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Summary: A modern day Agitha Christie
Review: Don't we all wish that our lives were as cool as Bernie's? In the days of murder mysteries with evil psychotic nightmare villians, Block provides a pleasant return to the simplicity of a Who Done It. Great dialogue great characters
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Summary: It's not one of his better Bernies'
Review: having read and loving all of the rhodenbar escapades i was alittle let down esp. after rhe long wait since his last escapade.
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Summary: Another great book from Lawrence Block
Review: I am hooked on Block's "burglar" series! This is the fourth Bernie mystery I've read and they only continue to get better and better! Block sends up classic mysterys (this one focused on Agatha Christie) while maintaining their set-up and plot development.Unlike so many authors, Block doesn't assume his audience are idiots. He writes intellignet and well-crafted mysteries that amuse and entertain. While the books can get slow at times, the action is never too far off. A true test of fiction for me is whether you ever want to put the book down. When you're reading a good novel, you should want to read straight through and dread having to set the story aside. That's the case with Block's "Burglar" books...they are a solid, entertaining read from start to finish!
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Summary: Bernie does it again
Review: I don't like what Bernie does for a living but I love reading about all the trouble he gets himself into & I like all bookd by Lawrence Block. but this one is one of my favorites. It is a good read.
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Summary: Another great setting, interesting characters, but weak myst
Review: I was excited to hear another Bernie Rohdenbarr mystery was out. A new setting, the country, was a pleasant delight for me. As long as Carolyn and Raffles are there and the police officer friend of Bernie's shows up, the story is great to me. I don't read Block for the mystery although it moves the story along. I did miss the Poodle Factory and Barnegat books' settings though. I prefer that Carolyn's sexuality be kept out of the story, it's OK that she has girlfriends, but rubbing up against Bernie in bed, albeit in her sleep, didn't add to the story to me. Just as the heterosexual encounters between Bernie and his female friends are left more to the imagination than most novels today. Mr. Block, let's get working on another Bernie mystery concentrating on the holidays.
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Summary: A fine read, but not up to previous Block efforts
Review: It's hard not to like Bernie Rhodenbarr. He's confident, witty, wily, and has the devil's luck. He's also smug. In past Bernie adventures, his smugness has been nicely balanced by a self-deprecating sense of humor. That was only partly the case in The Burglar in the Library. Bernie has developed a super-human disdain for his travails, a kind of "been there, done that" quality that overwhelms any sense of tension in the book. Certainly in a light mystery you know from the outset that the good guy or gal will win, but you let yourself forget that by subtle agreement with the author in order to enjoy the various predicaments. In The Burglar in the Library, Bernie doesn't let you do that. Nonetheless, Lawrence Block at his weakest is much stronger than many other writers. And The Burglar in the Library certainly isn't his weakest. It's a fine enough read. You could do much worse.
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Summary: way off base..unnecessary sex...the others are A+
Review: Keep Bernie & Carolyn in New York! Letice being there was too coincidental and her cutting that bridge cable made no sense. This is my alltime favorite series...I guess even burglers can bungle.
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Summary: Block one of the best
Review: Lawrence Block has done it again. He writes so smooth and he has great characters. Bernie tries to be the bad guy but he's just not good at it. The plot was good and not easy to guess ahead. I'm already looking for the next Block book.
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Summary: Bernie the burglar and bookseller snowed in with murder
Review: Lawrence Block is a genius, and Bernie Rhodenbarr, his light-hearted and larcenous hero is back--this time snowed in at a New England bed and breakfast with a valuable first edition. And an increasing supply of corpses. Humorous and baffling, Bernie as good as he gets.
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Summary: Bernie Has His Busman's Honeymoon
Review: Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores how an ordinary, but intelligent, "honest" person might go about pursuing a life of crime as a fastidious and talented burglar who isn't proud of what he does, doesn't like to hang out with criminals, and really gets a big thrill out of breaking and entering . . . and removing nonessential valuables from rich people. As you can see, there's a sitcom set-up to provide lots of humor. But the humor works well in part because Mr. Block is able to put the reader in the Bernie's shoes while he breaks, enters and steals . . . and evades the long arm of the law. To balance the "honest" burglar is an array of "dishonest" and equally easy-money loving cops. As a result, you're in a funny moral never-never land while your stomach tightens and your arm muscles twitch as tension builds. To make matters even more topsy-turvy, Bernie at some point in every story turns into an investigator who must figure out "who-dun-it" for some crime that he personally didn't do. It's almost like one of those "mystery at home" games where the victim comes back as the police investigator, playing two roles. Very nice! So much for explaining the concept of the series. The Burglar in the Library is the eighth book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading Burglars Can't Be Choosers and follow it up with The Burglar in the Closet, The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza, The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian, The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams and The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart. Each story in the series adds information and characters in a way that will reduce your pleasure of the others if read out of order. Despite that admonition, I originally read them out of order and liked them well enough. I'm rereading them now in order, and like it much better this way. The Burglar in the Rye comes next in the series. The series, always comical and satirical, continues the new turn begun in The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart. The spoof expands to the detective/thriller genre in general. I found this change to be a welcome and charming one. Anyone who is an Agatha Christie fan will appreciate the many references to And Then There Were None. And Then There Were None was my favorite mystery for many years. I loved the way that there seemed to be no solution . . . until the solution miraculously appeared from an unexpected direction. And that was before I knew what a red herring is in a mystery book. Although not duplicating all elements of Dame Agatha's masterpiece, you will find enough reflections to keep you entertained and more than normally amused. Another delightful element is that parts of the book relate to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. In truly spoofish fun, those parts of the story reflect the characterizations and style of those two great mystery writers. Bernie has once again fallen in love, with one Lettice Runcible by name, who adores anything English, even if it is an English country house set in New England. Bernie has arranged to take her to Cuttleford House (which fits that description) to enjoy the atmosphere, while he checks out the chance that a rare first edition of The Big Sleep resides there unappreciated by the current owners. He plans are desperately derailed when Lettice announces she cannot go because she's getting married instead. Crestfallen, but still curious about the Raymond Chandler volume, Bernie persuades Carolyn Kaiser, his lesbian best friend, to accompany Raffles, the cat, and him. Added to the usual humor between Bernie and Carolyn are the complications of being bed mates and others assuming that they are either married or lovers. On the way to Cuttleford House, a huge snowstorm sets in that makes travel difficult. Bernie soon begins discovering unexpected dead and live bodies while he tries to check out the library in the wee hours of the night. By the next morning, they are cut off by the storm . . . and the bodies begin to pile up. With no way to reach the police, Bernie had better get to the bottom of what's going on . . . or he may be next! The mystery is masterfully complicated and rewarding, for those who care about that aspect of the book. When I finished this one, I was sure that I had found the best book in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series . . . and I still feel that way. This book is amazingly wonderful. The theme of this book focuses on the importance (and challenges involved in) treating other people with respect, kindness and consideration. Beware: Bad things happen when we do not! Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
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