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Marcus Sakey

Biography

Marcus Sakey

Marcus Sakey’s thrillers have been nominated for more than 15 awards, named New York Time‘s Editor’s Picks, and selected among Esquire Magazine‘s Top 5 Books of The Year. His novel GOOD PEOPLE was made into a movie starring James Franco and Kate Hudson, and his other books are in various stages of development for film.

Born in Flint, Michigan, Marcus fell in love with story at a young age. At five, when other kids were hoping to be rock stars and astronauts, he dreamed of becoming a novelist. He attended the University of Michigan before beginning a decade-long career in television and advertising, which gave him “plenty of exposure to liars and thieves” --- the perfect apprenticeship.

His debut thriller, THE BLADE ITSELF, was sold at auction and published to wide critical acclaim, allowing him to work full-time as a writer.

To research his novels, Marcus has rappelled with SWAT teams, pub-crawled with bank robbers, dissected a human brain, chased pirate treasure, and learned to pick a deadbolt. He is a certified SCUBA diver and sailing captain, a rock climber, an accomplished carpenter, a spice junkie, and “a hell of a cook.”

Marcus was the host and writer of the acclaimed television show "Hidden City" on Travel Channel, for which he was routinely pepper-sprayed and attacked by dogs.

He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.

Marcus Sakey

Books by Marcus Sakey

by Marcus Sakey - Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

The last thing FBI agent Will Brody remembers is the explosion. He wakes without a scratch. The building is in ruins. His team is gone. Outside, Chicago is dark. Cars lie abandoned. No planes cross the sky. He’s relieved to spot other people --- until he sees they’re carrying machetes. Claire McCoy, the head of an FBI task force, stands over the body of Will Brody. A terrorist has claimed 18 lives and thrown the nation into panic. Against this horror, something reckless and beautiful happened. She fell in love…with Will Brody. But the line between life and death is narrower than any of us suspect --- and all that matters to Will and Claire is getting back to each other.

by Marcus Sakey - Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

For 30 years, humanity struggled to cope with the brilliants, the one percent of people born with remarkable gifts. Now the White House is a smoking ruin. Madison Square Garden is an internment camp. In Wyoming, an armed militia of thousands marches toward a final, apocalyptic battle. Nick Cooper has spent his life fighting for his children and his country. Now, as the world staggers on the edge of ruin, he must risk everything he loves to face his oldest enemy --- a brilliant terrorist so driven by his ideals that he will sacrifice humanity’s future to achieve them.

by Marcus Sakey - Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

A terrorist network led by brilliants has crippled three cities. Nick Cooper has always fought to make the world better for his children. As both a brilliant and an advisor to the president of the United States, he’s against everything the terrorists represent. But as America slides toward a devastating civil war, Cooper is forced to play a game he dares not lose --- because his opponents have their own vision of a better world. And to reach it, they’re willing to burn this one down.

by Marcus Sakey - Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called “brilliants,” and Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in --- and betray his own kind.

by Marcus Sakey - Fiction, Thriller

A man wakes up naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach. The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and a bank envelope stuffed with cash and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes. None of it is familiar. Is he Daniel Hayes, and if so, why doesn't he remember?