The Blade Itself: Summary and book reviews of The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey, plus links to an excerpt from The Blade Itself and a biography of Marcus Sakey.
The Blade Itself A Novel
by Marcus Sakey
Hardcover: Jan 2007,
320 pages.
Paperback: Nov 2007,
352 pages.
How far would you go to protect everything you love?
On the South Side of Chicago, you’re only as strong as your reputation. Danny Carter and his best friend, Evan, earned theirs knocking over pawnshops and liquor stores, living from score to score, never thinking of tomorrow.
Then a job went desperately wrong, and in the roar of a gun blast, everything changed.
Years later, Danny doesn’t think about his past. He’s built a new world for himself: a legitimate career, a long-term girlfriend, and a clean conscience. He’s just like anyone else. Normal. Successful. Happy.
Until he spots his old partner staring him down in a smoky barroom mirror. The prison-hardened Evan is barely recognizable. Having served his time without dropping Danny’s name, his old friend believes he’s owed major payback---and he’s willing to do anything to get it. With all he loves on the line and nowhere to turn, Danny realizes his new life hinges on a terrible choice: How far will he go to protect his future from his past?
A debut novel that’s drawn comparison to Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, and Quentin Tarantino, The Blade Itself is the story of a good man held hostage by circumstance; a riveting exploration of class, identity, and the demons that shape us, where every effort to do the right thing leads to terrifying consequences and one inevitable conclusion:
Wake up and smell the fear! There's a new thriller writer in town who is drawing comparisons to some of the most established names in the business. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
The New York Times - Janet Maslin
The Blade Itself does keep this subject suspenseful: not until the very end of the story is it clear who Danny is or where he stands. His ability to churn these questions so vigorously will bring Mr. Sakey attention and give him a toehold among the crime writers he admires.
Library Journal
Sakey's insights into Danny's struggles to maintain a decent, honest life truly make the story stand out.
Kirkus Reviews
...a valuable addition to Chicago crime lit, a landscape currently dominated by authors of detective stories (Sara Paretsky) and legal thrillers (Scott Turow). A promising start from a writer willing to get deep into a city's grit.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Sakey's brilliant debut, a crime novel set in Chicago, is a must read. From the thrilling opening, a horribly botched pawnshop robbery by childhood friends Evan and Danny, to the riveting ending, the tension ratchets up to almost unbearable levels.
Booklist - Connie Fletcher
Fast pacing, full-bodied if flawed characters, effective use of the Chicago landscape, surprising plot twists, and some thought-provoking musings on the changing nature of longtime friendships give this debut caper novel both substance and suspense. Sakey is a writer to watch.
T. Jefferson Parker, author of The Fallen The Blade Itself is a terrifically good debut---streetwise, heartfelt, and exciting. I loved this book.
George Pelecanos, author of The Night Gardener
Taut, involving, and memorable. Marcus Sakey is an authentic, original new voice in crime fiction.
Lee Child, author of The Hard Way
A truly excellent debut---like vintage Elmore Leonard crossed with classic Dennis Lehane.”
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
Konrath's was seared into Sakey's brain:
"You could stay in school, and in a year
you’ll have an MFA. Or you could leave
and have a manuscript." Put that way,
Sakey says the choice was easy!
A decade post-military, Reacher has an ATM card and the clothes on his back—no phone, no ties, and no address. But now members of his old team are being killed and when someone targets Jack Reacher's team they’d better be ready for what comes right back at them!
Even with this tragic background of Rwanda Pagan Babies comes off as Leonard's funniest straight-faced novel to date.
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(874 words).
T. Jefferson Parker, author of The Fallen
