Full Cleveland

A Milan Jacovich Mystery

by Les Roberts

  • Format: Softcover, 240 pages, 5.1 x 8 inches
  • ISBN: 978-1-59851-002-7
  • Price: $13.95
Description

#2 in the Milan Jacovich mystery series . . .

Polyester leisure suit, white patent leather shoes, matching white belt— that 1970s fashion statement was once unkindly dubbed the “ full Cleveland.” And no one wears it with more flair and panache than Buddy Bustamente.

Buddy (“ he was medium-sized if you happened to be talking about Cape buffaloes” ) is the hulking flunky assigned by mob kingpin Victor Gaimari to shadow Cleveland private eye Milan Jacovich (it's pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovich).

Milan has been hired to find the perpetrator of a low-level scam who is selling local businessmen ads in a magazine that doesn't exist. But the modest amount of money involved hardly seems worth the string of bodies he soon turns up. And why does it interest a mobster like Victor and his sugar-addict bird dog, Buddy?

Milan starts liking Buddy in spite of himself. But he's not easily fooled; Buddy is a recent ex-con, and Milan knows that behind the childlike faç ade and dubious fashion, he is potentially lethal.

Book Excerpt:
Chapter One

On this particular afternoon, one of those oppressive August days in Cleveland when the air clings like wet cotton and beer sales hit an annual high, I had just finished a big job for an electronics firm in the eastern suburbs and written them a thirty-six-page report on implementing security procedures, preventing industrial espionage, and keeping the ribbon clerks from stealing paper clips. It's not the most exciting type of job I get, but it was a nice change from spying on errant husbands and wives, or having guys with bent noses try to make mine look like theirs. The president of the electronics company had given me a little bonus and a glowing letter of reference, my bank account was healthier than it had been in a while, and I was feeling pretty satisfied with myself and with life in general. From past experience, I should have known that someone was going to rain all over the picnic— someone always does. But even if I had thought about it, I wouldn't have figured it to happen that day. It was just too hot and muggy to start stirring up any shit. That's when my telephone rang and I first heard of Richardson Hippsley-Tate.

You'd . . . [ Read More Free Samples ]

Reviews
Fast-paced and smoothly narrated. — The Washington Post
Tightly plotted and contains rich characterizations painted with a minimalist's brush. — The Drood Review of Mystery
Clever plotting, a fresh locale, and an ingratiatingly human sleuth add up to a winner. — San Diego Union Tribune
Slick and tough and plotted to perfection. — Booklist
Sturdy fare that balances human interest and dangerous pursuit. — Library Journal
About Les Roberts
Les Roberts

Les Roberts is the author of 14 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. More About Les Roberts

Contains References to:

Chagrin Falls, Cleveland Fiction, Cleveland Flats, Cleveland Mysteries, Cuyahoga County, Lake County, Little Italy, Mayfield Road, Milan Jacovich, Severance Hall, Strohs, University Circle

Other books by Les Roberts:
If you like Full Cleveland, then you should try: