Les Roberts (1)Resenhas

A fine entry in this under-recognized, underrated, and under-appreciated series.

Memo to Les Roberts' publishers: you have a fine writer in Mr. Roberts, and you issue, in handsome and sturdy trade paperback editions (I originally read some of these titles in St. Martin's Press mass market paperbacks, so I definitely think you make nicer books), what appears to be his entire list. Why not invest what I imagine is a relatively modest sum in better proofreading and copy editing?

As I said previously, I admire this series, and this novel is one of the high points so far.

This is a fine series.

When a crime novel opens with someone falling off a high bridge, you know it's going to end up at least casting doubt on the official suicide verdict. But, predictable plot apart, this turned out to be a decent run of the mill detective story, with a noir slant and a lot of entertaining local detail about Cleveland. Unnecessarily dated by rather too much naive astonishment about the dark world of the internet, though.½

A PI with a conscience...if only he didn't agonize so much over his choices. Working on an investigation of possible employee fraud,.Private Investigator decides his morals support that employees attempts to halt the manufacture of unsafe products. Meanwhile, his curiosity leads him to pro bono work he didn't need. He shows respect for the Native Americans he encounters while trying to find the murderer of an elder and while searching for a kidnapped infant. His relationship with his girlfriend suffers, but he apparently is attractive enough, even as an older man, to have other women hit on him.
While I appreciate the intent to educate the reading public about some of the misled perceptions of Native Americans, the author was at times too preachy.
audiobook was read in a style of the old Perry Mason TV shows: flat voiced.

I once tempted for the dentist whose name inspired Roberts's main character. At the time, I didn't know that fact and remember being somewhat confused by it. Years later, at a writers's conference, Les Roberts spoke and I learned what the relationship between the two names is. That's partly what inspired me to read this series.

This is currently the last book in the series. One of the editions of the series featured a one page letter from Roberts at the end of the book. One of the purposes of that letter was to introduce the next book in the series. In one of the earlier series entries, that letter by Roberts revealed that he intended this series to end with the book we were then holding--but the next story in the series came to Roberts seemingly unbidden. So, I guess we can't really say Roberts won't write any more Milan Jacovich stories (at least until Roberts passes away) but since this was published 4 years ago at the time I'm writing this review, I'm not sure it seems likely that there will be another book.

Though I didn't really rate the books highly, I do find that I will miss the series a bit. I did like that it was set in Cleveland. I learned quite a bit about the city and surrounding area. I do think Roberts got better with the details later in the series than he was in some of the earlier series entries. I am glad that Milan seems to finally have a stable romantic relationship in his life (with Tobe). I'm also glad that Milan and Victor seem to have returned to a semblance of a friendship.

I'm on the fence about the introduction of K.O. to the series. I do think he added some things to the series but his presence also took away some of the aspects of the series that we'd come to expect up to that point. I like K.O. but he does need to work on his temper and his unfiltered comments. I was a bit worried that Roberts was going to take him the way of Milan's earlier romantic life and have Carli and K.O. break up because she couldn't handle his job. For me, that argument never really got resolved. It seemed like K.O. just ignored it because he didn't really know how to deal with it. They never really sat down to discuss her concerns or work things out.

Dan Kennedy returns as a co-author based on his experiences as a motivational speaker and writer. My own thoughts on conventions such as the fictional one portrayed in this book probably fall closer to those of Milan and K.O. than to the attendees and those who put on the conventions.

I've been reading through the Milan Jacovich series in order. Two things drew me to the series--hearing Les Roberts speak to a writers' group and that the titular character shares a name with an Ohio dentist--something that had confused me a bit until I heard Roberts speak.

I would probably put this entry in the series at slightly below average.

The story takes place in a fictional town in Ashtabula county. Though Roberts gives two pronunciations for the county (the correct one ash-tah-byew-la and an incorrect one ash-tah-boo-la) I've also heard a third: ash-tab-you-la, which is not mentioned.

