Andrew Welsh-Huggins on "Rescue Me" and "The Delivery"

"So Much Crime, So Little Time"

In addition to discussing Rescue Me and The Delivery, Andrew will share how he balances keeping books and plots fresh and compelling.

ABOUT THE DELIVERY:

Freelance courier Mercury Carter races against time and across New England to rescue a trafficking victim in this new thriller from the author of The Mailman.
Merc Carter is not your typical deliveryman. A former postal inspector, he specializes in moving sensitive or dangerous packages—of all sorts—from point A to B. And sometimes he needs his gun to do so. Carter’s current mission leads him to Providence, Rhode Island, but his delivery is interrupted when he comes across a woman badly injured in a car wreck in the pouring rain. Then a man with a gun appears warning Carter away from the scene and Carter leaps into action, disarming the attacker and rescuing the crash victim.
Just as Carter thinks the danger has passed, he discovers a deeper mystery stemming from the crash, a deadly puzzle involving a memorable pair of grifters, a crooked ex-cop, stolen identities, human trafficking, and M**der. And it appears that Carter’s next assignment will put him right in this conspiracy’s perilous center . . .
The follow-up to last year’s acclaimed hit, The Mailman, which launched the Mercury Carter series, The Delivery is a fast-paced, unpredictable thriller following a memorable protagonist whose resourcefulness is matched only by his quick wit and determination to never miss a delivery.

ABOUT RESCUE ME: AN ANDY HAYES MYSTERY:

Private eye Andy Hayes confronts his personal prejudices and assumptions when an unorthodox case comes his way. Tim Watkins is a young drag artist performing under the name Tiara Treatwell and facing online abuse and in-person stalking from anti-LGBTQIA crusaders. While Andy suspects the attacks are connected to a protest outside a drag story hour Tim attended weeks earlier in suburban Columbus, he has no direct evidence of a link. Tim’s concerns unfold against a groundswell of right-wing activism in the Ohio Statehouse, led by a failed state senate candidate who insists his opponent, a Somali American woman, stole the election.
Bail bondsman Otto Mulligan—Tim’s cousin and Andy’s closest friend—persuades Tim it’s in his best interest to accept Andy as bodyguard and escort until they can figure out who is behind the threats. Tim, who is Black and queer, is reluctant to work with Andy, dismissing him as an insensitive and macho ex–football star. Andy doesn’t do himself any favors by acknowledging he’s never attended a drag performance or even bothered to learn anything about the culture.
As Tim and Andy’s relationship is tested, Tim comes under attack by a pair of masked assailants, and only with the help of a concerned passerby does Andy manage to save both their lives. As Andy and the police search for clues to the assault, Andy follows a lead to an Ohio white supremacist group called the Promise Lords, which orchestrated the protest at the drag story hour. Andy enlists an old ally, Ronald J. McQuillen, a freelance analyst who helps law enforcement track and prosecute hate groups. Meanwhile, Andy’s investigation leads to conflict with Henrietta Millner, a nightside Columbus police detective who’s not happy to have Andy on her turf. Caught in the middle of this skirmish is Andy’s grown daughter, Alex Rutledge, who’s training to be a Columbus police officer. Andy and Henrietta’s uneasy partnership deteriorates when Andy, spurred by a cryptic comment from Alex, questions why a veteran investigator like Millner is stuck on the night shift.
As Andy’s search for the identity of Tim’s stalkers ramps up, increasingly bizarre clues emerge that may have connections to a broader plot. With time running out, Andy must put the pieces together to save Tim, and many others, from a violent and potentially deadly confrontation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the author of the Barry Award-nominated Mercury Carter Thriller series (including The Mailman, set in Indiana and Illinois), the Shamus Award-nominated Andy Hayes private eye series, and The End of the Road, a contemporary crime novel based loosely on Homer's Odyssey. Andrew's short fiction has appeared in multiple magazines and anthologies, including The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021, 2024, and 2025, and The Best Private Eye Stories of the Year 2025. His nonfiction book, No Winners Here Tonight, is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio.

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