Steven Max Russo - The Irresponsible Reader

This morning I brought you my (overdue) take on Steven Max Russo’s third novel, The Debt Collector, and now I’m very pleased to bring you a few questions about the book with the author.

Last time we talked, you stressed how you were a pantser and many things about the books I asked about just came about as you were writing. But I have to wonder—that striking visual that opens The Debt Collector—did you sit down with that in mind, or did it come up later and put it in during revisions?
That’s a very perceptive question. With my first two novels, Thieves and The Dead Don’t Sleep, the prologues were both written after the novels were pretty much completed. I wanted something vivid and dramatic at the very beginning to draw the reader in. But that wasn’t the case with The Debt Collector.

When I was in college, I was driving through town when I witnessed a young man walk nonchalantly out of liquor store wearing nothing but his underpants – tighty-whities as I recall. It was early afternoon on a warm and sunny spring day. He was carrying what appeared to be a bottle of vodka in one hand and his wallet in the other. It wasn’t a robbery or anything nefarious. No alarms or people screaming or any commotion whatsoever, just a young guy in his underpants walking out of a store in the middle of the day. When I began writing what turned into the The Debt Collector, I just started typing one evening and that memory from my youth of the young guy in his underpants walking out of the store popped into my head and I built the story from there.
Great story…

Along the same lines—with this book, did you have a vague idea for the plot, or did you start with Abigail and/or Hector and create a story for them?
I had no idea of a plot or any characters beyond the opening scene with Abigail and Hector. The story simply emerged as I began writing. When I write, I often feel like I’m just following my characters around in a parallel universe or watching them in something like an old-time newsreel that runs in my head and I simply write what I see and hear. I often feel more like a reporter than a fiction author. I know that sounds strange, but that’s how it feels.

Do you see some sort of line between your protagonists? Are their common traits? Is there some sort of progression between Skooley/Esmeralda, Frank/Bill, and Abigail/Hector?
I’m not really sure how to answer this. I strive to make all of my characters relatable and believable. Their environments and their history and their circumstances are different than those of most people and that obviously affects their world view, but once you learn a little about the individuals, you can at least recognize if not understand their motivations from their unique perspectives. And I guess there are some common traits in my characters, but heck, you can say that about most people. As for any progression of the pairings mentioned in your question, I don’t really see any. Each relationship between the characters is different – Skooley and Esmeralda start as reluctant partners and then evolve into lethal adversaries; Frank and Bill have a warm, familial relationship as uncle and nephew that gets somewhat tested under stress; and Abigail and Hector are basically strangers who develop a friendship and bond under unique circumstances.

Going back to the pantser idea, there are so many little clues, little tidbits tying elements of this novel together—things you may gloss over early on that come back in a satisfying way.
A big part of writing is reading what you wrote – and then re-writing, re-reading, and re-writing over and over (and over) again. Once the main story is established and I have an idea for what I think will make for a satisfying ending, then I go back, re-read (again), and drop in those little clues and tidbits where I think they work best to lead the reader along, help raise the stakes, and/or tie things together.

There are a few characters I’d like to ask you about, but I can’t think of a way to do so without spoiling something (next time—first time?—you’re in Idaho, I’ll buy you a drink and ask), so I’ll let you decide who to talk about? Is there a supporting/minor character that surprised you as you wrote this, that you ended up enjoying more than you expected? Maybe someone that you expected would be around for a scene or two to move the story along and then ended up being a major player?
I think the character in The Debt Collector that surprised me the most was Gino, the mobster who befriends Abby. He’s tough, fearless, smarter than he gives himself credit for, can be empathetic yet follows orders much like a soldier doing what he is ordered to do regardless of his own feelings about what he is doing. Gino is someone who I think could have been successful (and happier) in any number of careers outside of crime, yet probably fell into the life early on and feels trapped in it. He is not college-educated, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he secretly read deeply about issues or topics that he found interesting. He is better than his circumstances and I believe somewhat troubled by his job, but doesn’t feel deep down that he deserves better. I get the feeling that he is neat and tidy, likes literature and art and philosophy and cooking yet can’t really share those interests with others in his circle. He likes and admires Abagail, yet wouldn’t hesitate to take her out if he were ordered to by his boss. I didn’t plan on Gino emerging as a major character until I wrote that scene of he and Albert meeting Abby for the first time in the motel parking lot. I really liked the interaction between the two characters. After that, he just sort or wormed his way into my brain and he kept coming up in the story. He’s the type of character I love; definitely a “bad” guy, but there are also things about him that make him both honorable and endearing in an odd sort of way.

