At the City's Edge [Mass Market Paperback]

Marcus Sakey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Jason Palmer loved being a soldier. But after returning from Iraq with an “other than honorable” discharge, he’s finding that rebuilding his life is his toughest battle yet.

Elena Cruz is the first woman to make Chicago’s prestigious Gang Intelligence Unit.  A fearless cop, she’s ready for any challenge…until Jason Palmer’s brother, a prominent community activist on the South Side, is murdered—in front of his son.

Now Jason and Elena are caught in a conspiracy stretching from the darkest alleys of the ghetto to the manicured lawns of the city’s power brokers. In a world where corruption and violence are simply the cost of doing business, the two of them are all that stand between an innocent child—and the killers that hunt him.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sakey's second crime novel doesn't quite measure up to his impressive debut, The Blade Itself (2007), but it exhibits many of the same strengths: high-tension action, intricate plotting and a Chicago setting that thrums and pulses with the feel of the city. Jason Palmer, a veteran of the current Iraq war haunted by his experiences, has yet to settle down, unlike his older brother, Michael, who runs a bar in their old South Side Chicago neighborhood and is raising an eight-year-old son, Billy. But when Michael is murdered and Billy threatened, Jason finds himself reacting in the only way he knows—as a soldier. Soldiering, however, is only part of the answer, and Jason has to come to terms with his past, weigh new responsibilities and counter the carnage that gang warfare, political corruption and corporate greed are wreaking on the neighborhood. Sakey, who draws disturbing and thought-provoking parallels between Baghdad and Chicago, provides enough narrow escapes, traps and obstacles to satisfy a Die Hard fan, but enough meat to please readers who demand more than pyrotechnics. Author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Nothing short of brilliant...as much a work of literary fiction as crime fiction...Sakey’s latest solidifies his position as the new reigning prince of crime fiction.” —The Chicago Tribune

“Gritty and compelling, packed with action, At the City’s Edge crackles and sears like a rip-roaring fire.”
—Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of The Bone Garden

“[Sakey] proves a shrewd observer of cultural politics...The action is fast and furious...A hyperrealistic look at our most downtrodden communities.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Goes from zero to sixty in a blazing rush. Sakey knows how to thrill a reader.” —David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood and Scavenger

“Complex, multilayered, and above all, intriguing. This is one novel that you won’t soon forget.” —Book Reporter

“Sakey needn’t worry about a sophomore slump.” —Toledo Blade

“Tension-laden...[Sakey] knows how to create realistic suspense and action that puts him in league with authors such as George Pelecanos and T. Jefferson Parker.” —Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Conspiracy and corruption scenarios twist together in startling ways in this ambitious thriller. It’s fast paced from the get-go and just as good as Sakey’s stellar debut.” —Library Journal

“High-tension action, intricate plotting and a Chicago setting that thrums and pulses with the feel of the city...Sakey, who draws disturbing and thought-provoking parallels between Baghdad and Chicago, provides enough narrow escapes, traps and obstacles to satisfy a Die Hard fan, but enough meat to please readers who demand more than pyrotechnics.” —Publishers Weekly

“Intricate...relentless...Sakey’s gritty Chicago is wonderfully evoked. [A] brutally effective thriller, ready-made for film.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Will blister your fingers as it keeps you up late into the night, but unlike most quick reads, its subtleties will linger with you far longer.”—Mystery Book Spot

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312943733
• ISBN-13: 978-0312943738
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #425,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a novelist, which means I make a living telling lies. Hopefully they keep you up at night or make you miss your train stop. My books have been named New York Time's Editor's Picks, selected among Esquire's Top 5 Novels of The Year, and optioned for film by Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire.

Visit me at MarcusSakey.com, or follow me on Twitter (Twitter.com/MarcusSakey) or Facebook (Facebook.com/MarcusSakey)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of crime fiction's finest writers at work today, January 25, 2008

By 

Lynn B. Kostoff "Reader from South Carolina" (Florence, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At the City's Edge (Hardcover)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Home Again, July 13, 2008

By 

J. Caldwell (Sharon, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the City's Edge (Hardcover)

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."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Skating at the Edge, September 3, 2009

By 

Stoney (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: At the City's Edge (Mass Market Paperback)

THE SETUP

In contemporary Chicago, Jason Palmer a former soldier with an "other than honorable" discharge finds himself taking care of his young nephew Billy, after his tavern-owner brother Michael is murdered, in part for refusing to pay for "protection". Billy witnessed his father's death, by several white men (including at least one rouge policeman), who then contact a Black gang to kill Billy. Jason has no idea what he is up against when he decides to hunt down his unknown adversaries, but he does have the support of a Black pacifist activist Washington Mathews and policewoman Elaina Cruz. That's the setup.

VERDICT

The novel is a page-turner, well written, and with interesting characters. I found it enjoyable and satisfying. My general impression at the last page was, that I was glad I had read it, but not disappointment that the story had finished, nor "I hope the author has written more like this." Sakey makes it to my "good authors" list but not my "gotta read" list.

COMMENT

It should not be necessary to say that, as far as I can tell, the book is gaff-free. Novels full of hairballs (serious logical contractions, glaring inconsistencies, excessively implausible plots, etc.) should not get past editors. However these days, a large percentage of popular authors have become extraordinarily lazy--but get rave reviews, and their novels are automatic best sellers, so the editors don't care.