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Available now in paperback at - Port Town Publishing

"All the characters were well drawn, and believable, as were their motives. A very nice discussion of differing moral viewpoints and the passion felt by those on each side of the debate. A.J. Russo writes knowledgeably about treatments for infertility, and the manipulation of cells required for cloning. The technical details are clear and easy to understand and the reader can feel Russo's passion. It is great to read a book that looks at all sides of such a complex issue."-Lauren Roche, Inscriptions Magazine.

4 Stars!

"In the spirit of Dr. Robin Cook's medical suspense novels, A.J. Russo brings us THE FRAGILE EGG. Through a fluid third person narrative we are transported to the year 2011 where human cloning is outlawed, Dr. Megan McGrath, one of the world's best in-vitro scientists, is confronted with an ethical dilemma. Her best friend, Deb Scalia, cannot conceive through traditional and in-vitro methods. Megan has the knowledge that would make possible her best friend's dream. However, helping her friend conceive means risking being caught by the Committee for Human Cloning (CHC). The tension mounts when Megan is routinely investigated by Private Investigator, Sean Duncan. The CHC snoop uncovers information that could mean imprisonment for Megan and a violent death to the people Megan loves the most.

THE FRAGILE EGG is a book that must be read. A.J Russo uses his knowledge of biology and molecular biology to introduce us to biological possibilities that, just a few years ago, were science fiction. He thrusts us into a future in which human cloning is the only avenue in which a few parents could have children. This novel has intrigue and delves into moral and ethical issues that confront us now. It also provides a thorough grasp of a cutting edge technology that is affecting our lives today. I highly recommend THE FRAGILE
EGG."-Reviewed by Michael L. Thal, Scribes World

Highly Recommended!

"The struggle to define the point at which life begins provides a strong philosophical basis in AJ Russo's THE FRAGILE EGG. Truth lies in the point of view of the teller, for example, from the woman who desperately wants a child to educators, from social activists and politicians. As their points of view lead to obvious conclusion, issues of abortion, cloning and vitro fertilization come to life. Add ethical and legal consideration, and Russo vividly presents the varying religious and moral consideration of cloning. Further, by giving the story a very human face, he also presents the pain and desperation of would be parents and their medical supports. Regardless of the reader's beliefs, they will find something here to challenge their beliefs and affirm their humanity. Fans of medical thrillers will thoroughly enjoy THE FRAGILE EGG." Highly recommended.-Reviewed by Cindy Penn, MidWest Book Review

Cover by Trace Edward Zabor

In paperback from Port Town Publishing!

"I was amazed by how tightly the book held me The characters are genuine, three-dimensional and vulnerable."-Reviewed by B. Lynn Goodwin, Inscriptions Magazine

"The combining of this cast of characters by the master hand of A. J. Russo makes for one of the best mysteries I have read in a long while Be prepared to stay up most of the night reading this book. I started it in the morning and it kept me with it until late that night. I couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading more of this up and coming mystery writer."-Reviewed by Judith Saul, The Best Reviews

"A.J. Russo creates a scientific possibility that hold readers riveted in The Healer. This careful interweaving of religion, science, and intrigue brings together a fascinating cast of characters. With a scientific background, Russo's style lends the novel an eerie feel of possibility. The characterizations are richly drawn with the vulnerabilities and gifts that make them human Ethical dilemmas and moral quandaries challenge each in ways that make these complex characterizations readers will remember. A fascinating tale carefully rendered"-Reviewed by Cindy Penn, MidWest Book Reviews

"an action-filled puzzle that takes seemingly disparate pieces of science, theology, faith, murder, greed, duplicity and politics, and fits them into a seamless whole the plot is intricate, carefully constructed, entertaining, and mentally stimulating. The characters are flawed, but so human that I wanted the good guys to win, but I wasn't entirely sure they were going to (in fact, I wasn't sure who the good guys were). This is a read you don't want to miss."-Reviewed by Patricia Lucas White, Scribes World

Cover by Trace Edward Zabor

In paperback, June 2006, from Port Town Publishing!

