Sakey was born in Flint, Michigan, and settled in Chicago with his wife after marriage. Before becoming a writer, Sakey used to run a graphic design company in Atlanta.

Sakey writes crime novels set in the blue collar world of the south side of Chicago. To conduct research for his plots, he has shadowed homicide detectives and gang cops, and interviewed soldiers, among other things.cn His debut novel, The Blade Itself, was featured as a New York Times Editor's Pick and named one of Esquire Magazine's 5 Best Reads of 2007.

Ben Affleck bought the film rights to The Blade Itself in 2008 for his production company. The film rights to his second and third novels, Good People and At the City’s Edge, have also been bought.