Regular marked price: $24.95Discount Price: $16.47
Cost Savings: $8.48 (34%)Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9781598510386
ISBN number: 159851038X
Label: Gray & Co., Publishing houses
Manufacturer: Gray & Co., Publishing houses
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: May 28, 2008
Publishing house: Gray & Co., Publishing houses
Sale Popularity Level: 38497
Studio: Gray & Co., Publishing houses
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
#14 in the Milan Jacovich mystery series . . .
Going to your high school reunion is never fun. But this time, it's murder.
When Cleveland private eye Milan Jacovich reluctantly attends the fortieth reunion of his St. Clair High School graduating class, he gets a rude surprise: one of his classmates is found shot dead and another quickly becomes the main suspect.
The suspect, successful playwright Tommy Wiggins, draws Milan into the case--and puts him in a very awkward position. Investigating his former schoolmates is an uncomfortable task for Milan, as he soon discovers the dark secrets of people he only thought he knew.
The deceased Dr. Phil Kohn, it turns out, was a cad who managed to make more than a few enemies during his abbreviated life. But did a forty-year-old grudge really lead to his death? Or was it something more recent--a jealous spouse, a shady business partner?
Milan's hunt for the real killer leads him through the oddly intertwined worlds of Cleveland's medical community, organized crime, polite suburban society, and hard-core drug dealers.
It's a tough investigation in which Milan could lose many friends--and, if he's not careful, his life.
In the fourteenth book of his Milan Jacovich series, Les Roberts once again delivers a dose of real Cleveland characters and settings that bring the city to life on the page.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
It's such a great feeling to encounter a friend of long-standing whom you've not seen for a while. Milan Jacovich is a tad older, a tad tetchier, a tad more profane than the last time we encountered him, but he's still welcome to share my space with me! Special thanks, then, are due to Les Roberts (Milan's creator) and Gray & Company (Milan's new publisher) for this early holiday gift. Picking up with a friend is one thing; attending one's high school reunion is quite another. In this new book King of the Holly Hop -- the private eye's 14th adventure since Roberts moved here some 20 years or so ago -- Milan attends his truncated 40th class reunion. Bless his heart! It ain't fun, that's for sure.
All the favorite hang-outs are here, and the local touches make it so much more personal. Chances are most Clevelanders will have been to at least one of the places Milan likes, or maybe all of them. And why not? His creator has great taste! Roberts hasn't lost any of his dry wit or writing skills while he's not been writing Milan stories, however. His pungent remarks, analysis of people and perceptions of society are still top-notch.
Milan hasn't really stayed close to most of his high school classmates; too much water under the bridge for that to have happened. That doesn't lessen the shock when one classmate is found murdered, and another is the prime suspect. There's no real reason for Milan to become involved in the case, but the suspect (probably the most famous and well-to-do graduate) has other ideas. He appeals to a local attorney to hire Milan in the hope of uncovering someone else's secrets. And of course, Milan does just that.
Milan's class has a wide assortment of characters -- as do they all, mine included -- so he has enough investigating to do that he enlists a local free-lance investigator to help him out. Suzanne Davis is a terrific character, and it would be nice to see more of her in future books. (hint, hint!) To balance her out, Milan tangles again with Police Lieutenant McHargue, who, according to Milan gets irritated just seeing his name in the phone book, let alone sitting on the other side of her desk.
There's no question that it was murder. But there are so many possible perps, it keeps Milan hopping! Phil Kohn, smarmy even in high school, hasn't improved any with age and his medical degree, providing Milan with plenty of reasons for his sudden demise. He's irritated so many people through the years that finding the culprit isn't nearly as easy as it might be. Too many choices tend to complicate things.
Class nerd Tommy Wiggins is now a successful playwright, with one supremely unhappy memory of his high school years, thanks to Kohn. Class hippie/druggie Ted Lesnevich has moved up in the world to handling higher cost stuff these days. Class beauty Alenka Tavcar is a successful real estate agent, newly separated from her husband, while Jack and Barbara Siegel's marriage nearly floundered over Kohn's finagling.
