O'SHAUGHNESSY INVESTIGATIONS, INC: THE CASES NOBODY WANTED - A.G. Russo

When the older O'Shaughnessy brothers went off to war, they left their sister, Maeve, in charge of their private detective business. When the brothers saw a poor Italian kid getting picked on in boot camp and was likely not going to make it home alive without a little help, they reached out to the kid's brother, Vic Marino, an ex-cop, and suggested a trade. They'd look after the kid if Vic would look after Maeve, their younger brother Jimmy, and the business.

Maeve isn't too keen on having this no-nonsense, rough-talking ex-cop all up in her business, but she admits that running a P.I. business is beyond her skill set. Vic, on the other hand, knows a lot of people (even in the police department still [the 'ex' not necessarily being his choice]) and knows how to get the information they need and proves invaluable to Maeve. Vic even helps young Jimmy learn how to stand up and be a man.

The case that comes to Maeve (and by extension, Vic) comes from a local, Mrs. Sullivan. Mrs. Sullivan's daughter, Lucille, was brutally murdered in a wealthy businessman's apartment. The police seem to have no interest in solving the violent crime, leaving it up to the agency that takes cases nobody else wanted. But there might be a reason the police don't want to look deeply, which puts Vic, Maeve, and even Jimmy, in danger.

I do have a fondness for historical, noir-style mysteries, which is what drew me to this book in the first place. I am very happy that I found this.

The character are well defined and generally seem to fit right into the 1940's.  There are moments that they seem to be a bit more 'modern' but it's subtle and I can't pinpoint anything specific. There was a part of me that thought that Vic, in particular, was almost a stereotype, but I've also spent time in New York and I know that this stereotype still exists.

The plot is well built and author A. G. Russo does well to both present and establish the characters while moving the story forward.

This is not quite 'noir' (think Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe or even Mike Hammer) story that I was expecting. This borders on 'cozy' although Vic is victim to, and provides a bit of violence. And yet somehow, even not being noir, this works. I think it's because we're drawn to these characters. Maeve is so much a product of this era, which includes a strength of character that is often overlooked (think of all the women who went to work during WWII and who looked after families). She stands tall even when she's unsure of herself.

Vic is also a product of the era but his strength of character comes from accepting this 'adopted' family and finding that not everyone is as helpless as he believes.

Jimmy is a bit of a question mark in this book. He makes his presence known and it does give Vic some additional focus, but his role is still undefined. My suspicion is that he'll have a bigger part to play in future books.

And I hope that there are future book (ah, yes, I see some already!) because this was quite an enjoyable read.

Looking for a good book? O'Shaugnessy Investigations,, Inc,: The Cases Nobody Wanted by A.G. Russo is a delightful historical mystery/thriller. Part noir, part cozy this book works.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4-1/2 stars

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O'Shaugnessy Investigations,, Inc,: The Cases Nobody Wanted

author: A. G. Russo

publisher: (self?)

ISBN: 9798988178316

Kindle Edition, 316 pages