This is the thirteenth Milo Jacovich mystery but does not prove an unlucky number. It’s the first one I’ve read and I enjoyed the Cleveland Roberts creates, especially his descriptions of the local bars which retain their individuality in this age of chain restaurants with identical decors. When Milo returns to his old neighborhood after an absence of several years, the bartender chastises him for moving out and marrying a Serb instead of Slovene.

A handsome young man is pulling a scam among the Irish. He invents a tale of lost luggage and winds up in the homes and beds of gullible young women of Irish extraction. It seems that an accent and allusions to the “old sod” make even the savviest of women forget their usual diligence. Judge Maureen Hartigan and her daughter believed the rogue’s story and opened their homes and now vital photographs of the judges’ beloved and deceased senator husband are missing along with jewelry, money and other valuables and the Irishman himself. Milo comes to the rescue.

In the course of the investigation Milo has to call in old favors from men with Italian names, unsavory businesses, lots of money and long memories. And as in any hard-boiled tale there are plenty of dames, booze, and fisticuffs. The story is rather predictable but the atmosphere is great. If you grew up in such a neighborhood or wish you had, then this book’s for you.

--Jane Davis