::READERS REVIEWS::

Back to Form - This is the third Bernie Rhodenbarr novel, and though, so far, all three novels have had extremely similar plot lines (Bernie is fingered for a murder he didn't commit and has to find the real murderer to save himself), I loved every second of it. Burglars Can't Be Choosers, the 1st Bernie novel, was a breezy, funny mystery with a fun sotry and lots of laughs. The second Bernie novel, The Burglar in the Closet, kind of stalled...maybe because the plot was almost identacle to the first one. The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, though breaking no new ground, gets Bernie back to his debut form. Like the other two, it is breezy and fun with lots of laughs. And this one is just different enough to keep it from being like the second.

Okay Block but not his best - This mystery just seemed to be one by the numbers. The twists are tired, and the characters are one-dimensional. On the good side, there are some humorous bits, and I like the idea of a burglar who will not be reformed. I really wanted to like the lesbian character, but he didn't do enough with her. She got a thankless role, and Block didn't make her much more than a stereotype. This is probably my most disappointing Block read thus far.

You don't spit on your luck - The man bought a copy of William Cowper's poems from the bargain table. Bernie Rhodenbarr realized the customer was a thief. Bernie told him to get out of the business, to quit lifting things. Bernie was working his way through Kipling.

The name of his store is Barnegat Books. The patron saint of booksellers is Saint John of God. Bernie goes to Murder Ink. Afterwards he goes to Forest Hills Gardens in Queens, a place he describes as an enclave within an enclave. Jesse Arkwright lives in Forest Hills Gardens. His house is an enormous beamed Tudor.

Bernie takes the reader into his confidence, explaining that he is a born thief and he loves it. Burglary produces an adrenaline rush and too, there is delight in the invasion of privacy aspect of the crime. He takes one book from the premises for someone named Rudyard Whelkin, a presumably rare book by Kipling he bestowed on his friend Rider Haggard.

Next Bernie is robbed by a Sikh gentleman. Finally Madeleine Porlock is murdered, leaving Bernie to figure out the connection of the various characters to each other and to the book. Since he awakes to discover he is in the presence of Porlock's body and a gun, he lets himself into a friend's apartment to hide from the police and everyone else. Notably the friend, Carolyn Kaiser, believed that Bernie not longer practiced the craft of burglary and was amazed to see him in her apartment.

Although I prefer the other Lawrence Block central character, Matt Scudder, alcoholic, reformed or otherwise, I do think the handling of the plot in this book is very good.

For me, the start of a great new seriesq - I've read all of Kinky Friedman and loved each, some better than others, but all were good.

I have only one "Cat Who ..." book left, but each of those has been a gem.

Marjorie Allingham and Dorothy L. Sayers are no longer producing masterpieces, due to untimely demises.

So, I have to seek new series(es?) to explore. My son, whose recommendations have never failed me, suggested Block. I bought this one. I read this one. It was a delight!

The character of Bernie Rhodenbarr is complex and interesting, ranking up there with The Kinkster, Albert Campion, Jim Qwilleran, and Peter Whimsey.

The plot twists in this novel indicate that the Nero Wolfe award (won by this book) is not granted lightly.

I have purchased others. I will read the next one, knowing that one book does not a successful series make. But I am hopeful - and optimistic.

Good fun, but not his best Burglar IMHO - While Lawrence Block's Burglar series is a bit formulaic (some of the scenes are virtual repeats, at times), his characters are simply a riot. The plot is probably not the best part of these books--the characters and dialog are. So, if you are looking for a hard boiled or serious mystery, read Block's Scudder series or an Agatha Christie. While there is fun in this book (I would prefer to give it 3.5 stars) and a great quote for my collection: "I swear, if jumping weren't allowed she'd never get to a conclusion" on page 180), this is not, IMHO, his best Burglar/Rhodenbarr book. Try "The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams" or the new "The Burglar on the Prowl," for instance. Still, I'd recommend reading them all as light entertainment, similar to Block's Tanner series. I must admit, I like the Scudder ones better.

A Worthy Addition to the "Burglar" Collection - I just listened to this tale on a long trip by car and it made the trip go very, very quickly. In this one, Bernie is earnestly trying to go and stay straight, but, like Al Pacino says in "Godfather III," every time he tries to get out, they keep pulling him back in again.

His soulmate friend loves the thrill of stealing (as does Bernie himself). His crooked cop friend has a wife with an appetite for farm-raised mink. And his bookstore customers want to hire him to steal on consignment.

It's a lively, funny book, and you'll love the way it's read on tape.