We used to go to Geneva-on-the-Lake in the summers. It was nice to read a bit about it. I wish more had been mentioned--Roberts missed an opportunity there--but perhaps it was difficult to secure permission to mention real businesses? Eddie's Grill, which I believe deep-fried their hot dogs, and also ran at least one arcade. There used to be a small kiddie-ride park there too (it was sold in the past and all that remains now is the ferris wheel which was bought by one of the wineries)--not sure what year that happened so it might not have fit into Roberts' 2015 book.

I agree with another reviewer that Roberts doesn't paint a rosy picture of his fictional Ashtabula County town--most of his town appears racist/intolerant. There's a private prison that's there to make a profit and doesn't seem to care if it's inmates eat horsemeat or have to work as forced labor without pay. The local law looks the other way while a family cooks meth. I believe the pastor says something like "hate the sin, love the sinner" but it seems his congregation mostly "hate the sin and harass the sinner"--it's a small town and we're repeatedly told that others know your business, so I can't believe the pastor doesn't know what his congregation is doing, yet he does nothing to temper their rabid actions.

I'm not sure we were given enough clues by the author to know who the killer was.

I'm reading through this series in order. I heard Les Roberts speak to a group of writers many years ago. At first, when I saw Dan S. Kennedy's name on the cover, I thought perhaps Kennedy would be continuing on with a series featuring Kevin "K.O." O'Bannion (since I know the Milan Jacovich series currently ends with book #19). Apparently though, Kennedy consulted on this book due to his knowledge of harness racing.

The facts about harness racing were mostly interesting. The puzzle of whether Gallagher was killed or just the victim of a random heart attack held my interest. I hope K.O. mellows out a bit as his character ages--though the one physical fight he had in this book was self-defense. I also hopes he starts believing in his own worth instead of comparing himself to those around him.

I'm reading through this series by Les Roberts. I was lucky enough to hear Les Roberts speak quite a few years ago.

Unlike the last few books in the series where it seemed like a bit of time had passed in Milan's life between books, this book seems to pick up shortly after the last book in the series ended.

K.O. is still around. I think this is the first book where chapters alternated between the two characters. It was a bit confusing because Milan's chapters are in first person and K.O.'s are written in third person. I kind of felt like each should have their own first person chapters.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW. READ ON AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION:
*****

This almost reminds me of a "ripped from the headlines" idea about political corruption. Sadly, it's probably still rampant--as one character says, everyone does it, the goal is just to not get caught doing it.

Once again, it's not clear whether Tobe will become a recurring character or a new love interest for Milan or if that will be a one book thing. K.O. seems to be having more luck with Carli--but given Roberts's writing history, I hold little hope that it will be a long term thing, even though I'd like it to be so.

I'm reading through this series set in Cleveland, Ohio.

I'm familiar with the car "creep" Roberts mentions though I've never heard it called the "Cleveland Creep". It does make for an interesting double meaning to the title though since there are more than enough creepy people in this novel: a man taking "upskirt" videos, the porn industry--which includes ones for minors and ones that torture animals, and a boy who abuses his "girlfriend".

I do wonder what happened to Jinny from the previous book. There wasn't a definite break in the relationship there though there was a distancing--but she's not mentioned at all in this book. Milan has a new, one-book love interest. I'm still rooting for Milan to find the right companion who will stick with him despite his dangerous occupation.

In some ways, Milan is the same, but in others, he's definitely contemplating his age and wondering if he's still able to do his work the way he's always done.

I enjoyed having K.O. come into the scene. I haven't explored to see if K.O. gets his own series (I know that currently the Milan Jacovich series ends with book #19. Other reviewers don't expect there to be more in the series.) I can't fault K.O. for getting angry with those who torture animals--I do think he needs to find a better way to express his anger than beating people up, but perhaps that will become part of his growth as a character. I don't fault him for beating up Shane at the end since he was trying to protect Milan. I'm not sure if he thought the dog was in danger from Shane as well or not. I hope K.O. stays around for a bit--I'm tired of Milan losing friends.

