Sergeant First class Rob Walker is the absolute archetypal American hero. He is married to his military career but has the requisite soft spot for his family at home in Brooklyn. A much needed break from the action brings Rob back stateside, but things look very different in his childhood neighborhood. Violence and drugs have taken hold of the community and these vices take a hefty toll on his loved ones. His mother has begun to lean heavily on the bottle to cope with the stress and his teenage sister has been less than cautious about her choice in friends. International crime comes knocking on Rob’s own door when his sister is kidnapped. Never one to cower, Rob will do everything necessary to save his sister before it’s too late. There is no stopping Rob once he calls on his brother in arms to take up this sensitive assignment.
From the sands of Afghanistan to the rough streets of New York and beyond, The Messenger is a mirthless story about a service man on a personal mission. Covering everything from ISIL to the global sex trade, Etterlee isn’t afraid to put it all out there in gratuitous detail. If you love to back the winning horse, Rob Walker is a larger-than-life persona that is easy to root for since he excels at basically everything he does. Intensely graphic military and combat terminology add a layer of stark realism to a boundlessly brutal story featuring a hero that almost never misses his mark. And just in case you’re keeping track, the body count soars in this crime thriller! Precise and powerful, The Messenger by John Etterlee is an utterly enjoyable exercise in excess.
