Good People

Starred review from June 16, 2008
What would you do if, like Chicagoans Tom and Anna Reed, you stumbled on $400,000 that seemed heaven sent? After reading Sakey's masterful third crime thriller, you'd probably leave it untouched. In increasing debt from failed attempts to produce a child, Tom and Anna can't resist taking the money they discover hidden in their deceased tenant's apartment. After the initial euphoria, the Reeds find themselves dealing with a deadly drug dealer who wants something they don't have, a vengeful robber looking for the money they do have and a suspicious cop who knows they're holding out on him. Sakey, who excels at taking ordinary “good people” and forcing them to meet terrible challenges, ratchets up the stakes, creating ever more diabolical traps and ever more desperate escapes until the final shattering conclusion. Having topped his previous two novels (At the City's Edge
and The Blade
Itself
), Sakey may have trouble equaling this stellar performance.

July 15, 2008
Tom and Anna Reed have good jobs, a two-apartment building in Chicago, and a considerable debt from that mortgage and numerous infertility treatments for a desperately desired child. When their mysterious downstairs tenant dies suddenly of natural causes, they discover nearly $400,000 in cash hidden in his apartment and their problems would seem to be over. Unfortunately, the money is from a botched drug deal. Two very bad guys want the money, several others want the missing drugs, and a cop wants the glory of solving a high-profile case. A classic tale of innocents caught up in evil with only themselves to trust, this is neither a simple nor a stereotypical thriller. According to Anna, "we're not evil, we're just in over our heads." As in his two previous critically acclaimed novels ("The Blade Itself; At the City's Edge"), Sakey focuses on the sometimes thin line between good and evil and the unforeseen tragedy that often results from good intentions. The action is frenetic, the suspense high, and the results shocking. Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 4/1/08.]Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2008
Sakey, whose debut novel, The Blade Itself (2007), garnered a truckload of praise, returns with a chilling story that combines an ordinary couples desperation with a band of Chicago criminals unslaked thirst for revenge. Its masterful in showing how the daily drip, drip of dreams deferred can lead people into peril. Sakeys opening chapters juxtapose an unbearably tense murder-and-betrayal scene in a club against a domestic drama centered on a couples inability to conceive a child. Readers may feel a bit of whiplash with the contrast, but Sakeys portrayal of the couples despair (to the tune of $15,000 per failed in vitro treatment) is essential to understanding their plight in the rest of the novel. The plot hinges, however, on one very creaky, contrived element. The couple owns a two-flat and rents the bottom unit to a taciturn, somewhat creepy tenant. The deus ex machina element comes in when the husband smells smoke, the couple investigates downstairs, and finds that where theres smoke--theres a pile of money just lying on the floor with the tenant conveniently dead. The couple is now $400,000 to the good, and the Chicago Police no wiser, but, of course, their troubles are just beginning. The dead tenant betrayed some very bad, well-connected criminals, who will stop at nothing to retrieve their money and exact revenge. Excellent chase and psychological drama, after the initial plot bump.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

October 27, 2008
Crime writer Sakey’s latest is a lackluster and stereotypical attempt that has a young married couple putting their lives on the line for the chance to have a baby. Of course, the decision doesn’t come cheap, and soon enough they come across a couple of meanies who will do anything to get revenge. Joyce Bean and Dan John Miller’s dual narration is more inspired than the writing, yet the recording quality seems downright amateurish. Miller’s muffled reading sounds as if he’s speaking through a paper-thin wall. However, he is a terrific character actor and brings his talents to every male character that pops up along the way. Bean is a seasoned professional, packing a lot of punch in her simple and straightforward delivery. A Dutton hardcover (Reviews, June 16).