Our conversation had me pondering my passion for crime fiction. While standalone novels are often appealing there’s nothing like recognizing a captivating protagonist in a series. For example: Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther, Ian Rankin’s John Rebus, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, or Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder.
Duos can be fantastic as well. There’s Dave Robicheaux/Clete Purcel (James Lee Burke), and Elvis Burke/Joe Pike (Robert Crais). When a reader can get in on the ground floor, so to speak, and read the debut novel in a new series and realize that hey, this story has legs, give us more, that is something special.
I just read another book like that, the one I mentioned already, “The Mailman” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. I spoke to the author recently and he told me he began developing this protagonist, Mercury Carter, through some short stories. Carter in the “mailman” of the title. He makes deliveries and takes pride that he has never failed to execute a delivery.
As this one begins Carter arrives at a home in Indiana to make a delivery. He soon realizes he has stumbled upon a home invasion. Some very bad people are at that house shaking down the couple who live there. They want information. She is an attorney and they think she knows something. She insists she does not.
So here’s Carter appearing, ringing the doorbell, interrupting a terrifying situation. Oh, I’m just here to make a delivery. He seems harmless and acts like a total nerd. And that dear readers makes him a very appealing character. He may look unthreatening but Mercury Carter possesses lethal skills. He’s also whip smart.
This is the beginning of a thriller that left this reviewer breathless. The author explained his agent made a crucial suggestion which really improved the story. The suggestion was: provide Carter’s back story. Carter’s father worked for the U.S. Postal Service and he got murdered while making a delivery.
The son becomes a U.S. Postal Inspector-an essential part of the back story. The culprit behind his dad’s murder is revealed in this story. That unsolved homicide will become a key storyline in the next book. Don’t miss this tasty new series. I’ll be counting the days until the next one comes out in January.
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
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