A.G. Russo

O'Shaunghnessy Investigations, Inc. by A.G. Russo is about Maeve O'Shaunghnessy. With her brothers off fighting in the war, she takes over their detective agency and is as surprised as anyone that she's actually quite good at it.
Maeve is a character you can’t help but root for, she is sassy and smart and she kept me turning the pages with eagerness. The story has a blend of mystery that takes us on a journey through a fascinating period in history with a protagonist who's charming and determined. It’s the kind of book you read under the covers with a flashlight, not because you're scared, but because you just don't want to put it down.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a really good historical mystery that has a side of sass and a dash of “I didn’t know that,” . Just remember, like any good detective story, it’s all about enjoying the journey, even if you occasionally get lost in the alleys of historical anecdotes.… (meer)

Maeve O'Shaughnessy has been left to run the family detective agency when her brothers have gone off to fight in WWII. Ex-cop Vic Marino follows her one day and after Mrs. Sullivan walks into the office, telling them her daughter, Lucille, was brutally murdered, Vic and Maeve team up to solve the murder.
It reminded me of wise-cracking detective stories, but could have used more. The story was a bit convoluted, and I am not sure I bought the conclusion, but it was enjoyable to read. I liked Maeve and Vic, but many of the other characters weren't as likeable.… (meer)

A G Russo captivates readers in this action-packed wartime story of survival. This novel transports us to gang-infested Brooklyn, New York, 1942, where appalling poverty and criminality are the order of the day. We follow Maeve in her quest for survival as she and her young brother are left to run the detective agency set up by their brothers: drafted into the war effort, and with questionable morals: the brothers enlist Vic Marino; an ex-PI to assist the siblings. Their first case: the violent death of a young woman, tests their mettle, leading them to reluctantly take on the case that nobody wants, as the cops show no interest.

Maeve, who is still suffering the grief of losing her Mother and sister in a car accident, grapples with her newfound responsibilities.

This riveting book is not for the faint-hearted: the descriptive imagery will fascinate and horrify readers equally. It will appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction steeped in fact.… (meer)

O’Shaughnessy Investigations, Inc.: The Cases Nobody Wanted by A.G. Russo is a crime novel set in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1940s. When Maeve O’Shaughnessy’s three older brothers head overseas to fight in World War II, Maeve is left behind to look after her younger brother Jimmy and her brothers’ detective agency. Vic Marino, an ex-cop, arrives to show Maeve the ropes of running the agency as a favor to her brothers who have agreed to keep an eye on his younger brother during the war. Maeve and Vic take on their first case when Mrs. Sullivan, a friend of Maeve’s late mother, asks them to investigate the murder of her daughter Lucille after the police show little interest in finding her killer.

Vic and Maeve start interviewing people in the neighborhood who knew Lucille including Father Donal, the priest at St. Bart’s. After Vic is able to use his contacts in the police department to get a look at the file on Lucille’s murder, he receives a brutal message from the police chief to leave the case alone. Vic and Maeve run into Maeve’s friend Keely who tells them about Lucille’s boyfriend Danny and her best friend Sheila. Clues point to Lucille’s involvement in a Chinese-run prostitution ring involving high-ranking local officials. After a young woman from the neighborhood disappears, Vic and Maeve start looking for connections between the two victims. After dealing with their own close calls and working their way through several plot twists, Vic and Maeve eventually solve the crime.

The novel evokes the crime noir of the time period, with visions of Sam Spade dealing with a mix of unsavory characters on both sides of the law. Gang violence in the streets and domestic violence in the home are constant themes. The ethnic prejudices of the times are evidenced in the dialogue with references to Micks, Wops, and Chinks. At times, the descriptions of the war and the home front seem more appropriate for an historical documentary than a novel and often interrupt the story rather than enhance it. The narrative introduces too many characters and subplots that distract from the main story, including Maeve’s ex-boyfriend Lory and his wife Neill, and Maeve’s sister Tula and her husband Shay. The storyline involving Maeve’s friend Keely was unnecessary; a different outcome would have offered some relief for Maeve during an already stressful time. Despite its flaws, Russo’s novel offers fans of crime fiction a decent detective story with two lead characters who learned to work together and are ready to look for another case that nobody wanted in the next book of the planned three-part series.

… (meer)