NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS



06.30.09
My touring schedule is coming together, as you can see to the right. If you live near one of these events, I'd love to see you.

I'm also excited to announce the launch party for THE AMATEURS, which will take place on August 6th from 7:00 - 10:00 pm at Sheffield's, my favorite bar (recently named one of the 100 Best by Esquire.)

Invite your friends, invite your neighbors, hell, bring your dog. All are welcome.




06.24.09
I'm thrilled and honored to announce that GOOD PEOPLE has been nominated for a Barry Award for Best Thriller of 2008. The award is co-sponsored by two of the finest magazines in the genre, Deadly Pleasures and Mystery News. I'm honored and humbled, as my fellow nominees are all spectacular writers, and it's more than a little disconcerting to see my name in a list with theirs.

Winners will be announced at Bouchercon, the industry's premier conference, which this year runs October 15 - 18 in Indianapolis.

Thanks to the judges and both magazines!




05.12.09
Great news on the film front regarding THE BLADE ITSELF. Though I can't go into details yet, a really exciting actor is now officially attached. I'm looking forward to sharing more, but for the time being, let's just say that he's a talented guy with a lot of buzz, and that I think he'd kill the role.

If you want to be kept in the loop on the film, click here to join my mailing list.




03.19.09
The big news is that my fourth novel, THE AMATEURS, is now officially wrapped. I approved copyedits last week.

The book is about four friends in their early thirties who haven't ended up where they thought they would, and who undertake a dangerous plan to take what they think they deserve. It made both my mom and my wife cry, so that's got to be a good thing.

I'm not sure of an exact release date, but it's looking like early August. If you want a heads-up, join the mailing list and I'll keep you in the loop.




01.21.09
The film deal for GOOD PEOPLE made Variety today; check it out here.




12.23.08
I want to give a quick thank you to all the folks that have put THE BLADE ITSELF, AT THE CITY'S EDGE, and GOOD PEOPLE on their "Best Of" lists:
Mysterious Bookshop
The Poisoned Pen
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
NewsOK
Word Nerd
A Case of Murder
The Sun-Sentinel
The Baltimore Sun
The Mystery Bookshelf
Gapers Block
Chicago Public Radio
Thank you all — it's deeply appreciated.




12.19.08
So yesterday I'm sitting in my kitchen editing my new novel when g.g., my wife, yelps from the other room, "BABE! Come here!"

Damned if they aren't talking about GOOD PEOPLE on the radio. Not only that, but it's in Chicago Public Radio's Holiday Book Bag. The piece is here; here's an excerpt:
"The best good guy, bad guy, accident of life murder mystery theft book you’ve read all year. Fast, furious, believable...the tables are turned, and turned again, and turned again. I really recommend this."
Talk about a day-maker. Hell. A week-maker.

Also, I'm thrilled and flattered that reviewer extraordinaire Oline Cogdill named GOOD PEOPLE one of the Best Mysteries of 2008. It's a pretty imposing list, featuring some of my heroes. Thanks, Oline!

And with that, happy holidays to one and all! May they shimmer.




12.15.08
A couple of things; first, I'm thrilled to see that the script for THE BLADE ITSELF made the Hollywood Black List. While the name sounds ominous, it's actually very good news indeed, as the HBL is a list of the most talked-about film scripts. Check it out here.

Second, I did a lengthy phone interview this morning for "Coffee with an Author." The whole thing is available here, or as an iTunes podcast.

Finally, my books are now up on StoryCasting.com, a website that allows readers to suggest which actors they would like to see cast in the movie version of a novel. If you like my work and have thoughts on who should play the characters, drop by and place a vote. I'm curious to see what people are thinking.




12.10.08
My fourth novel is done!

Well, not really. But I'm done with the first draft, at least, which is always a powerful feeling. When I'm writing, which is most of the year, the book is constantly on my mind, and my mood is directly related to how it's going. And as I near the end, even if I feel like the book is strong, I tend to be pretty stressy, or at least what passes for pretty stressy for me. So when I make it to "THE END," it's a wonderful feeling, a total release.

And yeah, I actually type "THE END." My favorite words.




11.24.08
I'm thrilled to say that we have sold film rights for my second novel, AT THE CITY'S EDGE. Here'e the announcement:
"Marcus Sakey's second novel, AT THE CITY'S EDGE, optioned to Hollywood Gang and Film 360 for Ric Waugh (FELON) to direct and Gianni Nunnari (THE DEPARTED, SE7EN) to produce, by Sarah Self at the Gersh Agency, on behalf of Scott Miller at Trident Media Group."
It goes without saying that I'm giddy.





09.29.08
Okay, this is cool. More than.

A couple of months ago I did an interview with the charming Oline Cogdill, a freelance reviewer formerly of the Florida Sun-Sentinel. This piece was for Mystery Scene Magazine, one of the industry's leading publications. So I was pretty geeked, obviously. But what Oline failed to mention was that this was the, ahem, cover story.

I'm giddy beyond words. Thanks to Oline, Kate Stine, Brian Skupin, Teri Duerr, and all the other folks at Mystery Scene. And thanks also to Brett and Kiri Carlson, my friends and the artistes who took the shots.





