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The Mailman
In a new thriller from the author of The End of the Road, a former postal inspection agent tracks a violent crew through the Midwest to rescue a kidnapped woman.
Mercury Carter is a deliveryman and he takes his job very seriously. When a parcel is under his care, he will stop at nothing to deliver it directly to its intended recipient. Not even, as in the current case, when he finds a crew of violent men at the indicated address that threaten his life and take the woman who lives there hostage. That’s because Carter has special skills from his former life as a federal agent with the postal inspection service, skills that make him particularly useful for delivering items in circumstances as dangerous as these.
After Carter dispatches the goons sent to kill him, he enters a home besieged by criminals—but the leader of the gang escapes with attorney Rachel Stanfield before the mailman can complete his assignment. With Rachel’s husband Glenn in tow, Carter takes off in pursuit of the kidnapper and his quarry, hunting them across Indiana, up to Chicago, and into small-town Illinois. Along the way, he slowly picks off members of the crew and uncovers a far-reaching conspiracy and a powerful crime syndicate, all in service of his main to hand the package over to Rachel. Carter has never missed a delivery and isn’t about to start now.
Introducing a new lone-wolf protagonist to rival Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Steve Hamilton’s Nick Mason, and Gregg Hurwitz’s Evan Smoak, The Mailman is a pulse-pounding series opener with captivating action and enough thrills to leave readers anxiously awaiting the next installment.
Mercury Carter is a deliveryman and he takes his job very seriously. When a parcel is under his care, he will stop at nothing to deliver it directly to its intended recipient. Not even, as in the current case, when he finds a crew of violent men at the indicated address that threaten his life and take the woman who lives there hostage. That’s because Carter has special skills from his former life as a federal agent with the postal inspection service, skills that make him particularly useful for delivering items in circumstances as dangerous as these.
After Carter dispatches the goons sent to kill him, he enters a home besieged by criminals—but the leader of the gang escapes with attorney Rachel Stanfield before the mailman can complete his assignment. With Rachel’s husband Glenn in tow, Carter takes off in pursuit of the kidnapper and his quarry, hunting them across Indiana, up to Chicago, and into small-town Illinois. Along the way, he slowly picks off members of the crew and uncovers a far-reaching conspiracy and a powerful crime syndicate, all in service of his main to hand the package over to Rachel. Carter has never missed a delivery and isn’t about to start now.
Introducing a new lone-wolf protagonist to rival Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Steve Hamilton’s Nick Mason, and Gregg Hurwitz’s Evan Smoak, The Mailman is a pulse-pounding series opener with captivating action and enough thrills to leave readers anxiously awaiting the next installment.
350 pages, Hardcover
Published January 28, 2025
161 people are currently reading
5458 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Welsh-Huggins
51 books129 followersANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS is the Shamus Award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes private eye series, the standalone crime novel "The End of the Road," and editor of "Columbus Noir." His short fiction has appeared in "Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine," "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine," Mystery Magazine," the anthologies "The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021," "Mickey Finn 21st Century Noir: Vols I and III," "Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon," and other magazines and anthologies. Andrew's nonfiction book, "No Winners Here Tonight," is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
February 22, 2025
Transplanting The Transporter
A review of the Mysterious Press hardcover (January 28, 2025) released simultaneously with the eBook/audiobook.
But in any case, Carter appears at a house hoping to make a delivery when he discovers that something is off about the situation. It turns out his package recipient is being held against her will along with her husband and in order to fulfill his obligations Carter has to rescue them.
That all snowballs into some pretty unbelievable scenarios about which it would be a spoiler to reveal anything much further. But the plot moves like a shark without hardly taking a breath and thriller and suspense fans will be entertained, especially if they are Statham fans as well. Carter doesn't fetishize about his car though.
I did feel a bit of a letdown at the end when the actual delivery was revealed as a MacGuffin. Also the reason behind the kidnap seemed rather illogical once the main plot of the lead baddie was revealed. Can't say more without spoiling, but it touched on an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert. I won't tag it with that though, but it does take it down a notch or two.
This is likely the start of a series, as the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger as well.
A review of the Mysterious Press hardcover (January 28, 2025) released simultaneously with the eBook/audiobook.
"Like I said, I just happened to be delivering a package ... Right place, right time."Lead character Mercury "Merc" Carter has difficulty explaining his job to different people at various times during the course of The Mailman. He could have just said he was like Jason Statham in The Transporter (2002-2008) film franchise and everyone would have got the idea immediately 😅. But that would have betrayed the source idea material for this thriller on steroids.
"But you can't say who it's from."
"Afraid not. Company rules."
"Whose company?"
"Mine."
"What's the name of it? Your company?"
"It's really just me. I'm on my own. A freelance courier, like."
"A courier."
"That's right. Like a mailman."
"A mailman delivering a package from someone you can't identify, who happens to show up at our house."
But in any case, Carter appears at a house hoping to make a delivery when he discovers that something is off about the situation. It turns out his package recipient is being held against her will along with her husband and in order to fulfill his obligations Carter has to rescue them.
That all snowballs into some pretty unbelievable scenarios about which it would be a spoiler to reveal anything much further. But the plot moves like a shark without hardly taking a breath and thriller and suspense fans will be entertained, especially if they are Statham fans as well. Carter doesn't fetishize about his car though.
