"The Mailman" By Andrew Welsh-Huggins: Review/Giveaway

Review by KG Whitehurst

 Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Many of us know Andrew Welsh-Huggins from his charming Andy Hayes PI series. With The Mailman, he introduces a new character, Mercury “Merc” Carter, a former postal inspector. (Yes, the United States Postal Inspection Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency, founded as part of the postal service in 1775 by Benjamin Franklin.) Now independent, Merc is a delivery man like no other, for his skills honed during his time with USPIS allow him to make deliveries in all sorts of dangerous situations. He more than lives up to the unofficial motto of the Postal Service:"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”.


➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

That’s great news for Rachel Stanfield. A violent gang of enforcers hold her and her husband Glenn captive in their basement when Merc enters the situation, determined to make his delivery. The gang leader is nonplussed by Merc’s arrival and singular focus on delivering the package to Rachel and figures it has to be some kind of cover. It isn’t, for Merc has no interest in Rachel or Stella Wolford, for whom Rachel is external counsel in a lawsuit. After a standoff with Merc, the gang retreats, taking Rachel, and heads off to Chicago in their quest for Stella. Merc follows them across Indiana to the Windy City with Rachel’s husband in tow. Glenn has secrets of his own, unrelated to this pursuit to save Rachel.

For all the craziness and the convolutions of the plot, which feel completely reasonable, it is never out of control. This thriller has a high degree of mystery, which should be no surprise to readers of the Andy Hayes series. Merc puts down the tire rubber gathering the information that allows him to untangle the connections and, ultimately, make his delivery.

Andy Hayes and Merc Carter have a lot in common—decent, determined, Midwest men with dashed sports dreams. In Merc’s case, it’s baseball. He has less emotional messiness in his personal life, except he’s haunted by the murder of his mail-carrier father. Be that as it may, we want Merc Carter in our lineup when life starts throwing four-seam fastballs at our heads.

To enter to win a copy of The Mailman, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "mailman,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 8, 2025. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! 

You can click here to purchase this book.

 

K.G. Whitehurst holds a PhD in British history from the University of Virginia. K.G. has blogged about historical fiction at DIYMFA.com; she writes both historical and science fiction mysteries. She lives with her husband, three cats, and over 100 houseplants in Frederick, Maryland, USA.


Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Comments

  1. Mary Holshouser
    Sounds kind of odd, but the reviewer
    says it works, so I'd like to try this one
    for myself. thanks
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've heard a lot of good things about this book! Count me in!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the chance! tWarner419@aol.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment