Review: The Bubble Gum Thief by Jeff Miller

A Mysterious Review of …

The Bubble Gum Thief by Jeff Miller. A Dagny Gray Mystery.

Review summary: This is a terrifically entertaining novel, with a very clever — if also more than a little convoluted — murder mystery plotline. The narrative is smartly written, the dialog realistic, the actions on the part of all involved credible. Two relatively minor, but also notable, drawbacks do little to lessen the enjoyment of this "amazing ride". (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

The Bubble Gum Thief
Jeff Miller
A Dagny Gray Mystery
Thomas & Mercer (December 2012)

Publisher synopsis: Special Agent Dagny Gray is smart, athletic, and fearless. She's also fragile, depressed, and anorexic. If she doesn't get healthy soon, the FBI will drop her — and she'll never have a chance to end the crime spree of the so-called "bubble gum thief".

It all started with the theft of a pack of gum, and the ominous note he left behind: THIS IS MY FIRST CRIME. MY NEXT WILL BE BIGGER. Every two weeks, he delivers on this pledge, committing a bigger crime, and promising that the next will be even worse. When petty theft gives way to bloody murder, the stakes become clear. He may have begun with the smallest crime possible, but he's building toward the biggest crime imaginable.

There's a method to the gum thief's madness, and Special Agent Dagny Gray knows she can figure it out … if the Bureau will let her. But will it be in time to prevent the cataclysmic finale of his escalating spree?