There's Danielle Webber for whom Milan had carried a torch. She's now Mrs. Magruder (wife of the attorney). And of course, along with Milan's ex-wife, Lila, there's the super-efficient Sonja Kokol, whose social attitudes haven't changed in forty years, and Bernie Rothman,who obsessed over Alenka. Stupan Godic went to Nam and never recovered, emotionally. Maurice Paich, who only ever wanted to be an actor, ended up on the radio, trying desperately to keep his secrets hidden. Cleveland is still a small town, after all. Some never outgrew their suspicion of those who looked 'different' such as Shareeka Washington Worthman. She's now a wealthy and prominent African-American business owner, who was never really invited to the reunion.
Milan works his way through these and other more familiar characters as he tries to sort out who did what and why. There's Ed Stahl, and (Louie) Vuk, plus Victor Gaimari and his uncle, Don Giancarlo D'Allessandro, formerly of Little Italy.
It's most satisfying reunion, except, of course, for Milan's classmates.
Rated by buyers 
-
For those of you who have attended a high school class reunion, you'll readily relate to the experience of our central character, Milan Jacovich, on a variety of levels. Join other steadfast Milan Jacovich fans who turn page after page, late into the night, to unfold the murder investigation plot with plenty of complex and surprising twists and turns.
The mystery begins at, of all places, Milan's high school reunion in Cleveland, Ohio. A famous classmate is found dead, and the very first "person of interest" in his murder is a classmate who is now is a very rich and famous playwright. Coincidentally, earlier in the evening this same classmate settled a score with the deceased in front of his classmates.
Milan is wrapped up in the murder investigation at the beckoning of the rich and famous classmate's attorney. Aptly applying his wit, sarcasm, and finesse, Milan begins his investigation, with the awkward task of interviewing his classmates-all of whom have direct or indirect knowledge of the events of that fateful evening. Unknown to him otherwise, his investigation leads to the discovery of how intimately the relationships of his classmates and the deceased are intertwined.
The author takes you on a journey around Cleveland and the surrounding suburbs. You know immediately that this important part of the storytelling gives the book an in-depth sense of realism. This realism propels you into the different cultures, history and colorful characters necessary to complete your discovery and insight into Milan, the way he thinks, and what makes him tick.
Milan is not without his enemies and distracters. Naturally, you think that his bold and somewhat invasive questioning tactics could land him in harm's way.
Read on and harm's way is a certainty. Our tough guy, Milan, discovers, at his own peril, that the killer has him cornered. Does Milan escape, does he capture the killer, and does anyone intervene to save him?
Armchair Interviews says: Enjoy the read and discover the answers to these questions and more.
Rated by buyers -
Les Roberts does it again. Another outstanding Milan Jacovich adventure. Keep them coming Les.
It is great to have my good friend Milan back.
Rated by buyers -
High School reunions can bring back all the fun of high school - and all the terror of it as well. "King of the Holly Hop" follows Milan Jacovich attending his 40th high school reunion. The festivities fall short as one of his classmates is found shot to death and accusations are flying all over. Jacovich soon finds that it's likely because of an old grudge - but what kind of grudge is held onto for four decades? "King fo the Holly Hop" is a fresh and original mystery, highly recommended to those looking for a classic whodunit with new ideas.
Rated by buyers -
Les Roberts has done it again and with our favorite detective, Milan Jacovich. Some may accuse me of being prejudiced as a former Cleveland boy, however I do read a great number of mysteries. I have read all of the Cleveland and LA series as well as others by Les Roberts and he never lets you down. This is likely the best in the Milan Jacovich series and another one of those I will read again despite knowing the surprising end. This time the story covers Milan's 40th high school reunion and the murder of a classmate he has to investigate. That means digging into the past of both classmates who were close to him and others he didn't care about. Anyone who has been to a class reunion will relate. We all like to keep the innocent memories of our high school years and forget the bad. Milan is forced to see things from the past he wasn't aware of and it isn't pretty. It is a tightly drawn story with well defined characters as Les Roberts is so expert in doing. He is clearly the best detective fiction writer in this nation and any other. It makes the reader look forward to the subsequent book whether about Milan or not. I would recommend this book to everyone and will be doing so.
Find other books like this one:
