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This book had me hooked from the first page. The action starts in the first chapter and I loved that about it. There was none of the slow build-up that so many novels seem to have, although there is a LOT of detail. This may put some readers off but it really is essential to the story and the character building of the protagonist, Martin. There was a need to suspend disbelief to some degree, but that's part of the fun of the story! The story moved along at a good pace and there were parts where I held my breath wondering what would happen next and there were parts where I laughed out loud - cue the funny looks from people around me!

I took an instant liking to the protagonist, Martin, although I'm not really sure why. I guess it was because, despite his profession, he's actually a pretty nice guy and it's hard to dislike him. I also think that his methodical, organised approach to life resonated with me because, although I am nowhere near as meticulously organised as he is, I do have a pre-disposition to list making and attention to detail so this appealed to that side of me! The fact that he calls the homeowners 'Clients' rather than victims really endeared him to me - it shows that he cares about them and really does think that he's providing them with a service. I guess he's also using the term to make it sound more acceptable, but he does know that what he's doing is wrong. I don't really want to say anymore about the story as that would give away spoilers, but I will say that the situations he ends up in and the steps he takes to resolve those situations show how caring he is and made me like him even more.

As much as I did like Martin, it did really creep me out to think about how easy it is for someone to get into your house. I was lucky enough to be part of a chat with the author recently and he mentioned that he'd done a lot of research on lock-picking whilst writing the book and that it's surprising how many forums and sites there are on the internet that are dedicated to this. It definitely made me want to up the security on our house. It also made me think about things that I've misplaced in the past. Obviously the reality is that most burglars will go for the big cash items, but still...

A great read and one that I will probably read again. I can't wait to pick up the author's second book, Unexpectedly Milo.