Works by
Marcus Sakey
(Writer)

Anthologies

• Sex, Thugs, and Rock & Roll (2009), Todd Robinson, ed.
  A "bonanza of blood and brawn," this is the award-winning fiction site Thuglit's second anthology, featuring stories from Joe Lansdale, Jason Starr, Allan Guthrie, Anthony Neil Smith, and a host of other noirists.
  
  See "The Days When You Were Anything Else" by Marcus Sakey.

• Thriller 2 (2009), Cliver Cussler, ed.
  The second anthology of short stories from the International Thriller Writers, Inc. Edited by the legendary Clive Cussler, and featuring 23 stories by authors like Ridley Pearson, R.L. Stine, Blake Crouch, Tim Maleeny, Harry Hunsicker, Sean Chercover, Carla Neggers, Jeffrey Deaver, the anthology is a powerhouse of short fiction.

• Killer Year: Stories to Die For (2008), Lee Child, ed.
  Bestselling author Lee Child presents stories from 13 of crime fiction's rising stars, plus contributions from masters Allison Brennan, Ken Bruen, Laura Lippman, MJ Rose and Duane Swierczynski.

• Chicago Blues (2007)
  Nobody does Blues like Chicago. This collection of dark stories captures the depths to which people sink when they run out of options. The emptiness and pain spawned by greed. The violence — or occasionally, the bittersweet redemption — that springs from a broken heart.
  
  Other contributors include Sara Paretsky, Stuart Kaminsky, Barbara D'Amato, Max Allan Collins, Sean Chercover, Michael Black, JA Konrath, and Libby Fischer Hellmann. With an introduction by Rick Kogan.

• These Guns for Hire (2006)
  Thirty original hitman stories by authors like David Morrell, Ed Gorman, Lawrence Block, Sean Doolittle, William Kent Krueger, and, well, me.

Fiction

• The Amateurs ( August 6, 2009 release)
  Alex is failing as a father. Ian keeps dangerous secrets. Jenn is pining for adventure; Mitch is pining for Jenn. Four friends just scraping by, finding comfort in each other and the hope that things will get better. But as their twenties fade in the rearview mirror, none of them are turning out to be who—or where—they hoped.
  
  In a time when CEOs steal millions while their employees watch savings dwindle, these four are tired of the honest approach. They've decided to stop waiting and start taking.
  
  But a supposedly victimless crime has become a bloody nightmare. People have been killed. Ruthless men pursue them. Tensions they thought long-extinguished are flaring. As their world unravels, each will have to choose between their life and the lives of others.
  
  And for four people pushed to the ragged edge, the only thing more dangerous than the men chasing them might be their best friends.

• At The City's Edge (2008)
  Jason Palmer loved being a soldier. But returned from Iraq with an "other than honorable" discharge, he's finding rebuilding his life the toughest battle yet.
  
  Elena Cruz is a talented cop, the first woman to make Chicago's prestigious Gang Intelligence Unit. She's ready for anything the job can throw at her.
  
  Until Jason's brother, a prominent community activist, is murdered in front of his own son.
  
  Now, stalked by brutal men with a shadowy agenda, Jason and Elena must unravel a conspiracy stretching from the darkest alleys of the ghetto to the manicured lawns of the city's powerbrokers. In a world where corruption and violence are simply the cost of doing business, two damaged people are all that stand between an innocent child—and the killers who will stop at nothing to find him.

• The Good People (2007)
  A family, and the security to enjoy it: that’s all Tom and Anna Reed ever wanted. But years of infertility treatments, including four failed attempts at in vitro fertilization, have left them with neither. The emotional and financial costs are straining their marriage and endangering their dreams.
  
  Then one night everything changes. Offered a chance at a future they'd almost lost hope in, they seize it. One simple choice. A fairy tale ending.
  
  But Tom and Anna soon realize that fairy tales never come cheap. Because their decision puts them square in the path of ruthless men. Men who've been double-crossed, and who won’t stop until they get revenge.
  
  No matter where they find it.

• The Blade Itself (2006)
  Danny and Evan earned their reputation knocking over pawnshops and liquor stores, living from score to score, never thinking of tomorrow. Then 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 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's new life hinges on a terrible choice: How far will he go to protect his future from his past?