Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38270 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-27
• Released on: 2007-11-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 352 pages

From 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. After the robbery, Evan serves prison time while Danny turns over a new leaf and eventually earns a responsible management job in a construction company. Seven years later, Evan is out and comes looking for Danny for payback. Using their past ties as leverage, Evan tries to drag Danny back into their partnership. Sakey convincingly portrays the bonds forged in adolescence and the gulf wrought by prison for one and hard work for the other. In a battle of wits and wills, the stakes escalate as Danny fights to preserve his new life and the ruthless Evan counters every attempt Danny makes to break free. The collateral damage is high in a page-turner that has already received plaudits from Lee Child, George Pelecanos and T. Jefferson Parker. Author tour. (Jan.)
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From Bookmarks Magazine
Tapping into the "it" genre of the moment isn't easy. Not every author can deliver a Mystic River or L.A. Confidential, but add first-time novelist Marcus Sakey to the current crop of suspense and thriller writers who deliver well on the genre's premise. While his characters may feel overly familiar, he deftly uses the streets of Chicago, and his familiarity with the city (his home) is compelling. From page one, Sakey is in control. While his plot may seem a bit overwrought in some places and a bit too convenient in others, and while a few critics thought the ending too sentimental, Irish genre writer Ken Bruen says of Sakey, "Boston has Lehane. D.C. has Pelecanos. And now Chicago has its very own dark poet."
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

From AudioFile
Danny Carter has left a criminal life behind him. He's been clean for seven years; he has a girlfriend and a steady job. But his world turns upside down when a friend from the old neighborhood, on parole, contacts him and gets him to help kidnap his boss's 12-year-old son. Hard-boiled and tough, this superbly written crime novel will keep listeners on the edge throughout. Well-drawn characters are enhanced by Grover Gardner's excellent performance. Not only does he have a wonderful narrating voice, each character voice is perfectly suited to the person being depicted. His emotional rendering augments the relentless tension in the story. S.S.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

two thumbs down
I picked up this book after having heard the Ben Affleck was going to be making this into a movie. I read through all the reviews and was excited to read it. Boy was I wrong! This book was way predictable, the plot lacking and you could care less for the characters. It didn't hold my attentions and it took me a couple of weeks to finish. I only finish it to see if the ending was what I thought it would be and what do I know it, I saw it coming from a mile away. I was disappoint and hope they reconsider about making the movie.

Bad Guys from the Neighborhood
This was a fun, fast read, but nothing spectacular. I recommend Joseph Finder for off-beat intrigue!

Disappointing
This book had all the ingredients but no depth. It had a plot, characters, a beginning, middle and end but there was nothing to hold you or involve you. I know this is not much of a review but it is typical of the book..it is not quite right and not quite wrong.