I did feel a bit of a letdown at the end when the actual delivery was revealed as a MacGuffin. Also the reason behind the kidnap seemed rather illogical once the main plot of the lead baddie was revealed. Can't say more without spoiling, but it touched on an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert. I won't tag it with that though, but it does take it down a notch or two.
This is likely the start of a series, as the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger as well.
December 15, 2024
This novel is a look at a day in the life of Mercury Carter, a federal agent turned freelance personal courier. Carter’s father was a mailman who died in the line of service, and now Carter also delivers things. You could say he also has a special set of skills, and they are needed when he sets out to deliver a package to an attorney named Rachel Stanfield.
When he arrives at her house, he immediately realizes something is wrong. There is a group of men there who seem to be in the middle of committing a crime, but he tells them he isn’t leaving until he delivers his package. He has never missed a delivery, and he isn’t going to start today. When the men abscond with Rachel, he and Rachel’s husband Glenn follow behind. Then they get word that Glenn’s daughter Abby is missing, which throws the delivery even further off track, adding another layer to the story.
The beginning of this book started off strong, but then towards the middle, things began to get a bit convoluted with too many storylines and ancillary characters. The ending was definitely good, but it did seem to drop a couple of those story lines, and gloss over what happened to some of the characters. Otherwise, this was an entertaining action/thriller book, and I thought “Merc” Carter was an intriguing character. It’s not my favorite thriller sub-genre, but if you like crime and action thrillers, this one is for you! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
(Thank you to Mysterious Press, Andrew Welsh-Huggins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 28, 2025.)
When he arrives at her house, he immediately realizes something is wrong. There is a group of men there who seem to be in the middle of committing a crime, but he tells them he isn’t leaving until he delivers his package. He has never missed a delivery, and he isn’t going to start today. When the men abscond with Rachel, he and Rachel’s husband Glenn follow behind. Then they get word that Glenn’s daughter Abby is missing, which throws the delivery even further off track, adding another layer to the story.
The beginning of this book started off strong, but then towards the middle, things began to get a bit convoluted with too many storylines and ancillary characters. The ending was definitely good, but it did seem to drop a couple of those story lines, and gloss over what happened to some of the characters. Otherwise, this was an entertaining action/thriller book, and I thought “Merc” Carter was an intriguing character. It’s not my favorite thriller sub-genre, but if you like crime and action thrillers, this one is for you! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
(Thank you to Mysterious Press, Andrew Welsh-Huggins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 28, 2025.)
June 13, 2025
A new-to-me author. Carter has an interesting history leading to his current occupation, he's a private delivery man.
l see this book as a Jack Reacher lite, as if Reacher was the size of say Tom Cruise. Carter doesn't have the military background, but nothing gets in the way of him completing his delivery, whatever it may be. Recommend highly.
l see this book as a Jack Reacher lite, as if Reacher was the size of say Tom Cruise. Carter doesn't have the military background, but nothing gets in the way of him completing his delivery, whatever it may be. Recommend highly.
February 24, 2025
"The Mailman" - written by Andrew Welsh-Huggins and published in 2025 by Mysterious Press, Penzler Publishers. I really enjoy the Orphan X and Gray Man series and this one had a similar vibe. The mailman here, a former postal inspector but now independent, is Mercury "Merc" Carter who inserts himself into a dicey situation while attempting to make a delivery. He has all sorts of the skills needed for this job, and the action never stops with some dedicated bad guys and the likewise dedicated Merc. It was fun!
May 11, 2025
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it’s the start of a new series, and an excellent first installment, (I’ll definitely be waiting for book two to come out).
The ‘Mailman’ is Mercury Cater and he is delivering a package to Rachel Stanfield. When he arrives at her house to make his delivery he stumbles upon a home invasion in progress. The book really takes off and is filled with nonstop excitement, and through it all I found myself wondering what was really going on, yes you do get bits and pieces throughout, but not completely until the ending. I did really enjoy the book and was very satisfied with the ending, and what an amazing man Mercury is.
The ‘Mailman’ is Mercury Cater and he is delivering a package to Rachel Stanfield. When he arrives at her house to make his delivery he stumbles upon a home invasion in progress. The book really takes off and is filled with nonstop excitement, and through it all I found myself wondering what was really going on, yes you do get bits and pieces throughout, but not completely until the ending. I did really enjoy the book and was very satisfied with the ending, and what an amazing man Mercury is.
June 8, 2025
I saw a lot of folks reading and raving about The Mailman on the web. Then I thought I might try this new character from Andrew Welsh-Huggins. Mercury Carter delivers, not only pacels and goods but a great adventure of a different kind from most lone hero stories out there. I found it both funny and exciting and will try the next story when it arrives. I recommend that you try it as well.
December 7, 2024
I enjoy an occasional good thriller, one with characters to root for, and The Mailman by Andrew Welsh-Huggins definitely fits that definition. Mercury (Merc) Carter used to be a federal agent investigating and resolving mail fraud, and he has major skills from those days. Later, he left the agency to become a "freelance courier," in tribute to his father, a USPS mail carrier who met an untimely and unfortunate death.
Merc's self-imposed credo is to deliver whatever has been entrusted to him, in any way he can. And it seems he has met his biggest challenge when, in the process of making a delivery, he happens onto the home invasion and kidnapping of Rachel, a prominent defense attorney. With her injured husband in tow, Merc sets out to find Rachel and make the delivery, which involves encountering and dealing with a plethora of dangerous men with their own agendas and, ultimately, a much bigger objective. Along the way, there is another kidnapping, a lot of violence, and a look into the life of a very capable, clever, and creative man.
