| From Publishers Weekly A distraught father asks Milan Jacovich， Cleveland's dogged Slovenian-American private eye， to discover why his daughter Ellen jumped off of a bridge to her death， in Roberts's 12th workmanlike whodunit (after 2000's The Indian Sign). Although it appears a simple， lucrative job， Milan uncovers inconsistencies (e.g.， Ellen was in her pajamas and barefoot， yet her feet were clean). Two friends for whom she worked at Wheetek Inc.， a Web-site design company， provide no clues to Ellen's suicide. Milan's son's computer-expert girlfriend guides him to "fat girl" chat rooms that the obese Ellen visited， but the leads gleaned from these all prove dead ends. The plot picks up speed after two hoodlums warn Milan off the case and he persuades two homicide cops that Ellen was murdered. Perhaps the book's best moment is the surprise ending， which hinges on a sinister pornographic "fetish" Web site. Milan， loyal and brave， possesses a finely tuned moral sense. However， we hear too much about his failed marriage， while otherwise his personal life remains a blank. Roberts paints an intriguing picture of Cleveland， even if most of what we learn is what his hero eats and the names of delicatessens and streets. Though Milan has a Jack Russell terrier's determination to uncover rats， the white hats and black hats are too easily discernible. Finally， many readers will find the emphasis on physical appearance the women are either gorgeous or fat and ugly disconcerting. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information， Inc. From Booklist What constitutes ugliness forms the core of this philosophical mystery of character starring， in his twelfth outing， Slovenian American industrial-security specialist Milan Jacovich. Drawn into a death investigation at the pleading of a grieving father whose daughter jumped to her death from the Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland， Jacovich pieces together the life of Ellen Carmine， a highly successful dot.com executive whose extreme homeliness seemingly condemned her to the "special hell on earth for girls born ugly." Chat rooms formed the basis of Ellen's social life， and there Jacovich finds the leads that force him to wonder if the suicide may have been murder. What is most fascinating here are Jacovich's reflections on Ellen's character and those of the people with whom she had relationships， however tenuous. Brilliantly plotted， with a powerhouse climax. Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved See all Editorial Reviews |
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