A Shoot in Cleveland

In the ninth Milan Jacovich mystery (The Cleveland Local, 1997, etc.), Roberts makes fine narrative use of the unlikely mix of Cleveland's blue-collar ethnic traditions with the fairy tale world of a movie shoot. PI Jacovich, depressed since the shooting death of his closest friend, homicide cop Marko Meglich, finally takes on a job, agreeing to try to keep Darren Anderson, the young star of a big-budget movie being filmed locally, out of trouble. Self-absorbed and hedonistic, Anderson has a weakness for underage girls. Evading Jacovich, he seduces the 15-year-old daughter of one of the movie's investors. Milan quits in disgust when Anderson tells him about it. The next day, the star is found shot to death, leaving a long list of suspects. Along with Jacovich, these include the 15-year-old's father; another woman whom Anderson had dallied with; that woman's jealous boyfriend; Anderson's co-star, who claims he had been harassing her; and Anderson's mother, stepfather and biological father. Staying on the case for his own reasons, Jacovich soon comes upon another corpse and, figuring out the killer's identity, finds himself in grievous danger before the tale's conclusion. Roberts, who also writes the Saxon series, tells his tale in spare and potent prose. His Cleveland stories get better and better, offering far more than regional insights and pleasures. (June)