There’s a game we play around here, called “Online Bookstore Algorithm”. What are 3-5 books whose readers may like The Debt Collector?
I’m not very good at picking books for Online Bookstore Algorithm – so I’d rather pick authors. I think if you enjoy the writing styles and books of authors like Elmore Leonard, John Sandford, S.A. Cosby, Lou Berney, and Jordan Harper, then you may like my writing.
I’d co-sign Leonard, Cosby, and Harper. I’ll have to check out the others.

In our last interview, you said you had two other novels underway at that point. Are those finished, or have you moved on to something else? Do you know when we should expect something—and what’s it going to look like?
I am actually working on several new novels (one is a sequel to The Debt Collector) and I’ve written a few short stories. At some point I’d like to put together a collection of my short fiction, but the truth is I don’t have a solid timeline on any of those projects.
Oooh, a sequel? Sign me up!!

well, sign me up for any of those, but really the sequel.

Thanks for your time—and thanks for this read, I enjoyed it and hope you have plenty of success with it!

A Few Quick Questions

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo: She Just Wanted Some Work…

By HCNewton

On October 21, 2024

In Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Be sure to come back a in few hours to read a Q&A with the author about this book!

The Debt Collector

by Steven Max Russo

DETAILS:
Publication Date: March 20, 2024
Format: eBook
Length:  268 pg.   
Read Date: September 19-23, 2024

But she was also a little off. You could see it in her eyes. She was crazy. Had an edge to her, hard and sharp. There was an alpha dog, a predator, hiding behind that sweet, pretty smile.

What’s The Debt Collector About?

What do a couple of neighborhood drug dealers, some gang members, a bookie, a finance-bro who refuses to pay said bookie, a slightly bent cop, a low-level mobster, and miscellaneous henchman have in common?

Abigail Barnes. A debt collector who just wants a job.

Now Abby isn’t the kind of debt collector who calls you at inconvenient times of day and harasses you about outstanding medical debt, or whatever. She collects for people who can’t go through services like that. People like the aforementioned bookie. Or other drug dealers. Loan sharks. And other people who could collectively be called “criminals.”

She doesn’t look like your typical tough guy, however. The man who introduces her (in one way or another) to the above, Hector, describes her thusly the first time he sees her (while sober, but that’s another story):

He opened the door and saw a very attractive young blond woman standing there. She was a white girl, with very white skin; piercing, electric blue eyes, and a sort of round face framed by shoulder-length hair that added to her youthful appearance. She was average height for a girl with a well-rounded, curvy body that looked more solid than it did plump. She had on a white blouse that matched her very white teeth and blue jeans with black cowboy boots. She was carrying a six-pack of beer in one hand. In the other was his Maverick 88 pump action shotgun, angled upward and pointed directly at him at just about crotch height.

But as Hector will learn shortly after this—and just about everyone else she comes into contact with does, too—appearances are deceiving when it comes to Abby.

She’s got some training. She’s smart, too—she knows her limitations, and what people expect from someone who looks like her—and she combines those three attributes in ways that pretty much mean that she always comes out on top. At least regularly enough that she can earn money and stay off the radar of the authorities. But sometimes, things do get hot enough that she has to relocate and start over.

This is what she’s trying to do when she encounters Hector for the first time (and he’s nowhere near sober)—in one of those scenes that you can’t help but see play out like a movie as you read. It’s a great opening to the book, and then once Hector starts introducing Abby, we’re off to the races.

I Don’t Think I Want a Steady Diet of This, but…

Near the halfway point, there’s a pretty good fight scene between Abby and some people who have come to collect her—some of the henchmen I mentioned earlier. And, well, it doesn’t go well for them. This is a common theme in this book. And frankly, given the kind of novel this is—it’s not altogether unexpected.

But Russo does something cool here—he rewinds things a bit after the fight, and then we get to see the fight from the other point of view. It still doesn’t go well for the henchmen—but the change of perspective helps you see everything that happened in a fuller way, and better appreciate Abby.

I wrote in my notes, “that’s pretty cool, but I wouldn’t want to see that all the time.” If every time Peter Ash, Charlie Fox, or Ben Koenig got into a fight with someone we saw it from two angles, it’d get tiring (and would slow down their novels). But as a sometimes-treat? I’d love to see this kind of thing more often.

Particularly if the author did it as well as Russo did.

So, what did I think about The Debt Collector?