I am reading through this series by Les Roberts. When I read book #13, there was a one page introduction to this book written by Roberts that revealed he had planned that book #13 would be the end of the series--until this idea came to him unbidden. That might be why some other reviewers mention that there was a long gap between books in the series. Since I am reading these years after Roberts wrote them, I did not have this experience.

I will say it was at first difficult to realize how much time had passed in Milan's life since the last book--apparently years? In book #13, I believe Mrs. Sordetto was still alive to take care of Don Giancarlo D'Alessandro; but in this book she's passed away. Both Milan's children are now adults. The oldest has apparently moved to Chicago in the non-recorded time between books #13 & #14--though we aren't told this until the last third or so of the book.

I didn't necessarily mind that this was different that Roberts's typical Jackovich novel. I do feel bad that Milan seems to have lost so many friends from his high school days as a result of his investigations on behalf of Wiggins. Perhaps we could argue that some weren't really friends anyway, but at least one or two were people he counted as friends and then learned some unsettling things about that either changed his view of them or they changed their view of him.

I felt bad for Booker--apparently mostly forgotten at a VA hospital. I'm sure there are some people like him even now at care facilities.

Jinny's admonition to "make new friends" isn't always so easy when you're an adult. It seems like it's easier to make friends in school or college--perhaps because of shared experiences or clubs or interests. It doesn't seem as easy as we get older.

I do wonder if Roberts is laying the groundwork for another romantic break up for Milan or if Milan will finally have a woman in his life who's not threatened by his way of life.

I also wonder if the Milan Jacovich/Victor Gaimari friendship will continue now that the Don is not part of it. I hope that it does, since the Don seemed to value both men.

Working my way through the currently-nineteen-book Milan Jacovich series by Les Roberts, whom I have had the pleasure of hearing speak at a writers' group in the past.

Warning: Spoilers May Follow. Read at Your Own Discretion.

*****

I can understand a man who's been drinking might fall for a story such as the one Paduska told in his Irish-alter-ego. I can even understand Torrence falling for the story. But I'm not quite sure I buy the story that the drunken encounter eventually led to Paduska staying at an aunt's house--an aunt who is a judge--unless she's a drinker too as Milan suspected. Even with that, I don't understand how a savvy lawyer like Cathleen would fall for him, but believe he wanted to spend nights at her mother's house instead of staying with her.

So I had to suspend a bit of disbelief to read through this entry into the Milan Jacovich series. The story itself is okay. I enjoyed reading about the Northeast Ohio area. I'm not familiar enough with the history of Cleveland to know if there really was both an Irish mob-like influence such as what is suggested in this plot. It's hard for me to imagine the Irish and Italian families sharing turf, but . . . it may have happened.

Family seems to be the underlying theme to the story--and what one does for family. Hartigan wants to protect her husband's and her daughter's reputations as well as her own. Marks wants to protect his son. McCardle wants to protect his niece. D'Alessandro regards both Victor and Milan as sons of a sort.

Milan seems to have burned the bridge with Cathleen--but we will see if she shows up in future books in the series either as a romantic interest or in another way. Milan also seems to have burned bridges with Victor and D'Alessandro but, hopefully, that will resolve itself in some way and we will see them as characters in future novels in the series.

I am to the point where I hope Roberts ends the series with Milan finding a woman who he might have a future with--or at least someone to make his non-work life less lonely.

The version I read includes a 1 page letter from Roberts at the end. The letter introduces the next book in the series. I was surprised to read that Roberts had planned to end the series with this book--but Milan had other ideas, I guess since the next story in the series jumped into Roberts's mind.

I enjoy this series set in the nearby town of Cleveland, Ohio, though this one is darker in tone than some other entries in the series.

I've never heard suicide called "the Dutch". I wonder if it is a regional thing or more widespread.

