The Blade Itself: A Novel
by Marcus Sakey
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Book Summary Information
Author: Marcus SakeyEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2007-01-09
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Book Reviews of The Blade Itself: A Novel
Book Review: A talented writer with a predictable plot.
Summary: 3 Stars
I picked up this book as it won best debut novel of the year according to The Strand Magazine. This magazine rarely lets me down, but I think it may have been a little off the mark on this one.
Mr. Sakey is a talented writer and the story itself while not highly original was both fastpaced and exciting. This is a difficult plot to write with the criminals being the heroes, and Sakey instead of letting the characters do it, stopped to preach a little here and there. Then he tied the ending up with a nice pretty little bow at the end like an episode of Law and Order, which I found too neat and too predictable.
I would probably grade this novel four stars had I not expected more. Probably not really fair, but I find it wasn't as good as I feel I was led to believe.
Summary of The Blade Itself: A Novel
How far would you go to protect everything you love?
On the South Side of Chicago, you?re only as strong as your reputation. Danny Carter and his best friend, Evan, earned theirs knocking over pawnshops and liquor stores, living from score to score, never thinking of tomorrow.
Then a job went desperately wrong, and in the roar of a gun blast, everything changed.
Then a job went desperately wrong, and in the roar of a gun blast, everything changed.
Years later, Danny doesn?t think about his past. He?s built a new world for himself: a legitimate career, a long-term girlfriend, and a clean conscience. He?s just like anyone else. Normal. Successful. Happy.
Until he spots his old partner staring him down in a smoky barroom mirror. The prison-hardened Evan is barely recognizable. Having served his time without dropping Danny?s name, his old friend believes he?s owed major payback---and he?s willing to do anything to get it. With all he loves on the line and nowhere to turn, Danny realizes his new life hinges on a terrible choice: How far will he go to protect his future from his past?
A debut novel that?s drawn comparison to Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, and Quentin Tarantino, The Blade Itself is the story of a good man held hostage by circumstance; a riveting exploration of class, identity, and the demons that shape us, where every effort to do the right thing leads to terrifying consequences and one inevitable conclusion:
The more you have, the more you have to lose.
The more you have, the more you have to lose.
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