Great mystery! I love reading about Dagny's struggle with anorexia. We all have issues and it makes her a real person. ( )

The Bubble Gum Thief by Jeff Miller

Thomas & Mercer
December 4, 2012
ASIN: BOO7RZ0716
426 pages

This is my first crime. My next will be bigger.

“This is my first crime. My next will be bigger.” So begins The Bubble Gum Thief. This message is found on a card to which a stolen stick of gum is taped. What follows is a series of crimes that escalate is horror and body count. Solving the crimes falls to FBI agent Dagny Gray, who has a handful of personal issues, not the least of which is severe anorexia. Dagny must fight through her medical problem, an FBI bureaucracy that hinders her every step, and a serial killer that is increasingly cleaver and brazen. Well written and fast paced and populated with interesting characters, especially Dagny who is well drawn and likable. A good read.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series ( )

I very much enjoyed "The Bubblegum Thief" despite the fact that I found the main character Federal Agent Dagny Gray frustrating,due to her inclination to limit her calories to the point of making herself physically ill. While I have compassion for anorexics, bulemics and/or any obsessive personalities,it was difficult to sympathize with someone who had so much going for her including a loving boyfriend, yet still refused to see herself through his eyes (and despite what she could see with her own eyes,) until he sculpted a beautiful statue of her. Even then, it took a horrible loss for her to stop focusing on her destructive tendencies and focus on the crimes being committed. I understand that is the nature of the illness. But the author simply put Gray's anorexia behind her and described her eating in scene after scene. Too tidy and far too easy a solution, I think. Despite finding Dagny Gray difficult to comprehend, I expected a more logical resolution to her issues from the author, Jeff Miller. It is a debut mystery novel, though, and I give him kudos for that. Mysteries are challenging to write, demanding great logistical care. I found myself wondering, too, if Miller's intention was to make her a slightly annoying person.
Other than issues with characterization (albeit with a major character) the book moved forward nicely, and the other characters were well-developed. I would pick up another book by Jeff Miller. If you enjoy a fast-moving mystery, with lots of characters and a rather complex plot, you will enjoy "The Bubblegum Thief." ( )