Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
2 out of 5
I thought that this book looked interesting, and even though it was the second of a series, I thought it would probably stand on its own.
I was really disappointed with the stock plot and dialogue, and the lack of even a little 'catch-up' for readers who hadn't read the first instalment. Although it's meant to be in NYC, there's really no 'local colour' aside from the Coney Island trip that adds depth or anchors the reader to the locale. Everyone talks like they are extras in 'Public Enemy'.
Set during WWII, the author inserts weirdly jarring 'historical factoids' that I think are supposed to help the reader understand historical context, but they read more like propaganda.
Maeve and Vic are working as P.I.s to keep her brothers' agency going while they're away fighting. Again, because I missed the first volume, I don't completely understand the whys of the relationship here, although I guess Vic is supposed to be kind of a big brother figure. Her younger brother kind of fades into the background. The sad news that arrives most of the way into the book doesn't really seem to have the kind of impact that it should, considering the buildup.
There are so many typos and awkward sentences that I really had to force myself to get to the end, along with characters whose names change from one page to the next. I realize that this is ebook only, but I found this kind of inattention to detail really sloppy. The copy I read was unfortunately in a non-scalable serif font, which also seemed like something that would be easy to fix.

Maeve O'Shaughnessy and Vic Marino are Private Investigators in New York. Some of Maeve's brothers are crooks, but she cares for her younger brother, Jimmy, and feels responsible for him. When a gangster, Guido, comes to the agency asking them to find his brother, Paulie, they don't want to take the case due to its connections to the mob. Paulie is missing, along with a prized racehorse, and the race course vet has been murdered.
As Maeve and Vic investigate, the FBI comes to them and warns them of a black market ring, the Blue Stars. Additionally, Maeve's old flame is head of the Irish mob. Lots of gangster talk and action in this mystery taking place in 1943, along with soldiers and their injuries as a result of WWII.
A quick read. However, I was surprised by some of the offensive language used. Luckily, those words are out of favor now!

Noir version of the Victorian Miss Scarlet and the Duke

I hadn't realized it was book two. the story and banter does need book 1 to follow for the full experience.
The mystery is crisp. The gang war intriguing.

Wished to have seen the golden afe of Coney Island

1943, Brooklyn, private-investigators, family-dynamics, siblings, historical-fiction, historical-figures, historical-mystery, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, missing-persons, organized-crime, feds, noir, suspense, crime-thriller, gritty, gripping, psychological****

I think that I really would have enjoyed it much more if 1. I had read the first book, and 2. if it was TTS enabled.
The story itself is fast paced and has a plethora of solid characters and speeds along through a series of surprising whirls until it reaches one incredible twist that leaves one wanting to read the first while waiting for the next!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thank you!
#OSHAUGHNESSYINVESTIGATIONSINC by A.G. Russo #O’ShaughnessyInvestigationsIncMysterySeriesBk2of3 #HistoricalCrimeFiction #PrivateInvestigators #NetGalley BooksGoSocial @newbooksplease

This was a strong sequel in the O’Shaughnessy Investigation Inc. Mystery series. It had that historical fiction element that I wanted and was hooked from the first book and from this entry. It left me wanting to read more in this world and was engaged with what A.G. Russo wrote.