Review
Wake up and smell the fear! There's a new
thriller writer in town who's drawing comparisons to some of
the most established names in the business. Lee Child compares
The Blade Itself to "vintage Elmore Leonard, crossed with
classic Dennis Lehane". Kirkus Reviews thinks it reminiscent of
George Pelecanos, and Publishers Weekly describes it as just
plain "brilliant".
In fact, there are so many comparisons
drawn to other writers that one can't help wondering whether
The Blade Itself is really Sakey's "voice" or whether he is
so entrenched in other people's writing that he has,
intentionally or otherwise, amalgamated these other voices into
his first book? Only time, and further books, will answer that
question!
Sakey addresses the issue of distinctiveness in a short...
Beyond the Book
Marcus Sakey was born in Flint, Michigan and graduated from the
University of Michigan. He is married
and lives in Chicago where he has recently completed his second novel,
At the City's Edge (Jan 2008). To prepare for
The Blade Itself he shadowed
homicide detectives, learned to pick a
deadbolt in sixty seconds, and drank
plenty of Jameson.
Sakey was motivated to write a book
after inviting author J.A. Konrath out
for a beer following a speech Konrath
gave at Columbia College, which Sakey
attended for a short time. When they
staggered out of the bar five hours
later one particular comment of...
