(Covers information from Amazon Prime Series)
Gaitano "Guy" Russo was a detective for the New York Police Department in charge of investigating Calvin Franz's murder. When his investigation crosses over with Reacher and the surviving members of 110th Unit's own investigation, Russo begrudgingly partners up as their shared common ground of solving the murders in the Catskill mountains.
Biography[]
Catskill Mountains Murder Case (2023)[]
After Calvin Franz was found murdered in the Catskill Mountains, Gaitano Russo is the lead detectives in charge of the homicide case. He interrogated Franz's widow and investigates his trashed workplace in which he finds a memory card inside a printer in Calvin's office, something that is initially unnoticed by Reacher and Neagley. After checking Franz's phone records, he discovers there were multiple calls to O'Donnell, Sanchez, Swan, Orozco and Neagley but none to Reacher who does not carry one. When Neagley asks Reacher for help, Russo got alerted when she bought Reacher's plane ticket and starts to follow them. Reacher notices someone is following them, but initially does nothing.
When Russo arrives at Swan's residence where O'Donnell, Neagley and Reacher are investigating, Reacher confronts and knocks him unconscious by deploying his vehicle's air bag. Armed with unjustifiable assault charges on Reacher, Russo tracks them by obtaining security footage from a car rental company at the airport and recognizes them when they rent a car with Karla Dixon's assistance. He tracks the plate and monitors if it had gone back to New York when a police cruiser reported them in. Following Reacher and the 110th's disappearance, Russo discovers Orozco and Sanchez were found dead with similar injuries sustained. Comparing information with Reacher's group, he learns they have obtained a list of names that have the initials "A" and "M" which lead them to believe they are a list of aliases of someone connected to the case. They have also discovered a New Age parking pass and the phrase "650 at 100K". After the 110th's vehicle is identified, Russo arrives on scene to arrest Reacher with O'Donnell tagging along as his lawyer. Inside, Russo explains his method of tracking while Reacher and O'Donnell discover a bag full of kids toys in the passenger seat much to his ire.
Russo confronting Reacher
Inside the station, Reacher recognizes he was brought for possible information related to his case as he was not processed. Russo tells them their activities are actively interfering with his investigation. They begin to show reluctant goodwill and exchange information based on their mutual desire of solving the murders. After hearing the phrase "650 at 100K" in which they assumed to be 65 million dollars though cannot determined how and what the money is for, Russo insinuates his friends were criminals involved. Reacher angrily confronts him and accuses him of being a dirty cop through him tailing them without identifying himself, and gathers information without making a formal arrest as to keep the matter off the books, Russo angrily insists he is not a dirty cop. The tension is resolved through O'Donnell's intervention, and asks him to keep integrity through him sharing information that they have not known. Russo announces they have a suspect in the case through the memory card left in the printer. The print reveals a man by the name of Azhari Mahmoud who is known to INTERPOL as a weapons broker for terrorist organizations, and Sanchez's notes indicate he is the man of interest. Noticing the name has A.M. initials, Reacher writes the list from before and tells Russo to have DHS flag all of his aliases. Eventually, they have a hit on one who has booked a ticket from Denver to JFK and plans a trap though the attempt failed as he escapes shortly after.
Afterwards, Reacher and O'Donnell are released. They join with Neagley and Dixon in attacking Trevor Saropian's residence. When the crime was reported by Barbara Gottlesman, Russo rushes to take her statement which he purposefully misstates their descriptions and recovers the body of Brian Collins as well as his damaged vehicle. Later, Russo confronts them for their reckless actions and warns their partnership would only work if they stopped as it had put him in a tight spot. Additionally, Russo informs the failed trap which invalidates the given list as well as names with initials A.M.. Russo offers to search into New Age, but warns them to stay put until they hear from him. Reacher gives Russo their burner number and Russo warns him to not commit any more "cowboy" actions. Reacher disregards his warning as his team ram through New Age HQ with their car shortly after.
In the morning, Russo angrily discovers New Age HQ was smashed with a hit and run burglary. He is called to NYPD and meets with Lieutenant Drew Marsh who reprimands him. Marsh is dismayed as the act had made their department slow behind in their investigation and blames Russo for failing to keep a watch on the remaining members of the 110th and allowing them to burglarize the company, which Russo denies. Marsh orders him to find out information the unit has obtained. He attempts to contact Reacher and his unit multiple times but the former is willingly not answering the call because Reacher is still suspicious of Russo's motives.
Shortly afterwards, Reacher answers Russo who confronts him about his break in though Reacher sarcastically feigns ignorance. Russo demands to know information they obtained from their break in, Reacher sends him the company's security roster and asks Russo to run background checks and informs him they are heading to Boston. After searching, Russo discovers all security employees were former NYPD dirty cops and few of them were investigated by Internal Affairs before their charges were mysteriously dropped as they took their early retirement saved for Swan who was the only one to possessed military experience. Sometime after, they were hired by New Ages and recruit their fellow dirty cops. Russo tries to conduct interviews but discovers their houses were vacant similar that of Swan's.
After Franz's body was released, Russo attends his funeral where he shares his condolences to Mikey Franz and Angela Franz, Russo hands Mikey the toys from before and the card of Saint Jerome with prayers written in the back as a token of comfort. Before departing, Russo asks Angela to call him should anything comes up. Reacher who thinks he is trying to manipulate the family, confronts and accuses Russo of being a dirty cop as he had presumed he had given their location away and was attacked. Russo reveals he related to Mikey's situation due to his own father who wasn't corrupted but was killed on the force and threatened to beat Reacher if he accuses him of being a dirty cop again. Additionally, Russo relays his findings and tell him to consider the possibility Swan was involved in their pursuit.
The funeral begins but Reacher notices two snipers from afar and alerts funeral goers. Russo guides Mikey and Angela to safety before jumping to his car. Russo intercepts Reacher who is pursuing one of them. He urges Reacher to get inside and begins to pursue him. While pursuing, Reacher starts to consider the possibility of a mole within NYPD after seeing how he protects the Franzs from harm. During the chase, Reacher criticizes him in playing safe in a high-speed chase, and assists Russo. They interrogate the man for information, Reacher asks Russo to look away as New Age desperately rid the unit by attacking them in broad daylight at a crowded funeral. Reacher begins to strangle the man until he reveals they were supposed to take them out the same time as the salute shot to mask theirs and was supposed to meet his hirer in Queens. He reveals the hirer was Swan much to Reacher's shock and confirms Russo's suspicion.
Sometime after, he accompanies Reacher and his unit to the sniper's rendezvous point. The sniper enters the building only for it to be destroyed by a powerful explosion. After investigating the site, Russo learns the place was rigged with tripwired IEDs and only contains the sniper's body with no signs of Swan. He presumes someone had military training in setting up the explosion and presumes Swan's plan was to have them all killed in the building while taking out the sniper in the playground. Shortly after, Russo is informed that Marlo Burns's car was found abandoned in north of Manhattan near Cortland and informs the group. He is asked to accompany them although Russo excuses himself to confront Lieutenant Marsh who he has figured out to be the mole within the NYPD.
Russo arrives at Marsh's house where he confronts him over his corruption and willingness to take bribe from New Age Technologies as Marsh had been the only one to have been informed of Reacher and his unit's whereabouts in Boston. Initially, Marsh tries to intimidate Russo with his position and guilt trips him with their fond memories but Russo is unswayed by his attempts. He supports his claim with evidence, forcing Marsh to justifiy it as a smart play as Shane Langston had approached him with money around the time Russo was assigned to the case and demands to know where the investigation was heading. Russo condemns his actions as Marsh is helping to aid and abet terrorists after 9/11 and sees it as sullying the police forces and the innocents who had died during the attack. Marsh tries to justify the missiles will be used elsewhere, Russo condemns him but Marsh justifies they are not to be crossed with as he sees the bribes as an order and decides to take it out of self-preservation as Russo's father had fallen victim to NYPD corruption. Marsh pleads Russo to take the bribe but the latter questions what he would do if the terrorists started to use the missiles in the U.S. and chastises him for his cowardice principle. He reminds him he does not know him or his father well before leaving.
Russo dying in Neagley's arms
Sometime after, Reacher and his unit approaches Russo at his residence, Russo conveys his meeting to Reacher who is initially alarmed at the possibility that he had taken the bribe but he confidently tells him otherwise. Reacher asks Russo to look after Jane Burns as they were being hunted by Langston who see them as loose ends with Reacher informed of their objective in which they used Marlo as bait to lure out Langston and ambush him. Additionally, Russo tells Reacher that Marsh would not harm him as he had known him since his days in police academy and plans to take Jane to Staten Island to stay in his cousin's house.
Shortly afterwards, he prepares to take Jane until he is subjected to gunfire and a high-speed chase. He calls Reacher, informing him of the situation, unknowingly foiling the trap that his unit had planned. He is unable to shake off his pursuers, and decides to stop the car and fight them while instructing Jane to remain in the car. Realizing he is surrounded and help not make it in time, Russo tells Jane to run while he provides covering fire. Russo is critically wounded but not before taking out 2 of them. The last of Langston's men, Grant corners Jane and prepares to kill her but Neagley runs him over with her car. Noticing Russo is wounded, Neagley runs to his side and tells O'Donnell to call for an ambulance. As he lays dying, Russo asks Neagley of Jane's safety and she tells him that Jane is safe. Breaking her code of no touching while realizing he could succumb to his wounds, Neagley grabs Russo's hand and comforts him as he's dying. Shortly after, Russo passes away in her arms.
Legacy[]
His death caused Reacher and Neagley to confront Marsh for his cowardice before being shot in the head by Reacher. Shortly after, they infiltrate the hospital and interrogate Grant for information before killing him. After killing Langston and solving the case, Reacher recovers the bonds and distributes a portion of the money to his brother Anthony Russo's children.
Physical Appearance[]
Personality and Traits[]
Appearances[]
Behind the Scenes[]
- Russo is portrayed by Domenick Lombardozzi.
Notes and Trivia[]
Book Comparisons[]
The character of Guy Russo does not appear in the novel Bad Luck and Trouble. However, Russo is a combination between both characters Thomas Brant and Curtis Mauney though some of the latter traits are given to Drew Marsh.
Gallery[]
References[]
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