I can't say I knew what to expect from this book, and yet it exceeded all my expectations. What started out as a rough-around-the-edges Guy story (the literary equivalent of the "buddy movie" genre) quickly becomes something that could be sinister--the hapless hero receiving playing cards in the mail with addresses on them, no explanations, and he needs to figure out what to do at each place. But the addresses aren't about mob hits or shakedowns or anything--they're about performing small mercies for people, from easing loneliness to giving kids an opportunity to work together. While it veers perilously close, I Am the Messenger never crosses into that saccharine sweetness that it could be; the story remains true while still teaching our bumbling hero what he needs to know about himself and the world he's in. 
 I had already mentally subtracted a half-star because I called the final two cards somewhere around a quarter-way into the book, but then I'm docking another half-star for the ending, because, wow, the conceit of the author stomping through that fourth wall? Yeeesh. Still, a solid 4 stars that could be 5, if I weren't so harsh over a couple of pages.