‘Something Missing’ offers quirky charm

  Martin is a thief. But he’s not a thief in the traditional, smash-and-grab sense.
  Martin, who has obsessive compulsive disorder tendencies, prefers to maintain a long-term “client” list, therefore he only steals what won’t be noticed or what can easily be explained away by the homeowners.
  A cup of sugar here, some toilet paper there, maybe a little laundry detergent, perhaps a single diamond earring, since taking the pair might raise some red flags.
  Martin is meticulous in his craft, casing houses to make sure there’s no dogs or alarms, knowing his clients’ schedules by heart, always wearing latex gloves and a hat so as not to leave behind DNA. But a simple mishap throws Martin’s world for a loop, and it all begins with an electric toothbrush and a toilet.
  He watched in a mixture of awe and terror as the toothbrush completed two and a half turns before slicing through the water in the the bowl as smoothly as an Olympic diver. A baritone plop, followed the toothbrush’s contact with the water.
  Martin never has personally met the toothbrush’s owner, Cindy Clayton, but since she’s been a longtime client he knows her well and can’t help but like her. And, given his OCD proclivities, he just cannot allow her to use a tainted toothbrush. He must replace it.
  With his decision to not allow Cindy to unknowingly ingest toilet water, Martin’s orderly occupation becomes more chaotic. He begins to break all his rules, taking risks that leave him thrilled and terrified, in an effort to subtly do some good for his clients.
  Martin knows involving himself unnecessarily in his clients’ lives could land him in the slammer, but his urge to help is too strong. He begins to believe that maybe his career choice was fated.
  He had begun envisioning himself as an agent for good, entering his clients’ homes in order to make a living, but perhaps to improve their lives as well. Perhaps Martin had been meant to help his clients all along.
  The quirky Martin charms readers throughout Matthew Dicks’ “Something Missing.” The book starts off slow, with tedious descriptions of Martin’s elaborate routines, but the story picks up about halfway through when Martin must step outside of his comfort zone. The plot begins to move along quickly, and as Martin begins to grow, so does the reader’s interest.