Scar Tissue - Marcus Sakey

Marcus Sakey has been called "the new reigning prince of crime fiction," (Chicago Tribune) and “exactly the electric jolt American crime fiction needs” (Dennis Lehane). Now from the bestselling author of THE BLADE ITSELF and GOOD PEOPLE comes an anthology of seven short stories: * “The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away” (nominated for Thriller and Macavity awards) * “The Days When You Were Anything Else” * “No One” * “Gravity and Need” * “As Breathing” * “Cobalt” * “The Time Before the Last”. These stories of men and women pushed to—and beyond—the ragged edge demonstrate why National Public Radio declared Sakey writes “crime drama for the 21st century.”

(Synopsis taken from goodreads.)

Title: Scar Tissue: Seven Stories about Love and Wounds

Author: Marcus Sakey

Genre: Adult Fiction, Crime Thriller, Short Stories

Publisher: Marcus Sakey, Smashwords

Publication Date: July 14, 2010

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Dana from Kaye Publicity for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 5/5

An author has a whole book, or at least a few chapters, in which he or she needs to capture his or her audience. When an author has written a short story, he or she only has a few pages in which to capture their audience. Every sentence, and word must count. I find it is the mark of a phenomenal and talented author if he or she can capture the reader and leave them wanting more. 

Marcus Sakey is such an author. 

He writes with grit, determination, and vivid prose. This anthology captures the horrors of war, the love of a father, the bitterness of death, the loss of love, and the comical atmosphere surrounding a certain Y2K party. 

Each story gives you a sneak peek, a taste if you will, of Sakey's writing style. Within a few short sentences characters are created, worlds expand, and emotions evolve. We are given a taste of what Sakey's novels are like, with the urban, gritty feeling portrayed throughout these short stories. Sakey is at the top of his game, and I know that I for one, will be reading the rest of his books. 

Those who enjoy crime thrillers are sure to enjoy this selection and will hunger for more. For those who aren't a fan of short stories, I urge you to try this anthology as it brings together different elements for a satisfying and remarkable taste of Sakey's writing style.

Giveaway

Marcus Sakey has graciously offered up a free short story from this anthology to those who want to read it. It is available through Smashwords here. You will need to enter a coupon code at the time of checkout. The coupon code is YB98Q. I hope you enjoy the short story as much as I did. Thank you, Marcus, for allowing me to host this giveaway for you!