Illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for error detection and recovery using an asynchronous transaction journal. In an illustrative embodiment the computer implemented method receives a request message from a requester, stores the request message in the asynchronous transaction journal and determines whether a sequence number contained within the request message is equal to a predetermined number. When the sequence number is equal, the computer implemented method performs a request in the request message to obtain a result and returns the result to the requester; otherwise the computer implemented method detects an error. The computer implemented method then attempts recovery from the error; otherwise the computer implemented method notifies the requestee.