I was immediately engaged by the amazing Merc, and the supporting characters are equally well drawn and complex. The only one I find a little unbelievable is Rachel's 16-year-old stepdaughter, Abby, although she is fun to read about as well. Many of the scenes, and the plot itself, involve almost unbearable suspense, which keeps ratcheting upward throughout the book.
I understand that there have been a number of short stories about Merc, and the end of this book seems to promise more from him. I hope so.
My review is based on a complimentary, pre-release copy of this book.
Merc's self-imposed credo is to deliver whatever has been entrusted to him, in any way he can. And it seems he has met his biggest challenge when, in the process of making a delivery, he happens onto the home invasion and kidnapping of Rachel, a prominent defense attorney. With her injured husband in tow, Merc sets out to find Rachel and make the delivery, which involves encountering and dealing with a plethora of dangerous men with their own agendas and, ultimately, a much bigger objective. Along the way, there is another kidnapping, a lot of violence, and a look into the life of a very capable, clever, and creative man.
I was immediately engaged by the amazing Merc, and the supporting characters are equally well drawn and complex. The only one I find a little unbelievable is Rachel's 16-year-old stepdaughter, Abby, although she is fun to read about as well. Many of the scenes, and the plot itself, involve almost unbearable suspense, which keeps ratcheting upward throughout the book.
I understand that there have been a number of short stories about Merc, and the end of this book seems to promise more from him. I hope so.
My review is based on a complimentary, pre-release copy of this book.
February 19, 2025
This was a very fun thriller - it kept getting more and more complicated. Once Merc Carter, our hero, thought he was there, he only opened more problems on his task of delivering his "package." It was a lot of fun; this is one of those books you should keep a journal of everyone.
February 1, 2025
Andrew Welsh-Huggins may have created the most unsuspecting super-agent of all time in the guise of Mercury ‘Merc’ Carter a.k.a. The Mailman. He possesses all of the fighting ability of a Jack Reacher combined with the ability to use various technology to destroy any adversary that gets in his way.
In THE MAILMAN, the mission for Merc is not simply to save a husband and wife that were victimized by a home invasion/torture attack. He has far simpler goals to meet. In this case, it is merely to deliver a package to attorney Rachel Stanfield who was the person kidnapped by the home invaders while her husband Glenn was left behind to tag along with Merc.
There is no time to breathe nor place to hide during THE MAILMAN as the home invasion of the team of bad guys happens on the very first page and then continues to accelerate into wildly unpredictable places. The group of villains, led by the man simply called Finn, initially seem to be wanting a deposition that Rachel had been a part of. This expands into needing information from her about a woman named Stella Wolford and an item mysteriously entitled 22/7. The truth behind each of these is left unknown for most of the novel but the revelations are well worth the wait.
There is another character threatened with danger and that is Rachel and Glenn’s daughter Abby who is away at college. Merc and Glenn head out to get to her before Finn and company find her, even though Finn still has Rachel along for the ride with him. Abby initially has no clue what is going on and wants to know why her father and some mail courier showed up at her school. She gets up to speed quickly and becomes a valuable ally to Merc in his mission to find Rachel and make his delivery to her.
Merc, our freelance mailman, stays one step ahead of Finn and those he works for by taking them down one at a time. There are some great chase scenes and plenty of action-packed violence to keep the narrative humming along. I had no doubt that Merc would succeed in his mission but still had no clue what was in the package he was so determined to deliver.
The villains are into a lot of shady dealings that include lottery scams, but it is only once the reveal about 22/7 is uncovered that the true danger behind their plot is realized --- and it is a doozey! THE MAILMAN provides zero opportunity to catch your breath from start to finish and the character of Merc is still one of the most confounding yet satisfying that I have read in thriller fiction. I would love to see him again in a future novel.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
In THE MAILMAN, the mission for Merc is not simply to save a husband and wife that were victimized by a home invasion/torture attack. He has far simpler goals to meet. In this case, it is merely to deliver a package to attorney Rachel Stanfield who was the person kidnapped by the home invaders while her husband Glenn was left behind to tag along with Merc.
There is no time to breathe nor place to hide during THE MAILMAN as the home invasion of the team of bad guys happens on the very first page and then continues to accelerate into wildly unpredictable places. The group of villains, led by the man simply called Finn, initially seem to be wanting a deposition that Rachel had been a part of. This expands into needing information from her about a woman named Stella Wolford and an item mysteriously entitled 22/7. The truth behind each of these is left unknown for most of the novel but the revelations are well worth the wait.
There is another character threatened with danger and that is Rachel and Glenn’s daughter Abby who is away at college. Merc and Glenn head out to get to her before Finn and company find her, even though Finn still has Rachel along for the ride with him. Abby initially has no clue what is going on and wants to know why her father and some mail courier showed up at her school. She gets up to speed quickly and becomes a valuable ally to Merc in his mission to find Rachel and make his delivery to her.
Merc, our freelance mailman, stays one step ahead of Finn and those he works for by taking them down one at a time. There are some great chase scenes and plenty of action-packed violence to keep the narrative humming along. I had no doubt that Merc would succeed in his mission but still had no clue what was in the package he was so determined to deliver.
