At the City's Edge

Jason Palmer is a former soldier. A veteran of Iraq, he returned to Chicago with a less than honorable discharge and no future. He finds out, too late, that his brother is attempting to face down a criminal enterprise. Jason, his nephew, and Elena Cruz, a tough Chicago cop get to the bottom of things, encountering an alliance of corrupt city officals and gangsters. This is an outstanding chase novel. The characters are extremely engaging. The reltionship between Jason and Elena is delightful (never mind that it develops in an impossibly brief time). The suspense is never ending. Each cliff hanger chapter end is followed by rapid, unexpected developments. The novel explores (painlessly) concepts of duty, a soldier's code of honor, the war in Iraq, and the heartache of parenting. The gang characters are chilling as well as engaging. This is an outstanding effort. I strongly recommend the book and Sankey's earlier stand alone,"The Blalde Itself."

I'm not sure what I like most about Mr. Sakey's fist two novels: the original story lines, compelling characters, or the non-stop nostalgia I feel when reading about Chicago. As a former resident, Mr. Sakey takes me back to the city that I loved for many years. He has a great ability to make you feel like your right there with his characters. At the City's Edge is a great follow up to The Blade Itself. Each one of his charaters force you to like them in one way or another whether its the villain or the hero. To many times did I find myself laughing during extremely stressful moments do to Sakey's ability to weave in commical situations and character reactions. Big fan of this book, looking forward to the next.

Marcus Sakey won critical and popular acclaim with THE BLADE ITSELF, his debut novel. His sophomore effort, AT THE CITY'S EDGE, is a gutsy change of pace from its predecessor. While highlighting Sakey's canny ability for thriller writing, AT THE CITY'S EDGE is at its core a mystery, one that is complex, multilayered and, above all, intriguing. The primary character, as with THE BLADE ITSELF, is the author's beloved Chicago, but his latest book introduces an entirely new and riveting cast of personalities to bounce off of his fast-moving plot. Chief among them is Jason Palmer, an Iraq war veteran whose discharge "for reasons other than honorable" chafes him internally as he returns to his old neighborhood. Jason realizes immediately that he has only exchanged one war for another when his brother Michael is brutally murdered. A tavern owner and community activist, Michael had been extremely vocal about gang activity in his local area and made a number of dangerous enemies. When he is killed during the torching of his business in front of his young son, Billy, it appears that he is yet another victim of an ongoing and apparently never-ending street war. Billy's description of his father's assailants, however, doesn't quite equate with that conclusion. Jason doesn't have much time to puzzle it out, because even as they are grieving, he all too quickly learns that the men who killed his brother are now after Billy as well. Jason and Billy find themselves on the run, but Jason wants revenge for his brother's death, even as he discovers that the reasons for Michael's execution are more complicated than he originally thought. Meanwhile, Elena Cruz, a police officer with Chicago's prestigious Gang Intelligence Unit, is quietly being warned off the case, which she had hoped would redeem her professionally from an earlier error in judgment. Already at a loss as to where to turn for help or which way to go, she forms an uneasy alliance with Jason that is both complicated and made easier by the growing attraction between the two. Almost immediately, however, they find themselves caught between a street gang and the police, along with a shadowy third party whose motives are as shady as they are powerful. Sakey combines classic whodunit elements with thriller sensibilities to make AT THE CITY'S EDGE a follow-up effort that is the equal of his impressive debut. And for good measure, the author tosses in a tour of Chicago's underbelly that isn't covered in any guidebook. This is one novel that you won't soon forget. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

At City's Edge was fantastic! This guy writes like cliffhangers and verbs are the same thing--you just keep wanting to get to the next bit. I read the whole thing in one sitting. Just awesome!

A fine piece of writing with a complex and conflicted protagonist in war-veteran Jason Palmer, powerfully rendered Chicago settings, a colorful and engaging mix of secondary characters, a conspiracy worthy of any paranoid's worst fears, and a plot-line that redefines unpredictable. A novel that's both entertaining and ambitious. Highly recommended.