I had a blast with this novel—it’s one of those that in a world where I didn’t have work the next day, a family that I should pay attention to, or a blog to maintain, I’d have tackled in a single reading. I distinctly remember sitting down to dip my toe in the water one night, and maybe read 10 percent or so of the book. I got to 28% without noticing—and had to force myself to put the book down.

It just moved so smoothly—the first scene gets you hooked, and by the end of the first chapter, you’re invested in Hector and Abby (more the latter than the former, but he has his charm). And it keeps getting better and better from there.

I used the word “smoothly” above—and that’s the only word that comes to mind as I try to describe this experience. It feels effortless the way that the novel keeps you turning page after page after page—a sure sign that it took plenty of effort. There’s a little humor, Abby’s got a fresh-feeling perspective that you want to see more of. And the action? Really, really well delivered by Russo. You may think you have a general idea of how things are going to go early on (and you are likely right), but the way he reveals the plot and takes you through the fight scenes and the movement of the plot will have you not caring about your own theories when you can just keep turning the pages.

I thought the second half of the last chapter, in particular, was a tasty little cherry on top of the sundae. We really didn’t need it—but I tell you, I’m glad we got it. (The Epilogue is another thing we didn’t need—and the novel would’ve been completely fine without it—but it made me smile).

This was just a pleasure—and makes me really hope we don’t have to wait another five years for Russo’s next novel.

Disclaimer: This is where I’m supposed to say that I received an ARC from the author but the above is my own opinion. But I completely forgot for 7 months that he’d given it to me, so I went and bought it to balance the scales a bit—the above is still my honest opinion, and I’d have gladly paid for the book even if I didn’t have a guilty conscience.

4 Stars

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Thieves by Steven Max Russo: 2 Crooks, 1 Realtor, 1 Housekeeper and a Whole Lot of Thievery

By HCNewton

On November 26, 2019

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Thieves

by Steven Max Russo

Kindle Edition, 280 pg.
Down & Out Books, 2018

Read: November 11-15, 2019

Last month, I posted my thoughts on Steven Max Russo’s second novel, The Dead Don’t Sleep, and now I get to focus on his first book.

Skooley (I kid you not), is a small-time criminal with aspirations of greater things (and, let’s be honest, delusions of at least a bit more grandeur than he actually possess). He runs afoul of actual bad guys in Florida and makes himself scarce, hiding out in New Jersey for awhile. He gets a job in a restaurant and meets Ray. Ray isn’t as an accomplished thief as Skooley, but he’d like to be. And he knows where to start: their fellow co-worker Esmeralda had an idea.

You see, she’s got aspirations and dreams of her own. Hers are on the legal side, it’s nice to say. She’s a housekeeper, a restaurant hostess at night, and does some grunt work at a hair salon when she’s not working as either of those. She’s trying to save money for beauty school while taking care of her mother and younger siblings. She’s making progress, but it’s slow and she could really use a little boost.

Esmerelda tells Ray about the owners of a house that she cleans who take off for a month or so every year at this time. They’re the kind of people who leave cash and expensive things around with no one to check on them. Ray tells Skooley.

So Ray and Skooley break and enter, with the idea of spending a couple of days carefully and thoroughly pillaging this house. Almost immediately, things don’t go according to plan and the three conspirators are mired in distrust, frustration, and assorted moments of larceny.

There’s a subplot involving a real estate agent named Loretta. She blows off a little steam one night after work by having a little too much to drink. Somewhere between being one and three sheets to the wind, she runs into Skooley on a break from his plundering. In case there was any doubt at this point for the reader, what happens next definitely qualifies Skooley as a villain. Other than that, it wasn’t until the very end of the book that I saw anything redeeming about this storyline. Once I did, it all made sense. But man, I spent a long time wondering just what Russo was trying to accomplish with it.

I wouldn’t call this fast-paced, it’s more of a slow-build. More than that, it’s steady and always tantalizing about what’s coming next. Steady enough that you won’t want to put it down.

This is really an Elmore Leonard-esque plot and batch of characters, but it has none of Leonard’s style. Which is not a complaint—I’m trying to describe, not challenge—if he’d tried, I’d spend a few paragraphs describing the ways that someone who isn’t Elmore Leonard shouldn’t try to ape his style. Instead, you get the same types of characters in tight situations, which is good enough.

There are really two conclusions to this novel—and both are a lot more satisfying than anything I thought the novel might be leading to. And the last line is a killer, make no mistake.

All in all, a solid Crime novel featuring lowlifes, misguided people, and a few hardcore bad guys. It’s also enough evidence for myself that I’m going to grab the next Russo novel in a heartbeat. I dug this one, I think you will, too.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I am grateful for that, but not so grateful that I changed my opinion.