The villains are into a lot of shady dealings that include lottery scams, but it is only once the reveal about 22/7 is uncovered that the true danger behind their plot is realized --- and it is a doozey! THE MAILMAN provides zero opportunity to catch your breath from start to finish and the character of Merc is still one of the most confounding yet satisfying that I have read in thriller fiction. I would love to see him again in a future novel.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
June 5, 2025
The premise of this thriller immediately caught my attention: What action transpires when a delivery man stops at nothing to get a package under his charge safely delivered? The action-packed story follows Mercury Carter, a former federal agent now working as a freelance delivery man. While on a delivery to attorney Rachel Stanfield, Mercury discovers Rachel and her husband, Glenn, being questioned and seemingly tortured by Finn and three other nefarious men searching for Stella Wolford. Because Merc refuses to abandon his delivery, he becomes entangled in the home invasion and Rachel’s kidnapping, forcing he and Glenn to then race against time to save Abby, the couple's daughter, who is away at college, before criminal Finn locates her. I found the audiobook narration wasn't enjoyable for me, so I picked up a physical copy. Despite typically enjoying thrillers and finding the premise very promising, I just couldn't connect with this story. The characters were difficult to root for, and the violent plot seemed to lose its way as the book continued. It was a bit disappointing for me personally, but I acknowledge that many others have loved it, and I'm sure it will resonate with different readers. 2.5/5
June 23, 2025
There was a lot going on in this book.
For starters, Mercury “Merc” worked for USPIS and then, he didn’t. There’s a lot of stuff going on around that. His father did it too and he suddenly died and you get the sense that it was fishy and he is investigating it without actually investigating it?
The author tried putting too many leads to a series in this one singular book. They set themselves up for success to try and hook readers, but the back and forth and unanswered questions left me annoyed than on a cliffhanger.
The family he dealt with when delivering his package was so annoying also. It dealt with a lot of triggering subjects from anger problems, daughter who has bad grades, a step-mom who had miscarriages and is finally pregnant again, nazi/white supremacists, Muslim bullying, a Mosque with a bomb, death, strangulation, etc.
The author goes through hoops to make this Courier seem like somewhat of an unbelievable Tom Cruise character. He just always seems to be at the right place at the right time but he only has one “inside man” who is his uncle. He knows things he shouldn’t and you never see how he knows.
It’s just too screenplay for me to enjoy as a novel. For that reason, this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.
For starters, Mercury “Merc” worked for USPIS and then, he didn’t. There’s a lot of stuff going on around that. His father did it too and he suddenly died and you get the sense that it was fishy and he is investigating it without actually investigating it?
The author tried putting too many leads to a series in this one singular book. They set themselves up for success to try and hook readers, but the back and forth and unanswered questions left me annoyed than on a cliffhanger.
The family he dealt with when delivering his package was so annoying also. It dealt with a lot of triggering subjects from anger problems, daughter who has bad grades, a step-mom who had miscarriages and is finally pregnant again, nazi/white supremacists, Muslim bullying, a Mosque with a bomb, death, strangulation, etc.
The author goes through hoops to make this Courier seem like somewhat of an unbelievable Tom Cruise character. He just always seems to be at the right place at the right time but he only has one “inside man” who is his uncle. He knows things he shouldn’t and you never see how he knows.
It’s just too screenplay for me to enjoy as a novel. For that reason, this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2025
3.5 🌟
I received a copy of this novel in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.
This is not my typical type of novel, but I was very intrigued by the premise and was thrilled to win a copy! Mercury Carter is a delivery man. The story of how he became such is as much a part of the story as anything else, and I appreciated the background into his character. Regardless, he is a delivery man who delivers anything, people included, and takes his job extremely serious. I suspect he may possibly be on the spectrum with how serious he seems about making his deliveries. What else is he? Ex-FBI. So he knows some things to keep himself protected.
Upon his most recent job, he stumbles into a bit of a situation that prohibits him from delivering to the recipient. In order to make the delivery, he has to take care of a little business first.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and some of the twists it took. I especially enjoyed that a lot of it took place in Chicago, Indianapolis, and central Illinois, which is always fun when you recognize the places in a story. Things got a little confusing for me at times, primarily in the last 2/3 of the novel because there were a lot of players, and not being used to books like this, following all the action took a bit of effort. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys fast-paced, crime related type novels.
I received a copy of this novel in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.
This is not my typical type of novel, but I was very intrigued by the premise and was thrilled to win a copy! Mercury Carter is a delivery man. The story of how he became such is as much a part of the story as anything else, and I appreciated the background into his character. Regardless, he is a delivery man who delivers anything, people included, and takes his job extremely serious. I suspect he may possibly be on the spectrum with how serious he seems about making his deliveries. What else is he? Ex-FBI. So he knows some things to keep himself protected.
Upon his most recent job, he stumbles into a bit of a situation that prohibits him from delivering to the recipient. In order to make the delivery, he has to take care of a little business first.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and some of the twists it took. I especially enjoyed that a lot of it took place in Chicago, Indianapolis, and central Illinois, which is always fun when you recognize the places in a story. Things got a little confusing for me at times, primarily in the last 2/3 of the novel because there were a lot of players, and not being used to books like this, following all the action took a bit of effort. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys fast-paced, crime related type novels.
June 22, 2025
Pretty terrific thriller about a man, Mercury Carter, who freelances as a mailman...in one of his deliveries, he happens upon a couple being taken hostage by criminals for reasons that become clearer as the story goes on. Breakneck pace with this book, loads of characters so you need to pay close attention to connect all the dots. Hoping its the first in a series as I very much liked Mercury Carter.
February 25, 2025
A private mail deliverer gets involved in games of deceit and death when a customer is abducted by mercenaries.
Sort of reminded me of Stewart Stirling's detectives from the 1950's: insanely dedicated store detectives and fire marshals. I like the novelty of a mail cop for sure.
The novel loses its way a bit around 3/4 of the way in, but finds it after a few pages.
A good debut.
Sort of reminded me of Stewart Stirling's detectives from the 1950's: insanely dedicated store detectives and fire marshals. I like the novelty of a mail cop for sure.
The novel loses its way a bit around 3/4 of the way in, but finds it after a few pages.
A good debut.
July 27, 2025
I took this out of the library because it sounded shticky as hell. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! The mystery and character’s backstory’s were great even if the ending felt a little massaged to work. Sure there were loose ends but there was also a delivery man kicking ass with a clipboard.
March 11, 2025
This is a really good chase mystery, start to finish. It's probably more of a four and a half stars while some minor things kept it from being a five for me. Your opinions may vary. One thing that I did like was that the hero, Mercury "Merc" Carter, tends to disable the bad guys first rather than take them out.
March 25, 2025
A thriller for sure, and Merc….
Read
April 4, 2025Very fun!
July 17, 2025
A huge fan of the author and this one did not disappoint. Hopefully this will be a series.
October 22, 2025
Enjoyable read, kind of typical male power fantasy where nothing bad happens, but I'd be interested in a sequel nonetheless.
August 14, 2025
This story was fast paced & riveting. A quick read. I enjoyed getting to know Mercury because I know the author is planning a series using him as his main character. It is a bit hard to believe that Mercury was so gifted in all of the methods he used to overthrow the bad guys. (Superman ish). I look forward to reading about his next exploits (and this genre is not my favorite). Maybe it helps that I know the author.
May 7, 2025
Not as good as I hoped it would be. I wanted to like the characters but it did not just get there for me. Oh well!!
August 25, 2025
Mercury Carter, the titular mailman, is an unlikely and unconventional hero anyone can root for. He has never missed a delivery. He will do anything to ensure that he hands a package to its intended recipient. The bad guys holding Rachel, a lawyer, and her husband, hostage don't know that. When Carter arrives, the baddies try to get rid of him to their own detriment. They kidnap Rachel and the chase begins.
I really enjoyed this rip-roaring ride of a book! My first time reading a book by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. It won't be the last!
I really enjoyed this rip-roaring ride of a book! My first time reading a book by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. It won't be the last!
January 28, 2025
He takes his delivery job VERY seriously
Rachel Stanfeld and her husband Glenn are preparing dinner in their Indiana kitchen one night, another almost-fight brewing in a marriage that has of late been strained. The cause of this particular argument is what to do about Abby - his daughter, her stepdaughter - whose grades have plummeted at the elite private school she's attending. Glenn thinks its a phase, Rachel thinks its a symptom of something more serious....and that Abby isn't the only one unhappy about something she's not sharing. Then four masked men walk in and the couples' problems increase exponentially. Rachel recognizes one of the men as someone who has been pestering her to give him a copy of a witness deposition she took recently. It was a fairly ordinary deposition in a case of alleged wrongful termination....nothing remotely dangerous, but as a lawyer Rachel can't release proprietary information to an unrelated party. Finn, the leader of the four man group, is not going to take no for an answer on the matter and has some additional questions for Rachel to answer that she swears she knows nothing about. He is on the verge of torturing Glenn when the doorbell rings. Persistently. At the door is an man who says he is a freelance courier there to make a delivery to Rachel, one that he has to deliver to her personally. Maybe her husband. Definitely not Finn. Mercury ("call me Merc") Carter doesn't look like a threat, he's slight of build and of average height, but is pleasantly causing Finn major problems. And he will be causing Finn many more in the hours ahead, because there is more to Merc than meets the eye, just as there is more to what's going on with Glenn, with Rachel, with Abby and now with Finn and his crew.
In the movie "Die Hard" the character of John McClane describes himself as, "Just a fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass." That is exactly what Merc proves to be for Finn, his crew, and his bosses. Who he is, how he has the many skills he turns out to have, and why he is working as a one-man courier operation come out a bit at a time in this tale of people caught up in a bad situation in which they have little involvement and possess none of the information that the bad guys are after (or do they?). The reader doesn't know until the end whether Merc's arrival at Rachel's door is a happy little coincidence or if he knows more about what is going on then it appears. Like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, James Byrne's Dez Limerick and Mark Greaney's Grey Man, Merc should have no chance going up against the gang he is taking on as he pursues his noble goal of delivering the package he has been tasked with getting to Rachel (what is it? Another mystery.). But good things, and apparently dangerous things, can come in "shrimpy" packages. The suspense builds, no one is exactly what they seem, and everyone has at least one secret up their sleeve in this twisty thriller (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5) featuring an unlikely hero and other characters who are fleshed out as the story progresses. Readers of the authors I mentioned above should definitely check out The Mailman....and I suspect that this won't be his last delivery. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for sharing an early copy of the book with me in exchange for my honest review.
Rachel Stanfeld and her husband Glenn are preparing dinner in their Indiana kitchen one night, another almost-fight brewing in a marriage that has of late been strained. The cause of this particular argument is what to do about Abby - his daughter, her stepdaughter - whose grades have plummeted at the elite private school she's attending. Glenn thinks its a phase, Rachel thinks its a symptom of something more serious....and that Abby isn't the only one unhappy about something she's not sharing. Then four masked men walk in and the couples' problems increase exponentially. Rachel recognizes one of the men as someone who has been pestering her to give him a copy of a witness deposition she took recently. It was a fairly ordinary deposition in a case of alleged wrongful termination....nothing remotely dangerous, but as a lawyer Rachel can't release proprietary information to an unrelated party. Finn, the leader of the four man group, is not going to take no for an answer on the matter and has some additional questions for Rachel to answer that she swears she knows nothing about. He is on the verge of torturing Glenn when the doorbell rings. Persistently. At the door is an man who says he is a freelance courier there to make a delivery to Rachel, one that he has to deliver to her personally. Maybe her husband. Definitely not Finn. Mercury ("call me Merc") Carter doesn't look like a threat, he's slight of build and of average height, but is pleasantly causing Finn major problems. And he will be causing Finn many more in the hours ahead, because there is more to Merc than meets the eye, just as there is more to what's going on with Glenn, with Rachel, with Abby and now with Finn and his crew.
In the movie "Die Hard" the character of John McClane describes himself as, "Just a fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass." That is exactly what Merc proves to be for Finn, his crew, and his bosses. Who he is, how he has the many skills he turns out to have, and why he is working as a one-man courier operation come out a bit at a time in this tale of people caught up in a bad situation in which they have little involvement and possess none of the information that the bad guys are after (or do they?). The reader doesn't know until the end whether Merc's arrival at Rachel's door is a happy little coincidence or if he knows more about what is going on then it appears. Like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, James Byrne's Dez Limerick and Mark Greaney's Grey Man, Merc should have no chance going up against the gang he is taking on as he pursues his noble goal of delivering the package he has been tasked with getting to Rachel (what is it? Another mystery.). But good things, and apparently dangerous things, can come in "shrimpy" packages. The suspense builds, no one is exactly what they seem, and everyone has at least one secret up their sleeve in this twisty thriller (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5) featuring an unlikely hero and other characters who are fleshed out as the story progresses. Readers of the authors I mentioned above should definitely check out The Mailman....and I suspect that this won't be his last delivery. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for sharing an early copy of the book with me in exchange for my honest review.
February 2, 2025
Andrew Welsh-Huggins may have created the most unsuspecting super-agent of all time. Mercury "Merc" Carter, aka the Mailman, possesses all of the fighting prowess of Jack Reacher combined with the ability to use various technology to destroy any adversary who gets in his way.
In THE MAILMAN, Merc's original mission is not to save a married couple who are being subjected to a home invasion and torture session. He has a far simpler assignment, which is to deliver a package to attorney Rachel Stanfield. But Rachel has been kidnapped, while her husband, Glenn, is left behind to tag along with Merc.
There is no time to breathe or place to hide during THE MAILMAN as this attack happens on the first page and continues to accelerate into wildly unpredictable places. The criminals, led by Finn, initially seem to want a deposition that Rachel had been a part of. This expands into needing information from her about a woman named Stella Wolford and an item mysteriously called 22/7. The truth behind all of this is left unknown for most of the book, but the revelations are well worth the wait.
There is another character whose safety is threatened: Rachel and Glenn’s daughter, Abby, who is away at college. Merc and Glenn try to get to her before Finn and his goons find her, even though Finn still has Rachel along for the ride with him. Abby initially has no clue what is going on and wants to know why her father and a courier has shown up at her school. She gets up to speed quickly and becomes a valuable ally to Merc in his mission to find Rachel and make his delivery to her.
Our freelance mailman stays one step ahead of Finn and those he works for by taking them down one at a time. There are some great chase scenes and plenty of action-packed violence to keep the narrative humming along. I had no doubt that Merc would succeed in his mission, but I still had no clue what was in the package that he was so determined to deliver.
The villains are into a lot of shady dealings that include lottery scams, but once all is revealed about 22/7, the true danger behind their plot is realized. And it’s a doozy! THE MAILMAN provides zero opportunity to catch your breath from start to finish, and Mercury Carter is one of the most confounding yet satisfying characters I have read in any thriller. As this is the start of a series, I look forward to his return.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
In THE MAILMAN, Merc's original mission is not to save a married couple who are being subjected to a home invasion and torture session. He has a far simpler assignment, which is to deliver a package to attorney Rachel Stanfield. But Rachel has been kidnapped, while her husband, Glenn, is left behind to tag along with Merc.
There is no time to breathe or place to hide during THE MAILMAN as this attack happens on the first page and continues to accelerate into wildly unpredictable places. The criminals, led by Finn, initially seem to want a deposition that Rachel had been a part of. This expands into needing information from her about a woman named Stella Wolford and an item mysteriously called 22/7. The truth behind all of this is left unknown for most of the book, but the revelations are well worth the wait.
There is another character whose safety is threatened: Rachel and Glenn’s daughter, Abby, who is away at college. Merc and Glenn try to get to her before Finn and his goons find her, even though Finn still has Rachel along for the ride with him. Abby initially has no clue what is going on and wants to know why her father and a courier has shown up at her school. She gets up to speed quickly and becomes a valuable ally to Merc in his mission to find Rachel and make his delivery to her.
