Andrew Welsh-Huggins follows up his highly entertaining THE MAILMAN with THE DELIVERY, the second novel featuring his memorable protagonist, Mercury “Merc” Carter.

Merc is a former federal employee who has held down roles in law enforcement and as a postal inspector. These days, he is a special courier who delivers items --- sometimes objects, sometimes people, sometimes completely undefinable tasks. Merc also lives by his own moral baseline and has a work ethic that goes beyond commitment to the job. Nothing will stop him from making his deliveries, and he has a very special set of skills that allows him to prevent anyone from stopping him.

"THE DELIVERY is a fun and exciting nonstop thriller, and Mercury Carter remains one of the most unique protagonists I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."

All Merc wants is to attend a minor-league baseball game to reminisce over a shared memory he had with his late father. This compels him to make the six-hour journey from Rochester, New York, to Providence, Rhode Island. Once in Providence, he comes across a car crash and finds a woman trapped in her vehicle. He is able to get her out with a crowbar, only to be met by a stranger in a white van who orders him at gunpoint to get away. Merc does not take such threats lightly and is able to back the man down, who then flees.

The woman slips an envelope to Merc before she is taken away by police and emergency services. Inside is a small ruby ring and a business card with a phone number and the word “help” written on the back. His desire to get to the baseball game takes a backseat to his dedication to his role as the Mailman as he now must deliver the ring to its proper owner.

The number written on the card leads Merc to the residence of Jim and Valerie Watkins, who say that the ring belongs to their troubled daughter, Terri, who recently has gone missing. His mission is clear: find Terri and return the ring to her at all costs. If only it were that easy! Merc is about to learn that Terri has gotten herself mixed up with a notorious group of former felons and skilled con men who are deeply involved in awful things --- human trafficking, drugs, even murder.

We see these criminals in a series of short passages, and initially we are confused as to who they really are and what is happening. The good thing is that we find out what is going on at the same time as Merc does. This allows us to ride along with him as he finds himself in a sea of evil, all while seeking to locate Terri and deliver her precious ring to her.

Merc gets in plenty of skirmishes with members of this criminal organization and does not always come out on top. He is not one to be kept down, though, and it will be just a matter of time before he makes his way to Terri. But how will he escape from these bad guys? Can he put a stop to their mission? And, most importantly, will he ever get to see that baseball game?

THE DELIVERY is a fun and exciting nonstop thriller, and Mercury Carter remains one of the most unique protagonists I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.