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Saturday, March 23, 2013

SOMETHING MISSING BY MATTHEW DICKS

Something Missing


This can only be described as quirky! the imagination of this author baffles me. How on earth do you come on a scenario like this and more importantly make it work magnificiently.

Martin middled aged and very set and organized in his ways has a very big secret. He is a thief who systematically robs houses again and again of not the usual crystal and antique silver and diamonds (though he does that also but only after meticulous planning) but takes things like soap, toilet paper, detergents which he decants into bottles of his own and even medicines which he separates into pill size boxes all labelled clearly so there is no mix up. His scheme is so slick and practiced that no one whom he robs realizes that things are missing. They are the professional, richer people who do not know that five tomatoes are gone from their larder or that one bottle of glass cleaner is somewhat diminished!

Martin maintains files on each client as he calls them, has photographs of before and after the robbery and "cases" each house carefully for weeks if not months before actually committing the robbery. 

The twist to the story is that Martin feels a somewhat benevolent guardian angel attitude towards his clients and feels that he has to help out in situations where they could be in either danger or facing a problem. This involves going against all his tried and tested rules and methods but he breaks all of them in order that a client is protected. Martin does not feel that what he is doing deliberately hurts his clients or that it is wrong. 

The story for me was how a person used to a high degree of  planning and method can certainly change to one of spontaneity and realize how much fun he can have with that way of life as well. 

9 comments:

  1. This one has a decidedly different plot line Mystica!

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  2. I love quirky so this sounds good to me!

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  3. Hi Mystica,

    I checked out this author and discovered that all three of his books have these slightly quirky storylines, which are so intriguing.

    I really want to add this one to my reading list, if only to see for myself, the way in which the story is written.

    I am also a little intrigued to discover that Matthew has to publish his books under another name, here in the UK, at the behest of his publishers, although I am really struggling to see why that might be so.

    I love the cover image also, it is very reminiscent of the style used to depict the 'Mystery Caper' genre, which I have recently discovered that I enjoy so much.

    Thanks for the great review and recommendation,

    Yvonne

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  4. Wow, this one looks very tempting! Thanks for sharing your thoughts...and for visiting my blog.

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  5. This certainly sounds like an original story. I will have to check it out!

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  6. I read this one a few years back, and though your use of the word "quirky" is spot on, I have to admit that I use it with a rather more severe negative connotation. The book was a little too offbeat and cute and "quirky"... it ultimately didn't sit very well with me. I know what you mean about the imagination necessary to come up with this general story, but I guess I just didn't like the execution very much.

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  7. Something Missing looks like so much fun!

    New follower!!
    http://littlesqueed.blogspot.com/2013/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading_25.html

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  8. Oh, this sounds wonderful, Mystica. Never heard of it but I'm adding the title to my TBR list immediately. :)

    I love 'quirky'.

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  9. As the author, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read and review my book. Something Missing was my first novel, and it's great to see it still finding readers four years later. I finished writing my fourth novel YESTERDAY but all the previous books mean so much to me. Thanks for helping to bring Martin's story to your readers. They certainly sound enthusiastic.

    And as for the change of name in the UK, I agree. It was a silly thing for my publisher to request and annoying as hell. But I was able to choose my wife's maiden name, Green, so a little good came of it. She liked that a lot.

    Thanks again, and I hope your readers enjoy the book and my other books!

    Much appreciated!

    Warmly,
    Matt

    Matthew Dicks
    twitter.com/MatthewDicks
    www.facebook.com/matthewjdicks
    Read my blog at matthewdicks.com/blog

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