Gray & Company, Publishers

#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 façade and dubious fashion, he is potentially lethal.

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 is the author of 16 mystery novels featuring Cleveland detective Milan Jacovich, as well as 11 other books. 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, a teacher, and a film critic. 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