Rating: 
Summary: Very light reading; but fun
Review: Although this book is over 300 pages, it is very light reading that can be finished in a day. The sentences are short and not very complex. The paragraphs are short. And most of the book is simple dialog.
So is it a good story and an interstesting read? Yes, it is.
This is your basic detective story with all the cliches....shady cops, crooked district attorneys, society women cheating on their husbands, racketeers, and the one honest schmo.
The twist is that the "detective" in this story is actually a burglar who ends up getting framed for murder and has to find the real culprit.
I have to admit, that although I was able to predict most of the twists and turns of the book, I was surprised with the ending and who the real murderer was. And although the girl in the book was everything that I predicted, how the hero handled her in the end was unexpected.
The ending really improved my rating of this book. Halfway through the book, I really did not care if I finished it. But, the ending was not good enough to make me that eager to go out and read another in the series...but I might.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Crooked Policemen
Review: Bernie Rhodenbarr is a burglar and a sleuth. He is almost 35 years old, but opening locks and stealing things is the only trade he knows. The book has a light-hearted tone, mainly because Bernie doesn't take life too seriously. Amidst a cast of clownish characters, two crooked policemen manage to stand out.
Rating:
Summary: A Lot Of Fun!
Review: I read this in two afternoons. Bernie's a great character, and there are some very funny lines.If you're looking for an entertaining book to read on a plane, or at the beach, you've found it.
Rating:
Summary: A Lot Of Fun!
Review: I read this in two afternoons. Bernie's a great character, and there are some very funny lines. If you're looking for an entertaining book to read on a plane, or at the beach, you've found it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Satirical Look at Cops and Robbers
Review: Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores out 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 valuables. 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 arranges to evade 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. Burglars Can't Be Choosers is the first book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading this one. 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. Although, 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. As Stephen King likes to point out, a great way to start a book is to put a character in an unusual situation and then let things happen from there. Burglars Can't Be Choosers certainly follows that route in a successful manner with what reads and feels like a very realistic burglary experience. The characterizations, plot development, and dialogue are wonderful in the book. The only flaw from my perspective relates to the solution to the mystery. I thought it wasn't nearly interesting enough while it was being finally unraveled. As a result, the book is at its best in the beginning and middle, and weakens towards the end. Otherwise, I would have awarded five stars. It would be a mistake to leave even a mystery "page turner" without thinking through the moral implications of the book. How many times do "honest" people self-justify what they do because it's easy money and they can pull it off? Certainly, the current rash of corporate fraud seems to suggest that it's pretty common. Maybe part of the appeal of this book and the series is that Mr. Block is exposing our own foibles to ourselves a little as we walk in Bernie's shoes. Do what's right, not what's irresistible. Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Rating:
Summary: A Satirical Look at Cops and Robbers
Review: Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores out 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 valuables. 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 arranges to evade 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. Burglars Can't Be Choosers is the first book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading this one. 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. Although, 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. As Stephen King likes to point out, a great way to start a book is to put a character in an unusual situation and then let things happen from there. Burglars Can't Be Choosers certainly follows that route in a successful manner with what reads and feels like a very realistic burglary experience. The characterizations, plot development, and dialogue are wonderful in the book. The only flaw from my perspective relates to the solution to the mystery. I thought it wasn't nearly interesting enough while it was being finally unraveled. As a result, the book is at its best in the beginning and middle, and weakens towards the end. Otherwise, I would have awarded five stars. It would be a mistake to leave even a mystery "page turner" without thinking through the moral implications of the book. How many times do "honest" people self-justify what they do because it's easy money and they can pull it off? Certainly, the current rash of corporate fraud seems to suggest that it's pretty common. Maybe part of the appeal of this book and the series is that Mr. Block is exposing our own foibles to ourselves a little as we walk in Bernie's shoes. Do what's right, not what's irresistible. Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Rating:
Summary: A Satirical Look at Cops and Robbers
Review: Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores out 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 valuables. 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 arranges to evade 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. Burglars Can't Be Choosers is the first book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading this one. 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. Although, 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. As Stephen King likes to point out, a great way to start a book is to put a character in an unusual situation and then let things happen from there. Burglars Can't Be Choosers certainly follows that route in a successful manner with what reads and feels like a very realistic burglary experience. The characterizations, plot development, and dialogue are wonderful in the book. The only flaw from my perspective relates to the solution to the mystery. I thought it wasn't nearly interesting enough while it was being finally unraveled. As a result, the book is at its best in the beginning and middle, and weakens towards the end. Otherwise, I would have awarded five stars. It would be a mistake to leave even a mystery "page turner" without thinking through the moral implications of the book. How many times do "honest" people self-justify what they do because it's easy money and they can pull it off? Certainly, the current rash of corporate fraud seems to suggest that it's pretty common. Maybe part of the appeal of this book and the series is that Mr. Block is exposing our own foibles to ourselves a little as we walk in Bernie's shoes. Do what's right, not what's irresistible. Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Rating:
Summary: Buy it! The book you'd not regret buying!
Review: Maybe it is an exaggeration, but I believe that Lawrence Block and his debut series Burglars Can't Be Choosers is power packed with lots of wit, lots of plot and dialogue, and interlaced with the kind of interesting material you want to curl up in bed and read by your bedlight. This is such a good book that people seeking to improve their standard of English should look here! The pace is fast and furious, and by reading it, you really feel like you're instantly transported to living, breathing New York City! Buy the rest too. All nine Bernie Rhodenbarr series (including the newly-released Burglar in Library novel). Lawrence Block is at his greatest and most humorous here. You'll not regret it. Makes for a perfect companion gift too!
Rating:
Summary: Bernie Rhodenbarr makes a memorable debut
Review: The first of Block's "Burglar" books and in many ways the freshest, BURGLARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS set the pattern for the rest of the series: a charming, basically honest burglar accidentally stumbles upon a murder and has to solve the mystery in order to clear his own name. Bernie is not yet a fully formed character here (readers whose first exposure to Bernie came from the more recent books will miss Bernie's bookstore and his best friend, Carolyn), but the plot is irresistable (the solution is truly memorable) and the comedy is first-rate. A zany, silly, frenetic virtuoso performance, and one of the few comic mysteries that stands up to repeated re-reading.
Rating:
Summary: ...but the author can choose any ending he wants
Review: This book is admirable from the standpoint that Mr Block invented a new mystery genre - the lighthearted murder mystery solved by the friendly cat burglar. I probably would have enjoyed it more had it been my first "burglar" book, but I was spoiled by the excellent "Ted Williams" edition. I found this book annoying in how the author leads us down two endings - one for the police, and then the real story as explained by our burglar. I was tired of... this is what happened -- no this is what happened -- no, I was right in the first place -- no, I was right the second time, etc.
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