3 Stars

Pub Day Repost: The Dead Don’t Sleep by Steven Max Russo: No need to teach these old dogs any new tricks

By HCNewton

On November 18, 2019

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Dead Dont Sleep

by Steven Max Russo

eARC, 292 pg.
Down & Out Books, 2019

Read: October 11-14, 2019

This is one of those thrillers that within a chapter or three, you know pretty much how things are going to go for the rest of the book. That’s me being descriptive, not evaluating anything. There’s nothing wrong with this type of thriller—the fun is in seeing the author execute what you know (and think you know) is coming, and just what kind of surprise is in store for the ending. It’s like playing Mousetrap—everyone knows what’s going to happen when you start the machine going, it’s still fun to watch (see also almost every functional Rube Goldberg machine).

That said, there was one death/serious injury that I predicted at least three different times in my notes (one “he” was ambiguous, I really need to be more specific) that didn’t happen and another that I fully expected that didn’t materialize. So I’m not saying that Russo didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve—there were more than those, too. It’s just that on the whole, you know what this book is going to give you pretty soon (see also: just about every Jack Reacher novel).

So what is this set up?

Frank Thompson’s wife died pretty recently, and he’s not dealing well with the loss. After holing up by himself for a while, he visits a nephew (Bill) in New Jersey—really, his first social contact after her death. Frank’s getting up in years himself, but he’s doing pretty well, all things considered.

Frank and Bill go to the shooting range one day. While there, someone confronts Frank, claiming they know each other—Frank pleads ignorance (a white lie), but the stranger soon figures out who he is. They knew each other back in Vietnam while part of a special combat unit. The stranger (Jasper) and his friends are convinced that Frank did a bad thing to one of their own back in ‘Nam. Frank wouldn’t argue with them, but they all were involved in doing very bad things (as they were ordered to), he’d add. Besides, that was a lifetime ago, and he, Jasper and the rest of the unit have all moved on to civilian life and put those atrocities behind them.

If that were true, this would be a much shorter book. Thankfully for us readers, Jasper and his friends carry a grudge. Two of them—Birdie and Pogo (no, really)—are nearby and available. So after Frank goes home to his house on the outskirts of a small Maine town, the three of them head up to pay him a visit. And it ain’t a social call.

Frank knows that Jasper and others (no idea how many others) are coming, and takes steps to prepare. And then the fecal matter hits the rotary impeller.

That’s a little more long-winded than I’d intended, but I haven’t given too much away. So basically, you’ve got 4 septuagenarians carrying small arsenals in the Maine woods drawing on the training they all received decades ago (one or two of them may have been keeping those skills sharp, but that’s beside the point). None of these guys are in their prime anymore, and more than once I wondered if natural causes would beat an act of violence to the punch (I won’t say if I was right).

Don’t go thinking that this is any kind of comic novel—it’s not Grumpy Old Men III: Locked and Loaded, these are hard men doing violent things. After the trio arrives in Maine, the questions that need to be answered are: how many of these four are going to walk away from this showdown, and what kind of collateral damage will there be?

Not all the characters are as well-rounded as they could be, but they’re all close enough that no one’s going to complain—especially when the action kicks in. You can’t say there are really good guys or bad guys here. Well, that’s not true—there are bad guys and some less-bad guys. No one wears a white hat in this book (at least not those at the center of the action), the hats are all black or dark gray.

This next paragraph contains a spoiler—or something spoiler-adjacent. Feel free to skip it and move on.
There’s a [insert your own Latin-y word here] ex machina element to the last action scene of this novel. I don’t think it was necessary (they almost never are), and a resolution was still possible that would’ve satisfied novels without it. The more that I think about it, what that element means for Frank’s world is pretty disturbing—more than anything else that happened in the book, really. As I write this, it occurs to me that if there’s a sequel, this element is likely going to play a central role, and I’ll retract the last 97 words. Still, I’d have liked to have seen things play out without the ex machina. But that could just be me.
Back to the no-spoiler zone:

This is the kind of thing that should appeal to fans of Gregg Hurwitz, Brad Meltzer, Joseph Finder or others in that vein. The pacing is tight, the action scenes are well-handled, and the tension is real. This is a great way to spend a couple of hours with some good escapist reading. It’s possible (probable?) for Russo to return to the survivors for a sequel—if he does, I’ll be at the front of the line for it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Down & Out Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this ride.

3.5 Stars

The Dead Don’t Sleep by Steven Max Russo: No need to teach these old dogs any new tricks

By HCNewton

On October 21, 2019