The Mailman
or The Handyman
Michael Bronte
The book has different titles in different editions.
Begins with a letter carrier making his rounds in what feels like a very familiar scenario with the same issues all such face. The observations are so apt I'm curious as to whether the author was so employed for a time.
Scott Campbell, "Soup", is the mailman of the title and his rounds give him loads of time for introspection. Marisa, his girlfriend of five months has needs and is not shy about making them known, one suspects she supplied the rubber. Kaz, a cop, is his best friend whom he is trying to get inspect the goings on in a run-down house on his route occupied by "Mr. Dirty".
Part two of the book switches to a young female Hispanic Detective whose fellow parishioners hint at nefarious goings on in their neighbourhood which leads her to suspect human trafficking and sex slave operations, she just needs a lead and one suspects Scott will provide it. We hear about the operation from the Russian Mafia's end of it all.
Matters heat up when Soup, Marissa and Kaz stake out the house on Newell and make violent contact. I keep forgetting that Soup is a veteran of the Sandbox and takes martial arts classes with his girlfriend.
There is a distinct lack of consistency here. Characters enter and get dropped. Scott becomes Jake and acquires a wife and family. This feels like several short stories cobbled together.
And as it must the story ends where the mystery began with a showdown involving the Russian Mob, The Pentagon, the FBI, local police and Scott's Family and fellow Vet Tiny.
The story ends with an HEA. The text desperately needs editing.
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