“The story of an obsessive-compulsive housebreaker whose every waking moment is jam-packed with finicky clockwork ritual–the kind of intense micro-planning that might have made even Napoleon back off…Matthew Dicks has created an unforgettable character that will have you torn between wanting to throttle him–or adopt him.” –Alan Bradley, author of the New York Times bestselling Flavia de Luce … bestselling Flavia de Luce novels
A career criminal with OCD tendencies and a savant-like genius for bringing order to his crime scenes, Martin considers himself one of the best. After all, he’s been able to steal from the same people for years on end—virtually undetected. Of course, this could also be because of his unique business model—taking only items that will go unnoticed by the homeowner. After all, who would notice a missing roll of toilet paper here, a half-used bottle of maple syrup there, or even a rarely used piece of china buried deep within a dusty cabinet?
Even though he’s never met these homeowners, spending hours in their houses, looking through their photo albums and reading their journals, he feels like he knows them. So Martin decides to meddle more in their lives—playing the part of a rather odd guardian angel—even though it means breaking many of his neurotic rules.
In this hilarious, suspenseful and often profound novel about a man used to planning every second of his life, Martin comes to realize that life is much better lived on the edge (at least some of the time).
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The story of an obsessive-compulsive housebreaker whose every waking moment is jam-packed with finicky clockwork ritual–the kind of intense micro-planning that might have made even Napoleon back off…Matthew Dicks has created an unforgettable character that will have you torn between wanting to throttle him–or adopt him.
A fast read! I loved it!
light and entertaining
I read this amazingly informative book so many times I wore out my first one and had to buy a second! Martin caught a place in my heart and how he cares for his clients was so sweet. For any reader who wants a real-life hero book, I recommend this one!
This book, Something Missing, had me hooked on the first page. I could not imagine where this book was taking me. It had many twists that the ending was nothing I could imagine. I have recommended this book to others and they have enjoyed it also.
I read many pages and wasn’t sure if I really undersood what the premise of the book was, but I hung in there and was reward Ed with an incredibly original story. I loved it.
Protagonist is thief with a conscience. Good guy, but he’s a thief who steals things that won’t be missed.
This showed promise. An obsessive compulsive character is ok if the story was stronger. The plot just didn’t develop much and I stopped reading half way through.
Really liked this book. Very different and unusual concept.
Interesting read.
well developed plot kept me laughing as it changed my point of view about using our talents to develop positive job skills. LOL
I know it is a reflection on the quirks of the main character, but sometimes the extensive details that seem to go on for pages get tiresome for me. That said, it is certainly a unique character and plot.
Original idea, bogged down by way too much detail…not a good fit for me..
Original and a really fun read!
Based on the write up and reviews, I thought I’d like this book, but it was just TMI for me. So many details of why the main character didbwhat he did- I felt like I was reading a journal of someone with OCD. And maybe that’s what the book was about- a first-hand taste of OCD, but I wasn’t expecting that nor in the mood for it.
Hard to put down. The author does a thorough job of making an unusual world view seem so normal. I enjoyed this very much. Would be a great book on a long plane ride, because you will be so involved that the time will (literally ) fly by.
I enjoyed this book. If you want to read something different instead of the same old thing this would be a good choice.
Lost interest quickly – monotonous exploration of eccentricity main character – too slow getting past mundane.
Very unusual. It had me holding my breath many times.
What a fun twist from the norm. It’s not what I expected and it continued to not be anything I expected all the way to the end. Great summer book read. It had romance, adventure, edge of the seat suspense and a very witty look at an old subject from a very different perspective. I laughed, I cried and at times just could not put it down even …