The Blade Itself: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

When a first novelist's work is compared to Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos on the jacket cover, he's either exceptionally good or the publisher's marketing machine is churning out unbridled hyperbole. Thankfully Marcus Sakey proves he's the real deal.

"The Blade Itself" is lean, well-plotted, and convincingly authentic in its depiction of the criminal underbelly on Chicago's South Side. Danny Carter, reformed thief, comes face to face with his dark past when Evan, his volatile former partner, is paroled from a prison sentence and shows up expecting payback after taking the fall for his former partner. When Danny turns him down, Evan raises the stakes, cornering Danny into a situation so dire that kidnapping his boss's son seems like the only viable course.

Novels that rely on this sort of premise are incredibly difficult to pull off, as they almost always employ strained logic to convince the reader that there are no easier ways out. Sakey not only avoids clunky turns in the plot but also maintains a blistering pace, getting in late and out early on each chapter, yet finds opportunities to develop a believable hero in Danny and a worthy villain in Evan.

Once in a while a crime novel hits all the rights notes. "The Blade Itself" is that rare example.

Danny and Evan grew up together in the South Side of Chicago where reputation, being tough and street-wise determined whether they stayed out of prison. The two friends earned their living by theft.

On a night, much like many others, the friends rob a pawnshop. When the shop owner shows up with a young woman, Evan pulls a gun and uses it. Danny walks away from the scene and Evan is caught. Evan serves seven years in prison and never talks about Danny's involvement in the crime.

Danny turns his life around, has a great job, a wonderful woman and a bright future. That begins to unravel when Evan, who has become a bitter man, is released from prison and the two men meet in a local bar. Evan believes that Danny 'owes' him and he's determined to collect. Danny doesn't believe he has many choices and must decide how far he'll go to protect himself, his loved ones, and his future.

The Blade Itself is Marcus Sakey's debut novel and it sizzles. His plot is intriguing, his characters are rich, with all the flaws seen in life. The good guys aren't completely good and the bad guy is truly evil. The dialogue is taut and the pacing is impeccable. I love Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane and Robert Crais, and while Sakey's work is no imitation of these authors, he's quickly joined their ranks. I suspect he's going to be a major player in the future.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.

Marcus Sakey's debut novel has been the subject of advance buzz of such volume that I feared there was no way it could live up to such high expectations. But I am pleased to report that it does --- and even surpasses them.

THE BLADE ITSELF does not merely hint at greatness from the first page; this top-shelf crime novel delivers it. The opening --- a pawnshop burglary that just feels as if it's going to go wrong, even before one starts reading (if such a thing is possible) --- is perfect. Sakey effectively transmits the deep contrasts between the two hooligans about to carry out the deed: the reluctant Danny Carter and the loose cannon named Evan McGann. The opening also introduces the author's attention to minor details --- in this case, how the false bottom of a cabinet drawer sounds different from a real one, and what true vertigo really is --- and continues throughout the book.

It is the story contained within THE BLADE ITSELF, however, that is the star here. The burglary does indeed go badly, at least for McGann, who winds up doing hard time in a hard place. But Carter escapes, and thanks to an ultimatum by Karen, his lady love, he gets out of the life. Seven years after the burglary, Carter has reinvented himself, becoming the de facto manager of a construction company and settling into quiet domestic bliss with Karen.

McGann's return into Carter's life is sudden and unexpected; McGann has been released early for good behavior and, as we see rather dramatically, is eager to pick up precisely where he left off --- with Carter as his partner.

For Carter, McGann's reappearance is a waking nightmare, an all-too-vivid reminder of the life he left behind and to which he promised Karen he would never go back. He initially rebuffs McGann, but McGann is in no mood for rejection. From McGann's point of view, McGann did stand-up time for Carter and is owed big time for the years that were lost --- years during which Carter prospered as a free man. McGann turns up the pressure on Carter, until Carter feels he has no choice but to go along with McGann's scheme, which threatens to upset and destroy everything that Carter has worked toward since turning his life around.

To make matters worse, just when you think that Carter's situation isn't going to go any further south, Sakey plunges him into latitudinal depths heretofore unexplored. Sakey's talent, however, isn't limited to sending Carter deeper and deeper into the concentric rings of his own personal hell. The author sets up a subtle, and troubling, moral dilemma for the reader. There is a legitimate question as to whether or not McGann is all wrong here or, conversely, if Carter is 100% virgin pure. After all, McGann did stand-up time, refusing to implicate Carter in the burglary. And while McGann's impulsiveness brought about McGann's own downfall, it was not as if Carter was unaware of his friend's tendency to go sideways when he agreed, however reluctantly, to accompany McGann on a burglary run.

These issues complement, rather than interfere with, the storyline, which hurdles toward an explosive confrontation, a chance for redemption and, against all odds, a satisfying climax.

THE BLADE ITSELF is far more than an impressive debut; it is a milestone in what is sure to be a marvelous career for Sakey, the mark of a talent that demonstrably runs long and deep. Stick this one on your must-read list.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

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