"How far would you go to get everything you ever wanted?"

I've said before, on this very blog, that my job has given me the opportunity to meet some very cool people. A couple of Saturdays ago, when I received a book from Marcus Sakey, I was reminded of how lucky I am to know some of these people.

I last saw Marcus in February at Chicago's "Love is Murder", where he told me that he'd finished his third book and was plugging away on a fourth. (fyi: "The Blade Itself" and "At the City's Edge" were his first two)

As I was leaving that conference, I caught up with Marcus and mentioned that I'd love to get an advance reader's copy of the new book whenever it became available. Knowing that he was busy writing, dealing with a new publisher, a new release schedule, and therefore, new deadlines, I didn't know if Marcus would find time to send a copy. Honestly, I'd kind of forgotten about it and was just looking forward to checking it out in August when it hits stores.

But as usual, Marcus was a man of his word. Two Saturdays ago, Jen pulled this

out of the mailbox.

Let me start by saying, if you haven't read Marcus Sakey yet, get started. As great as his first two novels are, "Good People" is better than both of them.

"Good People" introduces us to Tom and Anna Reed, a married couple who have been trying to live the American Dream. A family and the security to enjoy it. But after several attempts to get pregnant, Tom and Anna have found themselves in debt up to their ears, in jobs they don't really care for, and a house they can barely afford.

When their downstairs tenant dies in his sleep, the couple discover nearly $400,000 stashed around his apartment. Figuring him for a lonely recluse who has been squirreling his money away, Tom and Anna decide to keep the money. After all, he had no family or friends, so who were they hurting? Here's the chance for their dreams to come true.

What they don't know may hurt them though, because the guy had double-crossed and taken the money from some very mean characters. Men to won't give up a chance for revenge and who won't stop looking for their money.

The book is tightly wound, with a plot that never stops hammering away a you. There were a few moments when I thought, "Man, I don't like this part." But then I realized that I'd been sucked in, and I was really screaming at this couple for being so stupid.

For me, that's the best. When an author can pull you so far into the story that you feel physically uncomfortable when bad things are happening. Not everybody can do it, but Marcus shows again that he's adept at making you empathize with his characters.

Like I said earlier; if you haven't already, start reading Sakey's books. He's clearly going to be around for a long time, but it never hurts to get on the wagon now.

I might even be able to find someone who'll sell you a copy.