywhere like him.

This book, in particular, also abounds with terrific philosophical sayings such as: "Michael Jordan says that you always miss the shot you don't take." Yup. You do. Which ought to convince folks to make more attempts at the things that mean the most to them. Six pages earlier was my favorite: "A very wise Clevelander once told me that gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all the others."

As a devoted reader of this series, I was very upset when, in the previous book, Milan's boyhood pal, Lt. Marko Meglich took a bullet intended for Milan. (Not that I wanted to lose Milan, because I certainly didn't. I just didn't want to lose Marko, either.) It was somewhat appeasing that six months later, Milan is also still suffering the loss. It is in order to shake him up some that another old friend, the newspaperman Ed Stahl, recommends Milan for a job with a Hollywood film company that's shooting in Cleveland. The job is as a glorified baby-sitter for the young male star of the film - the 24 year-old Darren Anderson.

Darren, however, resents the 'tending' and point blank tells Milan to leave him alone for one particular Sunday, the end of which sees Darren in a new role--that of corpse. Milan takes it personally, and sets out to find the killer, even if he no longer has a real client. Along the way, we meet some familiar folk from previous books, as well as a new love for Milan. This is good, as he definitely needed one.

If you've ever wondered about Cleveland, the Milan Jacovich books will show you the real thing, warts and all, but subtly mixed in with the rest of the cityscape that those of us who live here, love as much as Milan does. His descriptions of the places he visits should endear him to the Chamber of Commerce, while the taut story lines, unique characterizations and marvelous writing should endear him to readers of all kinds of books.

This was a good mystery to read. It kept you guessing and it was also about Hollywood which I love so it was great.

An excellent, well-written mystery, Les Roberts presents Milan Jacovich involved with a movie shooting in Cleveland. I love the last line of the novel...you'll have to read it for yourself! Les Roberts brings an ethnic area to life wonderfully!

Boring! Cliche, trite, what else can I say. It baffles me how this book got into print. The main character is one dimensional. The plot is weak with obvious red herrings. Watch out! You'll be dropping this one off at the used bookstore pronto!