A unique genre-bending thriller that offers as good an explanation for the atrocities of our times as any other popular belief system. When FBI agent Will Brody is killed by a bomb while hunting a serial killer, he wakes up in the afterlife: an eerie Echo of the Chicago streets he just departed, populated by ghosts of those who also suffered violent deaths. Brody's FBI boss -- and love-of-his-life -- Claire McCoy soon hunts down the suspect; but Brody knows the killer is not what he seems. Via an excellent plot twist, Brody and McCoy are reunited, and need all their combined crime-fighting skills to face a battle of epic proportions.
Sakey's imagination is both ambitious and savvy, tapping into contemporary concerns, such as seemingly meaningless tragedies and the control that all-powerful entities hold over us. Happily, his vision is also vast enough to conceive of a female character with real guts and heart, who shares a carefully-drawn relationship of genuine respect and affection with her male work/life partner. Extra stars awarded for that!