Our freelance mailman stays one step ahead of Finn and those he works for by taking them down one at a time. There are some great chase scenes and plenty of action-packed violence to keep the narrative humming along. I had no doubt that Merc would succeed in his mission, but I still had no clue what was in the package that he was so determined to deliver.
The villains are into a lot of shady dealings that include lottery scams, but once all is revealed about 22/7, the true danger behind their plot is realized. And it’s a doozy! THE MAILMAN provides zero opportunity to catch your breath from start to finish, and Mercury Carter is one of the most confounding yet satisfying characters I have read in any thriller. As this is the start of a series, I look forward to his return.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
January 4, 2025
The Mailman by Andrew Welsh-Huggins is an excellent, action-packed thriller and the first book in an entertaining new series featuring Mercury Carter, a highly-skilled freelance courier.
Mercury (Merc) Carter, a former postal inspection agent, is currently working as a mailman, a one-man delivery service. He takes great care to make sure his deliveries go directly to the intended recipient. When he arrives with a delivery at the Indianapolis home of married couple Rachel and Glenn Stanfield, he comes across a gang of violent criminals there, led by a man called Finn, who are about to torture the couple for information. Due to Merc's training as a federal agent, he is able to incapacitate the two goons sent out to eliminate him.
Finn and gang escape with Rachel as a hostage. Merc, with an injured Glenn in tow, takes off in pursuit of the men, so he can make his delivery to Rachel. Along the way he encounters numerous dangerous situations, which he skillfully handles, while uncovering a much broader conspiracy.
Once I started this well-written, high-octane, action-packed thriller it was quickly un-put-downable. This is a great choice for those who like intricate, fast-paced, intriguing thrillers where the clues followed are like a puzzle that must be solved. It is so satisfying to follow Merc's tenacity as he uncovers new clues and handles the numerous threats along the way.
Merc is an intelligent, determined, perceptive, and resourceful protagonist that never misses a delivery. He is an engaging character whose backstory is told in short segments as the present day action unfolds so readers are introduced to him while seeing his skills in action. Merc is comparable to Lee Child's Jack Reacher.
The Mailman introduces a new series full of action and I look forward to Mercury Carter's next delivery. Thanks to Penzler Publishers for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
Mercury (Merc) Carter, a former postal inspection agent, is currently working as a mailman, a one-man delivery service. He takes great care to make sure his deliveries go directly to the intended recipient. When he arrives with a delivery at the Indianapolis home of married couple Rachel and Glenn Stanfield, he comes across a gang of violent criminals there, led by a man called Finn, who are about to torture the couple for information. Due to Merc's training as a federal agent, he is able to incapacitate the two goons sent out to eliminate him.
Finn and gang escape with Rachel as a hostage. Merc, with an injured Glenn in tow, takes off in pursuit of the men, so he can make his delivery to Rachel. Along the way he encounters numerous dangerous situations, which he skillfully handles, while uncovering a much broader conspiracy.
Once I started this well-written, high-octane, action-packed thriller it was quickly un-put-downable. This is a great choice for those who like intricate, fast-paced, intriguing thrillers where the clues followed are like a puzzle that must be solved. It is so satisfying to follow Merc's tenacity as he uncovers new clues and handles the numerous threats along the way.
Merc is an intelligent, determined, perceptive, and resourceful protagonist that never misses a delivery. He is an engaging character whose backstory is told in short segments as the present day action unfolds so readers are introduced to him while seeing his skills in action. Merc is comparable to Lee Child's Jack Reacher.
The Mailman introduces a new series full of action and I look forward to Mercury Carter's next delivery. Thanks to Penzler Publishers for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
January 24, 2025
The Mailman: A Chilling Descent into the American Psyche
Andrew Welsh-Huggins' "The Mailman" isn't your typical thriller. It's a chilling exploration of the underbelly of American society, a descent into the paranoia and isolation that fester beneath the surface of everyday life.
The novel follows a seemingly ordinary mail carrier, a man who observes the lives of his community from his daily rounds. But beneath the veneer of normalcy, a disturbing transformation takes place. His observations become increasingly obsessive, his empathy replaced by a chilling detachment. He begins to see the flaws in his neighbors, their petty grievances, their hidden desires, and slowly, he starts to believe he has the power to "correct" these perceived imperfections.
Welsh-Huggins masterfully avoids easy answers. There are no clear villains or heroes, only shades of gray. The mail carrier's descent is gradual, insidious, a reflection of the societal pressures and anxieties that permeate American life. The novel explores themes of surveillance, privacy, and the erosion of trust in a chillingly realistic way.
"The Mailman" is a slow-burn that lingers long after the final page. It's a disturbingly relevant commentary on contemporary society, a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the fragility of the human psyche.
Recommended for: Readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers, social commentary, and unsettling explorations of the human condition.
Personally, I snapped up this book, and I will be watching for more from this imaginatively talented author.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins' "The Mailman" isn't your typical thriller. It's a chilling exploration of the underbelly of American society, a descent into the paranoia and isolation that fester beneath the surface of everyday life.
The novel follows a seemingly ordinary mail carrier, a man who observes the lives of his community from his daily rounds. But beneath the veneer of normalcy, a disturbing transformation takes place. His observations become increasingly obsessive, his empathy replaced by a chilling detachment. He begins to see the flaws in his neighbors, their petty grievances, their hidden desires, and slowly, he starts to believe he has the power to "correct" these perceived imperfections.
