The Dutch: A Milan Jacovich Mystery

Les Roberts has become one of my favorite mystery writers. His character is Cleveland private investigator, Milan Jacovich. Milan is asked by William Carnine to find out why his daughter, Ellen, committed suicide ("did the Dutch") by jumping off a bridge. Most thought that Ellen did the Dutch because she was overweight and unattractive. She was 3rd in command at Wheetek Inc., a computer graphics designing firm. Milan discovers that she is very bright and a decent, caring person. Ellen also spent quite a bit of time in chat rooms on the Internet. As Milan talks with her friends and investigates her on-line friends, it becomes likely that Ellen was murdered. Milan sets out to find the killer knowing that his own life is in danger. "The Dutch" has a very strong plot and the suspense builds until the very end. I also like the main character, Milan Jacovich. This novel is highly recommended.

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, but found this one exceptionally enjoyable, not only for the mystery itself, but for the contemporary insights into our changing times and mores as well. Milan is slowly coming to terms with the computer age and its many implications for society, morality and lifestyle. His continuing reflections on life, aging, and fitting into a society that values only young, beautiful people is insightful and moving. Milan is at heart an armchair philosopher, and his musings are always deeply reflective and beautifully spoken (in the written word). This book, like the others in the series, are for those looking more for solid story value and good writing than for shoot-'em-up action. I'm glad there's a new story in the works, soon to come!!

The book is about an apparent suicide of an Internet executive and Milan Jacovich's assignment as a P.I. to determine why a beloved daughter would kill herself. It's smooth, well-written and accurate in its description of how an Internet ISP operates.Others seem to find the book preachy, but after a half-dozen Jacovich novels Roberts undoubtedly finds it necessary to do some explaining why Milan does what he does.Roberts writing has become smoother during the series and characters are well-developed. Local Cleveland color is excellent, but some aspects are well-developed and others are dropped in without contributing to the story. For example, his description of the bridge at the site of the suicide is excellent, complete with historic context. But his mention of a Cleveland Heights' passion, Mitchell's Candies, is superficial -- even though the store has a history as interesting as the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.Good detective fiction; a must read for Clevelanders and ex-Clevelanders like myself.

Les Roberts gets better and better with each outing, as his appealing Slovenian private eye, Clevelander Milan Jacovich, wrestles not only with bad guys but with moral and ethical choices and responsibility. "THE DUTCH" may be the darkest and most disturbing book in this long-running and successful series, dealing not only with the perils and terrors of the Internet, but with the shameful way in which our society treats people who are not pleasing to look at. "The Dutch" is street parlace for suicide, and on the first page it is apparent that successful but overweight and homely dot.com executive Ellen Carnine has thrown herself from one of the many bridges which crisscross downtown Cleveland. Her grieving father is looking for answers, fearing that he might have done something to prevent his daughter's taking her own life, and hires Jacovich to probe into the last months of her life. Milan, a veritable innocent when it comes to the Internet, learns more than he ever wanted to know, and finally uncovers a crime breathtaking in its savagery and pure evil. The climactic scene will take your breath away. This one is a don't-miss, and not just for private eye aficionados. It's a full-blown, disturbing, and gripping novel.

Industrial security expert Milan Jacovich heard about the suicide of Ellen Carnine on the news, but it meant nothing to him because he did not know her. When Ellen's father, Professor William Carnine of the nearby Bryarly College Biology Department, asks Milan to find out why his daughter committed suicide, the sleuth wants to say no. This is not his line of work. However, police officer Martusen sent the doctor who desperately needs closure for him and Mrs. Carnine.The twenty-nine-year-old vice president of Wheetek Inc. seemed contented. She was a big success with her firm, an internet company, and had a male roommate. Milan begins finding discrepancies that make him wonder if Ellen really jumped off the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge or did foul play occur and if the answer is yes, by who and why.The latest Jacovich mystery is a powerful entry in a strong series. Once started on the case, the star sleuth refuses to give it up until he learns the truth. Besides the usual whirlwind fun tour of Cleveland that Drew Carey would enjoy, Les Roberts provides his audience with another entertaining investigative tale.Harriet Klausner