A grieving father's request to find out why his daughter committed suicide leads Milan Jackovich into a case that he didn't anticipate and gains him the grudging respect of a police lieutenant.

It's a little odd to read a story where only some of the technology we use today is in use, even though I grew up in those times. Milan has a cell phone and a desktop computer but doesn't really know much about using the computer on the internet. There's a laptop mentioned too.

If you see a book set in Cleveland with Indian in the title, you'd probably think it has something to do with baseball--not the case in this book. In this book, PI Milan Jacovich takes on two cases. Both end up having something to do with exploiting children.

As always, one has to wonder how Milan stays in business. He starts out with a paying client, but then voids the contract. So he ends up with no paying client for all the work done in this installment of the series--though he does get some press mention in one of the cases, so maybe getting his name out there will lead to more paying clients.

Much is made of Milan's black-and-white view of the world. He loses another girl over it. Somehow he seems to gain two more female admirers in this book though, one of whom may end up as his next love interest--we'll see.

I'm reading through this series by Les Roberts. I felt that this book had a slow start. Once the story got going, it was engaging. Though I do wonder how Milan manages to survive since most stories he seems to be working for free. I know the lawyer stated he would make sure Milan was taken care of in any settlement but we don't hear if that actually happened.

I'm not sure there really is a Sherman College in a town called Sherman in Lorain County, Ohio. I'm guessing the author made up a location. In light of how the college and town treat Jason, that may have been to avoid implicating a real college.

I do feel sorry for Jason, whose life was changed forever by the lies told by others. I also feel sorry for him that his father couldn't accept and love Jason for who he is.

3.5 to 4.0 stars (rating shown may vary depending on whether the site allows half star ratings).

I read the previous book in the series just before the libraries shut down due to coronavirus. I remember being irked that I couldn't request the next one in the series (this book) when I tried to do so. (Well, I could possibly have requested it, but not to any library near me.)

So . . . was it worth the wait? Yes and no. I do enjoy reading these books that are set near where I grew up even though I don't always recognize the landmarks and places that Roberts chooses to highlight. I can tell that this was written after Roberts chose to make his home here by the details he includes which are much more plentiful than some of the early books in the series. This one travels more to the west side of Cuyahoga County and even into Lorain County and so featured some areas that I am more familiar with than when it just stays downtown. I liked the details about the salt mining. I'd known we have it but didn't really realize how that had come about.

It's interesting that this book features a movie being filmed in Cleveland. I'm not sure if there really was a movie filmed in Cleveland around the time that this is set but I know several have filmed here in recent years (Captain America for one, which I know closed down a bridge near Fairview Hospital to film).

To answer my question from my review of the previous book in the series, yes, a major character did get taken out of the series. Part of this book covers Milan's reaction to that event.

Another reviewer mentioned that in later books, we do see some changes in Milan and that there are hints of that in this book. For example, we see Milan's black-and-white worldview being challenged by the new lady in his life, Connie.½

is it crime novelist Buck or his alter ego Jack Kale whom actor P. I. Saxon must save from murder

Well, part of why I read this series is that it's set in Cleveland, OH and I like learning things about Cleveland and its history. So having part of this story take place outside of Ohio was a bit of a let down.

Did a major character just get taken out of the rest of the series? (and I can't request the next one right away due to local libraries closing down due to the COVID19 issue so I can't see what happens next!)

For whatever reason, this book didn't seem to engage my interest the way others in the series have. I'm not sure if it was because it took Milan so long to put the "jigsaw puzzle" of the case together or if it was just the thought of it having the non-Ohio connection or if it was something else together.

I liked that the story included the fact that there's a dentist in Parma with a similar name to Milan's and that this Milan (the PI) sometimes got calls for the dentist (and wondered if the dentist sometimes got calls for PI work). I've heard Les Roberts speak on how he came up with the character's name--he wanted an ethnic name and spoke with the dentist's sister on a flight and heard the dentist's name. The spelling is a bit different. And I temped for the dentist once years ago, and yes, he did get some people asking why his name was in the media connected with a murder investigation, and yes, he did have to explain that the media was discussing Les Roberts's new book.

I met Les Roberts many years ago when he spoke to a group in Westlake, OH (about 15 minutes east of Cleveland--where he sets his Milan Jacovich novels). I also remember the dentist of the same name from this area who I'd met before meeting Roberts and remember wondering if there was a connection--there is (as you know if you've read the series).

I only recently decided to read all of the Jacovich series in order.

I liked that this book delved into some of the history of Cleveland, even if some of it was back in the 90s. I like that Cleveland tried to revitalize some of its spaces--I was even wishing some of the suburbs west of Cleveland would try to do the same and hoping Roberts might feature them in a future book--though it seems this series may have ended long ago. I will have to see as I get closer to the book 18 that another reviewer mentioned.

Apparently the "Duke of Cleveland" has mob ties. I'm not well versed enough in true Cleveland history to know if that's a truth or something Roberts made up for his series.

This book delves into the art/porcelain/ceramics world. I'd never heard of Helgenburg--again, not sure if he's real or a fictional character Roberts created for his own use. I did learn a bit more about pottery and ceramics and the black market for such items through Roberts's story.½

“I don't read detective novels; I live them." — Spoken by Milan Jacovich in “Whiskey Island” by Les Roberts

Cleveland private investigator Milan Jacovich has lived quite a few detective novels since his first, “Pepper Pike,” in 1988. His last, “Speaking of Murder,” came out in 2016, however, and that one had a co-author (Dan S. Kennedy). Les Roberts, once a force in Hollywood when he produced “Hollywood Squares” and wrote for such shows as “Candid Camera,” “The Jackie Gleason Show” and “The Lucy Show,” is now 81 and no longer able to produce one novel a year as he once did.

Roberts supposedly moved to Cleveland from Southern California after visiting the city to produce a TV show for the Ohio Lottery. He liked the city so much he made it his home and began writing a series of murder mysteries featuring a certain ethnic investigator named Milan Jacovich. In the Cleveland area at least, those novels, most recently published by a Cleveland publisher (Gray & Company), are a very big deal.

One wonders how his 2012 effort, “Whiskey Island,” was received by Clevelanders, however, especially those who run the city, for Roberts paints municipal and Cuyahoga County officials in a dim light. Most of them are on the take, as becomes clear when Jacovich is hired by a city councilman to discover who is try to kill him. Bert Loftus is under indictment after an FBI investigation exposed enough buying and selling of favors to give any number of people, many of them other public officials, a reason to want him dead now that he seems willing to tell all in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Jacovich, like Roberts himself, is getting older and needs help, so he has hired a fiery young military veteran named Kevin O'Bannion to handle some of the duties, preferably the rough stuff. Also new is a Cleveland police detective named Tobe Blaine, whom Jacovich finds attractive enough to make him feel years younger.

This is a fine entry in the series, full of lively dialogue, hot sex, furious action and nail-biting suspense. The killer — and there is a murder along the way — won't be as much a surprise to readers as it is to the investigators, but that doesn't detract from an excellent book.½

Somewhere I read that someone told Les Roberts they were glad to see a title that didn't have to do with Cleveland, which made me laugh. Those who live near Cleveland are well acquainted with the words "Lake Effect". I'm not sure but perhaps the term is used elsewhere as well. If you're not familiar with the term, Roberts provides a good explanation of it late in the book. I also regard these books fondly because the main character's name is taken from that of a Cleveland area dentist (with a slight spelling change to reflect ethnicity).

Milan repays a favor he owes to Victor Gaimari by watching out for Lake Erie Shores mayoral candidate Barbara Corns. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem for Milan. The one bright spot for Milan is meeting Kellen in the course of Barbara's campaign. It also seems that the end of the campaign gives Barbara more of a backbone.