Welsh-Huggins masterfully avoids easy answers. There are no clear villains or heroes, only shades of gray. The mail carrier's descent is gradual, insidious, a reflection of the societal pressures and anxieties that permeate American life. The novel explores themes of surveillance, privacy, and the erosion of trust in a chillingly realistic way.
"The Mailman" is a slow-burn that lingers long after the final page. It's a disturbingly relevant commentary on contemporary society, a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the fragility of the human psyche.
Recommended for: Readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers, social commentary, and unsettling explorations of the human condition.
Personally, I snapped up this book, and I will be watching for more from this imaginatively talented author.
June 8, 2025
Pretty good.
Reasons for no more than three stars:
-If the book had continued with Rachel and Glenn much longer, I might not have continued to read it. Didn't care much for either of them, though Rachel managed to become more likable further on.
-The addition of Abby, and of her playing a significant role in the story still has me on the fence. She was likable enough, but maybe too...I don't know. She felt more like a teen you'd encounter in a screenplay more than a novel.
-The story came this/close to being too much. Even though I loved most of the chase and complications, it was getting to the, "okay, time to start wrapping things up" point.
-Too many characters without believable, to me, anyway, connections-why should Finn care about Jason and not just take him out-why would Lobo wuss out to Jason and not just take him out, for example.
That said, reasons for three stars:
-Very good easy reading writing. Andrew Welsh-Huggins is very talented.
-Nice sense of humor.
-Nicely paced.
-Except for the aforementioned Rachel and Glenn, most of the characters were nuanced, and not overly stereotypical.
-I really liked Mercury Carter, our protagonist.
In summation, a good mystery thriller with a main character that is a little more every-man than a Jack Reacher, but interesting, fun and intelligent all the same.
Nicely done, Mr Welsh-Huggins. I will keep an eye out for the next Mercury Carter book.
Reasons for no more than three stars:
-If the book had continued with Rachel and Glenn much longer, I might not have continued to read it. Didn't care much for either of them, though Rachel managed to become more likable further on.
-The addition of Abby, and of her playing a significant role in the story still has me on the fence. She was likable enough, but maybe too...I don't know. She felt more like a teen you'd encounter in a screenplay more than a novel.
-The story came this/close to being too much. Even though I loved most of the chase and complications, it was getting to the, "okay, time to start wrapping things up" point.
-Too many characters without believable, to me, anyway, connections-why should Finn care about Jason and not just take him out-why would Lobo wuss out to Jason and not just take him out, for example.
That said, reasons for three stars:
-Very good easy reading writing. Andrew Welsh-Huggins is very talented.
-Nice sense of humor.
-Nicely paced.
-Except for the aforementioned Rachel and Glenn, most of the characters were nuanced, and not overly stereotypical.
-I really liked Mercury Carter, our protagonist.
In summation, a good mystery thriller with a main character that is a little more every-man than a Jack Reacher, but interesting, fun and intelligent all the same.
Nicely done, Mr Welsh-Huggins. I will keep an eye out for the next Mercury Carter book.
December 10, 2025
(Nov) Confession - I was looking for something to listen to on a 2 hr car ride and saw a a review of Mailman that made it sound interesting - a memoir about a corporate guy who became a rural mailman. Easy listening, right? But instead I downloaded this, and I'm embarrassed to admit it took about 10 min of listening before I figured out I had the wrong book! Instead of a story about an Appalachian mailman, I was listening to a story about a lady lawyer, bad guys, a questionable good guy, and an interesting cast of supporting characters. I actually looked forward to my drive home so I could get back to the story of Mercury Carter (who many reviewers compare to the Jason Statham character in The Transporter series - I'm not familiar with this), one of the most enjoyable main characters I've read in a while. There were twists and turns, but they were not outrageous (so often t/t are so over the top they take me out of the story), and I honestly didn't know how they were going to end it w the right people alive and the bad guys not so much! Also, I've never heard of the US Postal Inspection Service, and had no idea there was a crime-fighting arm of the USPS. (Postal Inspectors are federal agents who enforce over 200 federal laws related to crimes against the U.S. Mail, postal employees, and infrastructure.). This story kept me engaged and I'd definitely read another Merc story!! Honestly, in a lackluster reading year, this was one of my favorite reads.
February 10, 2025
(3.5 stars) Boy, I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought it started out great and then just got way too complicated with too many characters. It concerns Mercury Carter, a freelance “mailman” who, while delivering a letter to a woman happens upon the woman and her husband about to be tortured by a team of men over something they want: the location of a woman. At times there are more than a half-dozen bad guys, with three bosses, a husband hiding $20 million dollars, a lottery scam, a drug trial, and a chase across the lovely landscape of Indiana and Illinois. Oh, and throw in a kidnapped daughter with Sherlockian powers of deduction. As Carter pursues the kidnappers, trying to save the person he was originally supposed to deliver the letter to (a MacGuffin if ever there was one), more and more ancillary characters are introduced making this a huge mish-mash of people whose involvement in the actual story is tentative at best. And it’s a novel that would have benefitted by losing some of these useless subplots (the $20 million comes in handy at one point, but otherwise it’s totally unncessary to the story). Carter is a fascinating character, a kind of mashup of Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne, and I’d like to read another book with him in it, but this debut novel is a little hard to follow.
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