Pam's Book 44: Something Missing

When my friend Laurie recommended this book to me, it was with a caveat: Do not read the back of the book first! That said, if you are planning on reading this book, don't read my review. Seriously. This entire post is a spoiler.

Something Missing reminded me a lot of The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam, at least at first. Martin is a professional thief, except it takes a few pages before you figure that out. He has regular "clients" from whom he regularly steals items, mostly everyday, mundane items such as canned goods and laundry detergent. He spends months researching his clients before committing, and even then, he only takes what will not be missed (all pre-determined by careful research and investigation). The idea is that they will have no idea a theft is regularly taking place. It sounds improbable at first, that these people would have no idea of this thief lurking in their midst, yet Martin seems to have it all figured out. He follows a strict set of rules and guidelines that all but guarantee his clients will never detect him--until one day, all that changes. Martin, who becomes rather attached to his clients over the years, suddenly develops an altruistic streak.

The book is heartwarming, Martin appealing. You'd think the reader would be creeped out by the idea of a thief regularly entering her house without her knowledge, gaining all sorts of extremely personal knowledge (yes, he reads diaries and emails)--and yet, Martin is irresistible. I was rooting for him the whole time. He is sweet and innocent and undeniably naive. The book has a romance aspect to it, but I don't want to go into that at all in case anybody does want to read this. It's part mystery, part romance, part suspense, pure escapism. Matthew Dicks has this obnoxious way of interrupting climactic moments with flashbacks, which only adds to the suspense. It's annoying, yet without them we wouldn't understand Martin's character, we would not empathize with Martin, and empathizing with Martin is key to the enjoyment of the book. Good recommendation, Laurie!