A good story told at a brisk pace, on a par with his first effort "the blade itself" but maybe not enough depth to the characters as I didnt feel engaged with the couple who as main characters I know I should have been rooting for and I know the ending should make you feel sorry for them in the unhappy fairytale ending kind of way but actually I didn't. (Sorry about that as Bill Hicks might say). That said I would have no hesitation in recommending Sakey to the uninitiated after reading 3 of his books this year and enjoying all of them. ( )

Great, fast-moving story. A couple in deep debt find $400,000. What should they do? It seems easy enough to keep it, as there is no trail to the owner. A believable reaction. Then all hell breaks loose as the bad guy whose money it originally was (before it was stolen) appears on the scene to get it back...at any cost. No wonder Sakey's novels are getting optioned for movies as fast as he can write them! A great thriller with a really bad bad guy. ( )

Good People is not a genre I read often but I tend to mix a thriller in from time to time and when I do I want a real page-turner: a Laura Lippman or a Harlan Coben. A story that keeps me thinking, guessing, and most importantly keeps me up all night reading. Good People, unfortunately, is not that book. Here’s the premise: Chicago couple Tom and Anna Reed have been trying to have a child for an extremely long time and have hit the expensive stage of the fertility process: IUI [intrauterine insemination] and IVF [in vitro fertilization]. Anna and Tom find nearly $400K in hidden money in their tenant’s basement unit. Not surprisingly, this hidden stash leads to more trouble than the couple ever expects when slowly the money’s links to drug-deals, thieves, and other unsavory characters are exposed. How much is the money worth to them? While Sakey has a decent concept he fails to develop the characters of Anna and Tom enough that I cared why they wanted/needed the money to face so much danger and to deceive each other and those around them. Thousands of couples cannot have their own children. I did not feel so sorry for them that I was thrilled with their decision to keep this money. Adopt like other people and stop being so selfish. I did not buy into the entire morality tale that Sakey tried to build around this supposedly “good” couple finding a stash of tainted money and going to extreme lengths to keep it. These “good” people turned out to be just as calculated as the “bad” guys. Good People starts with a bang and ends with a whimper. This is not what I want in a thriller. ( )

The Reeds are up to their ears in debt. When they're at the pit of despair, not sure how in the world they can turn their life around, they find a boat load of money. The money is calling their name. In their current situation of complete desperation, they make the only decision that seems logical, they take the money. There is no way they could have foreseen how this one decision would change their lives forever. Will they make it out alive?

I was completely drawn into this book before I even finished the second page. I can usually tell from the first chapter whether or not I am going to like a book. The beginning is one of the most important pieces for an author. A good author can entice you within a few paragraphs and keep you interested for the remainder of the book. Marcus is a pro. Seriously. I can't think of one word that would really do his writing justice... I've found another author to put on my "I need everything this author writes list". ( )

A smart, literary mystery with an ethical dilemma at its core. Reminded me of No Country for Old Men. ( )