An Auspicious Beginning For Sakey!
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Marcus Sakey, in his first novel, writes with the skill of an author who has had several bestsellers "under his belt." The plot development is believable and fast-paced. the characters are well-developed and multidimensional, and the suspense is constant. Without going into much detail, The Blade Itself is the story of a good man who made some bad mistakes earlier in his life and has recently become a victim of circumstances he helped create; and where his efforts to rectify his current plight results in dire consequences and a dramatic conclusion. With The Blade Itself, Sakey has taken his first step towards entering the 'big leagues' of thriller writers. Enjoy!
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Over-hyped
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The pre-publicity for this novel which is not due for release for a while yet has been in full flow for several months as at August 2006. The theme of one's past crimes and criminal life coming back to take control of a reformed character is not new, nor is the way this story unfolds. Danny Carter is the 'reformed character' with a good job, a great girlfriend and a severely deranged ex-con, Evan McGann, as a previous friend. Not for the first time in such stories, does the villain of the peace find himself released early from jail and so plans on exacting revenge on Danny Carter for not taking the rap as well.
Marcus Sakey conveys well the atmosphere of the Chicago suburbs and creates a really loathsome character in McGann. Carter is threatened and coerced into taking part in the kidnapping of his employer's son and you just know, of course, that pretty much everything is going to implode. McGann changes from being the muscle in the earlier days of crime to a vicious killer with a good brain to keep him one step ahead of both Danny and the police as the murky tale unfolds. I have some difficulty with this which, for me, rather spoils the story. Sakey spends quite a lot of time saying very little and then suddenly another murder hits the spot bringing the action back to the foreground. The ending is an odd one which I won't reveal but, after enjoying the first part of this novel from Marcus Sakey, I reflected that I was ultimately disappointed as it progressed rather more with the characters than the actual storytelling. I hope I don't come across these characters again but I would like to read the author's next novel.
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