Bibliography: Dicks, Matthew. (July 2009). Something Missing. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN: 9780767930888
Plot Summary: Martin’s Starbucks job is just a cover (and great benefits) for his real vocation. He’s a thief with a great eye and attention to detail. He doesn’t have victims, but clients, some of whom he’s been stealing from for years. He scouts them out for months, learning their schedules, checking to make sure there are no kids, dogs, or roommates (any of which will get you taken off his client list), mapping the layout, planning escape routes. Then he visits their homes and takes, for the most part, things that no one will realize are gone: a roll of toilet paper here, a box of rice there, a cup of oil, an earring that hasn’t been worn in months.
He is meticulous in planning everything from where to leave his car, in how to dress, in taking digital photos to make sure he gets things back exactly how he found them. Perhaps that is why the day he knocked a client’s toothbrush in the toilet, it threw him for a loop. He couldn’t just put the toothbrush BACK on the counter, he couldn’t let his client use a dirty germy brush. He couldn’t just take it with him either, because certainly someone will notice that their toothbrush is gone. So he has to go and find a new one, not just any toothbrush, but the exact one. And the clock is ticking. He finds this variation on his set routine both scary and exhilarating, and it starts him looking for ways to help his other clients: nudging a husband to put the spark back in his marriage, rushing to stop a well meaning gift giver from ruining a surprise party and more. Along the way, he finds budding romance and a new vocation along with strength and courage he never knew were there.
Critical Analysis: From the funny cover to the charming and quirky third person narrative, this debut novel sweeps the reader up and before you realize it, you will be caught up in Martin’s world, following along as he visits clients, scouts out new clients, catalogs his day’s take, works his cover job and more. I think perhaps it is a mistake to classify this as a mystery but then again it does have some of the same suspense and thrills on a much smaller scale.
For me, it was as much a page turner as any thriller because the author did such a great job of putting me inside Martin’s head, making me care for him, and understand why it was so important to replace a toothbrush, intercept a present and follow a man home from a client’s house. On top of that, there is quite a bit of humor, some of it albeit at Martin’s expense, some of it arising purely out of the situations where he finds himself. Some readers may feel that not much happens in this book, but others, like me, will come away with a longing to know more about Martin and his adventures: will his budding romance last? Will he make a go at a new career? Can he give up the old one so easily?
Readalikes: I am sure that there are may out there that will compare this to the Mr. Monk series by Lee Goldberg as another offbeat obsessive compulsive character. The thoroughness that Dicks manages to capture that is Martin’s world reminded me of Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. But for me, I was reminded mostly of two very different books. The Burglar Who…series by Lawrence Block (Mr. Block, more Bernie please!) Much less well known is Wrestling Sturbridge by Rich Wallace where we meet Ben, a quirky sardonic teen who is the second best wrestler in his high school. He also loves to make lists, and is a thief in his own right, breaking into summer homes of the rich when they are away and taking mundane things like can openers so that the occupants are puzzled when they return. “Didn’t we have a can opener? What happened to my other sock?”
Review Excerpts: “Dicks struggles with digression and repetition-Martin’s obsessive allegiance to the rules of his pastime becomes exasperating-but he’s created a winning hero in Martin, a crook with a heart of gold.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“Dicks combines the neurotic atmosphere of a Woody Allen film with the light touch of Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr novels (The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart, 1995, etc.) in a unique debut.” –Kirkus Reviews