"4 Stars...The reader is carried along in the hostility between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland from 1947-1991. The lives of two families--the Catholic Currys and Protestant Redmonds--are presented in intense detail during Northern Ireland's most deadly period by writer Russo. Intertwined through rancor and violence, the lives of these two families are presented in a suspenseful, fast-paced narrative filled with passion, horror and machination. By focusing attention on the lives of the families, Russo delineates more the heartache experienced as the characters lose more than they gain from the enmity and discrimination rampant in the area. Filled with a good bit of the poignancy found in Eric Balkan's City of Tears, and the attention to rich detail employed by Paul Clayton in Calling Crow, Russo's New Lodge Affair is an entertaining read that will keep the reader engrossed from the opening pages right on to the last paragraph."--Reviewed by Molly Martin, Scribe's World Reviews

In paperback from Port Town Publishing!

"Russo has displayed an ability to get readers to feel the emotions he has tried to display through his words. Readers will laugh at some of the stories and cry at others. Readers will also be able to relate in some fashion to the characters in the short stories in Dah-Link. The characters, which were based on Mr. Russo's family, each have their own distinct personalities. Mr. Russo attempted to even put in the appropriate spelling of the accented dialogues. At times, this reader had to say the words out loud to understand what word was being used. This helped keep the feel of the stories genuine and true to his family." -Reviewed by Jen Oliver, MyShelf

Russo is a good writer ... his descriptions of day-to-day customs are fascinating, and he pulls off the difficult trick of writing yards of accented dialogue in a way which is both convincing and readable.-Reviewed by Marian Kensler, Circle Magazine

Johnny's story started out in 1970, when he was in college. I, as the reader, got a taste of life during the more "free" era. There was protesting, illegal drug dealings, a small bombing on campus, and "The Lottery" which was birth dates drawn on TV for drafting.
Later I was treated to some very interesting family history. Johnny had grown up in an Italian family in New York. When his Uncle Vinny died, his relatives all got together for reminiscing. The relatives from the wrong side of the blanket were there too. This causes some tense scenes due to the fact that affairs, and children born from them, were kept hush-hush. Stories flowed and Johnny slowly learned how the mafia had helped shape his life, from the very beginning.
**** I stress that this is a "fictionalized" memoir. Some parts are true, some are not. Either way, this novel is very entertaining! The author even wrote in the NY accent. I especially enjoyed the stories from Sicily in the early 1900's. Recommended reading. **** -Reviewed by Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

In paperback from Port Town Publishing!

"Naysa was in love. The world was wonderful, her husband was wonderful, and all her problems could be overcome with time. It didn't matter that she was an Israeli and her husband was Palestinian, or that his family had disowned him. But all that ended the day her husband was an innocent victim of a bombing and Naysa began her struggle to cope once more. When given the chance to have her husband's clone implanted into her, Naysa grabbed it. But she was given more than she had known, and now she's on trial for murder herself. Can Naysa get her life back in order, and save the only family she has left?

...worth the read. a winner!"-Reviewed by Ann M. Beardsley, Scribes World

In Paperback from Filbert Publishing!

In Paperback from Publish America!

The Apache swerved, skimming the top of the trees-blade humming. The cabin doors were open, so the wind blew hard through the fuselage. The pilot, Captain James Wilson, pulled on the throttle, and rocked the craft between mountain peaks, as if he were manipulating a video game. He pointed out the window toward the sea of green at a patch of field, looking back at four soldiers who were gripping hard on handles above.
"That's where I'll be at seven hundred hours. Don't be late. You know the drill."
They knew the drill. This was a covert operation. They'd have one chance for a pickup-and one chance only.
Three men and one woman, hand picked Marines, faces painted with stripes of green and brown, waited for the helicopter to circle.
They were on a journey to a remote location in the Sudan with the task of rescuing women who have become pawns in a deadly and horrid plot to spread susceptibility to malaria.

Two Sudanese children, Bok and Marta, sent by their mother to a village market, are captured by rebel soldiers and separated from each other. Lost Girl of the Sudan, is the story of their plights. Bok, sold and working on a farm, fears for his life and escapes with a dozen other boys. Marta is brought to an Army Captain's home where they intend to sell her as a slave. Hopkins Scientist Joe Romello has discovered a gene responsible for Malaria resistance. He is hired by a lab in Basel, Switzerland to bring his gene and help develop a vaccine. A subversive group, led by the son of a Nazi Colonel, steals information about the gene, including its sequence, develops a way to block it, and incorporates the responsible protein into a virus.
Marta is rescued by an underground group located in Cairo and leads group members back to the soldier's home in Sudan, where a medical facility has been set up to experiment with the virus. Marta is captured and killed. Joe Romello with colleague Mary Strickman, discovers one of the subversive group leaders who has infiltrated the Hopkins lab and, with the help of the Cairo group, uncovers the plot to spread the virus.