Product Description

A new mystery in the Bernie Rhodenbarr "Burglar" series finds Bernie in trouble financially and out on one last caper, during which he discovers a nude body and is suspected of stealing a valuable baseball card collection. Simultaneous.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1984806 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05-01
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From Publishers Weekly
Burglar/Greenwich Village bookseller Bernie Rhodenbarr discovers a dead body in the apartment and is accused of stealing a $1 million baseball card collection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Following Block's appointment as grand master by the Mystery Writers of America, his publisher is reissuing his first Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery-long out of print-in a shiny new edition.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Over the last decade, as Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder has become one of the most popular characters in crime fiction, poor Bernie Rhodenbarr, Block's other series hero, has languished on the shelf. Bernie, the nimble-fingered burglar who solves murders in between heists, has his own fans, though, and they have been badgering Block for the last decade to write another book about their hero. Well, Block finally obliged, and it's about time. This novel is an absolute treat--the funniest, cleverest, in-jokiest lark of a mystery since, well . . . the last Bernie book 10 years ago. In the meantime, the amiably larcenous Bernie has been trying his best to reform, living the quiet life of a Greenwich Village bookseller. But now his new landlord has jacked up the rent, and Bernie, hoping to avoid eviction, figures one more burglary might just do the trick. Opportunity comes knocking, and Bernie walks in, after picking the lock, of course; it looks like a piece of cake until he finds a dead body in the bathroom. Meanwhile, across town, somebody is stealing a baseball-card collection worth a cool million, and the cops are convinced it was Bernie. His alibi--that he was breaking into a different apartment at the time (and finding a stiff)--is problematic. Best to find the ball cards and set matters right. Along the way, we're treated to a nonstop barrage of one-liners, literary puns (like the character who suffers from Edna St. Vincent Malaise--poetic depression in women), and hilarious jibes at fellow mystery writer Sue Grafton (author of, we're told, F Is for Stop and G Is for Spot, among others). The plot gets a little crazy, but who cares when you're having fun? Please, Bernie, don't make us wait another decade between capers. Bill Ott

Customer Reviews

Everyone knows everyone
Block ranks right up there with other writers who just know how to write (others include Ed McBain and Donald Westlake) . Dialogue and the ability to keep us needing to turn the page are the hallmarks of all of Block's works. Block sets up impossible to figure situations and manages to sort it all out. Be prepared for everything that happens to be somehow interconnected, I don't know how he does it. As Block puts it, "Coincidences are God's way of letting us know He is up there." Warning: try to read in no more than three sittings, you'll never keep it all straight.

Burglary, Bookstore and Mystery
This light-hearted venture into the world of Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar extraordinaire and bookstore owner contains much of the sharp, witty dialogue of the previous books in the series only sharper and wittier. The discussion between Bernie and Carolyn over the sexual preference of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone is priceless. This is a sometimes-confusing mystery involving a series of events that sees Bernie burgle an apartment, return the booty and then re-enter the place to plant evidence after finding a corpse in the bathroom. Bernie sets out to work out who committed the murder, plus who committed a burglary that he's been mistakenly charged with. This is a most entertaining mystery that continues to keep you thinking, while providing plenty of smiles along the way.

Block is the master of the mystery genre!
Lawrence Block is the mystery writer for the thinking person. His Bernie books are witty, humorous, well-written, and, most importantly, never take the reader for granted. These books are intelligent and are completely satisfying. This book, the first in more than ten years, is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and unfailingly entertaining. Most highly recommended!