By Matthew Dicks
Thumbs Up!
A few weeks ago, I found myself with over an hour to kill, in the library, by myself. It felt positively decadent. I was scanning the new books, and came across this one. The back cover stated, "A career criminal with OCD tendencies and a savant-like genius for bringing order to his crime scenes." Hmmm - Bizarro Monk!
I found this a fun read. The main character, Martin, has a regular job at Starbucks. But, he also has a number of 'clients' - his word for the people whose homes he burglarizes. He has strict rules for who might be his clients, such as they must be married, two incomes, and they won't miss the items he takes. Usually, he takes routine things, such as salad dressing or a few rolls of toilet paper, depending on his current requirements. Occasionally, he'll take higher end items. But he's extremely careful to make sure the clients won't notice what's missing.
I'm certainly not advocating this, but this book would make an excellent "How-To" manual for thieves.
Martin's character may be off-putting to some because, well, he's a crook. Nevertheless, I found him endearing. As the novel progresses, there is definite growth in his character as he drops some of his meticulous habits to come to the aid of his clients.
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I just finished this, Char. It was fun, and I agree, he is endearing.
ReplyDeleteI also just tried to request his second book, Pistols for Two, Breakfast for One, and can't get it anywhere in the state. On Amazon, even though it's just recently published, (I think November) there is only one new copy available from some non-Amazon seller. Hmm. Must have been a small, limited printing. But he has Unexpectedly Milo coming out in August of this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it, Mary. I have a soft spot for Martin. I hadn't heard about Pistols..... It's not in our system, either. I'll keep my eyes open for Milo.
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