This is supposedly the first book in the Milan Jacovich series that Roberts wrote after moving to Cleveland. I can tell. Compared to the previous 3 books, the detail seems to be much more. Though I didn't recognize all the places Roberts mentions, there were enough that I did know to keep it interesting. I'd just seen the Lorenzo Carter cabin from the Goodtime III boat, so I was able to picture that and I appreciated learning more about what it was (since for some reason that wasn't mentioned in the spiel from the Goodtime III).

I did know that Cleveland was once "neighborhoods" but I didn't know all the details between the Serbs, Slovenes, Czechs, etc. I don't know if the atmosphere in Cleveland was truly how Roberts portrays it or if it was somewhat manufactured for the purposes of the plot. I suspect there must be some truth to it or many readers would cry foul! I also didn't know the history of that area around the time of WWII so that was interesting to read (and I appreciated it not being as in depth or dry as a history text would have been.)

From what I read, Roberts heard the term "deep Shaker" used once and decided to use it, even though he never again heard the reference.

I had a hard time figuring out when this was set. I knew early on that it was sometime after 1987 based on the narrative. I also knew the book was copyrighted in 1991. Only late in the book did I find out it was set sometime in the 1990s. I have no idea if there really was such a Jamaican drug connection in Cleveland in that time frame or if that part was fictitious.

I admired Milan's sense of duty to his friendships--friends he's had since childhood. I'm glad he tried to help his friend Matt and Matt's son Paulie. He got himself into a lot of trouble while trying to help his friend. Other friends got angry at him; some got over it, some not. I'm also glad he's trying to be a father to his own two boys, even if he doesn't get to see them very often. I was sorry he and Mary didn't work out (though I kind of figured they wouldn't in the long run, since I've read at least one book from later in this series out of order and she wasn't in it).

Again, I didn't recognize most of the places (other than street names) that Roberts referenced in this book. Vuk always reminds me of one of my colleagues. His name was Steve Vukovich, but many of us in his class called him Vuk too. At the end of this book, I learned that these first three books of the series were written before Les Roberts moved to NorthEast Ohio, and that he felt he better captured the ambiance etc. after his move, so I am hopeful that I will start recognizing more landmarks etc. as I read later books in the series.

I once got to hear Les Roberts speak to a group of writers. One of the topics he touched on was his Milan Jacovich series. The title of this books seems to come from a 1970s fashion that's worn by one of the characters in this book--polyester suit, white shoes and belt. I remember the style, but I never heard it called that.

Unfortunately, I was probably too young to remember most of the places Roberts lists in this novel. Roads are still around, but I suspect many of the businesses are no more (or they were made up by Roberts and never existed at all).

Milan is a complicated character--imperfect, but trying to better himself. Buddy is thrust upon Milan by the local mob. At first he's just there, then I grew to like him, but he also was a bit of an annoying character with his simpleness, his bottomless-pit stomach, and a few other character traits.

In the end, the perpetrators were a mix of who I thought they were and a surprise that I'd never considered.½

In this book, the "creep" actually winds up being the least of them. Tho referring to the way motorists will "creep" up at red lights, as if their crawl will cause the light to change in itself, it was juxtaposed against a small-time "up-skirt" porn newbie who tried to make the big time with his mall shots of unsuspecting teens at various store counters.

For me, the worst was what was done to animals. I had to skip a paragraph or twp to avoid nightmares and I agreed with K.O., the new assistant to P.I. Milan Jacovich. Showing no mercy to the scurve of Cleveland, he lavishes love on the 4-legged denizens.

So, the plot is a porn-ring that Milan falls into when trying to find a missing person. Tethering in the FBI, mafia, several counties and an obnoxious rich family of scum. Milan does his usual act of aggravating everyone he meets and alienates a few old closer "friends".. Seems he just can't ever get a break (aside from bones.)

He's getting old, so the negatives are a bit more severe and longer lasting, but with the right angle, he can still rumble with the best.

Aside from his family, the familiar cast is present and a few new added in for interest. I'm still a big Jacovich fan and hope he can hang in for a few more cases.