09.26.08
I recently got copies of the audiobook version of GOOD PEOPLE, and I'm impressed. Brilliance Audio did a terrific job; the book is read by two people, male and female, which lends a lot of depth, and the slight musical flourishes enhance the mood. I really dig it.

If you'd like to check out a sample, click here.

If you'd like to buy a copy, this is the place.



09.24.08
I'm proud to be part of the Toyota Scion Author tour, which sends writers to cities across the country for readings and signings. For my part, I'll be appearing in Atlanta, Boston, and New York. Here's a video the Scion folks put together:



Hope to see you at one of these events!



09.02.08
There have been a number of reviews of GOOD PEOPLE lately; one of the most generous was in this Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Check it out here, if you're interested, and see excerpts from the others here.

Meanwhile, thanks to all the reviewers who have taken the time and effort — it's truly appreciated.

And finally, thanks to my friend columnist Mike Ripley for a very funny shout-out...


08.14.08 - Publication Day
Here we go. GOOD PEOPLE releases today. You can find it at bookstores everywhere, or order from:

     amazon.com >
     barnesandnoble.com >
     borders.com >
     indiebound.org >

Or better still, come to my launch party tonight at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square (4736 N. Lincoln), from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wander bookstores with a stupid grin on my face.


08.13.08
I was interviewed on Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight this morning. If you're interested, you can listen to the whole program here. My segment begins at about the 45 minute mark.

I'm an NPR nerd, so it was a real pleasure. Thanks to Gabriel Spitzer and Shawn Campbell for making it happen.


08.06.08
Big news — my agents just closed a deal on the film rights for GOOD PEOPLE. Here's the deal report from Publishers Marketplace:
Film rights to Marcus Sakey’s forthcoming novel GOOD PEOPLE to The Film Department, on behalf of Tobey Maguire and Film 360, by Sarah Self at the Gersh Agency on behalf of Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
I couldn't be more excited about the team that bought the rights. I've been a fan of Tobey Maguire since I saw him in DECONSTRUCTING HARRY a dozen years ago, and the screenwriter they have lined up is absolutely dynamite.

It's shaping up to be a very good August.


07.14.08
It's my great honor to announce that my first novel THE BLADE ITSELF won the innaugural year's Strand Critic's Award for Best First Novel. More information on the award is available here.

I'd like to thank the critics who selected my novel—reviewing books is hard, thankless work, and I for one am damn grateful they're out there.

In particular, I'd like to thank The Strand Magazine and its editor, Andrew Gulli, a tireless proponent of the genre who is as desperately in love with it as anyone I've ever met.


06.17.08
The first review of GOOD PEOPLE came out yesterday, in Publisher's Weekly. It was a starred review, and very complimentary indeed:
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.

06.04.08
I'm stunned and honored to announce that my first novel, THE BLADE ITSELF, was nominated for both an Anthony and a Barry. They'll both be awarded at Bouchercon this fall. Thanks so much to everyone who voted for me, and congratulations to the other nominees, a pretty astonishing list.


05.28.08
Good news just keeps getting better. As many of you probably know, I'm a big fan of Dennis Lehane. We've met once and emailed a bit, and he's always been really generous, so when I got advanced copies of GOOD PEOPLE I sent him one in hope he might be willing to blurb it.

He was.
"GOOD PEOPLE is gleefully dread-filled, mercilessly tense, and moves with the speed of something fired from a sawed-off. Based on his first three novels, one can't help but feel that Marcus Sakey is exactly the electric jolt American crime fiction needs."
   –Dennis Lehane, author of MYSTIC RIVER and THE GIVEN DAY
It's hard to explain how much of a thrill this is to me. Kind words about my work are always nice to read. But to get them from an artist I've admired for years, well..it's a hell of a thing.



05.23.08
Happy news comes in multiples, apparently. My second blurb for GOOD PEOPLE hit this morning:
"GOOD PEOPLE is an exceedingly dark, disturbing, and timely tale. Comparisons to Scott Smith's A Simple Plan are probably inevitable, but Marcus Sakey's third novel stands on its own — as does Sakey's prodigious talent. Some readers may be able to distance themselves from the escalating horror in this book, but the honest ones will admit that we're all just a few lousy decisions away from conning ourselves into believing that we can have what we want, when we want it, at no cost to anyone. GOOD PEOPLE is a visceral reminder that the bill always comes due."
   –Laura Lippman, bestselling author of ANOTHER THING TO FALL
For my money, Laura is one of the finest writers working today, so I'm more than a little floored.



05.20.08
I got the first blurb for GOOD PEOPLE today, and it's pretty humbling:
"A killer of a book. If you could read it with one eye closed, you'd feel safer — edge of the reader's seat stuff, and yet a wondrous streak of compassion tears your heart out. This is the novel that truly launches Sakey into the majors. Magnificent."
   –Ken Bruen, Edgar-nominated author of PRIEST
If you don't know his stuff, Ken is an astonishing writer, and I urge you to check him out. His upcoming novel, ONCE WERE COPS, is truly remarkable.



For previous news, visit the archives