Speaking of Murder: A Milan Jacovich Mystery

In Roberts’s rollicking 19th mystery featuring PI Milan Jacovich (after 2015’s The Ashtabula Hat Trick), coauthored with Kennedy, 2,000 guests willing to fork over a substantial entrance fee arrive at Cleveland’s Renaissance Hotel, hoping to learn the secrets of acquiring wealth from such motivational speakers as mega-rich Tommy Triller, TV personality Dr. Ben, and still-spry Oscar-winning actress Siddhartha West, who’s now a reincarnation guru. Milan and his assistant, Kevin “K.O.” O’Bannion, provide extra security for the ego-driven star speakers. Chapters in Milan’s wryly witty voice alternate with third-person chapters that follow the moves of K.O. When Triller turns up dead in his hotel room, the event’s organizers fire Milan and call in the police. Det. Tobe Blaine, Milan’s sassy significant other, leads the investigation. Readers will enjoy spending time with these characters. In an afterword, Kennedy, himself a professional speaker, comments entertainingly on the “success industry.” Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency. (Sept.)