Synopsis/blurb….
It was ridiculous really – there was Bernie Rhodenbarr,
pro burglar, locked in the clothes cupboard of a smart New York apartment while
he was thieving it. And there was his stash of jewels, all neatly packed, not
in hand or at hand but on the opposite side of the bedroom. So by the time
Bernie finally picked his way out he wasn’t too pleased to find the rocks gone
and their beautiful ex-owner, Crystal Sheldrake, lying dead on the mat with a
gleaming steel instrument embedded in her heart. The cops weren’t too impressed
either …
This is the second Bernie Rhodenbarr book and another fun
read. Another score of Bernie’s goes awry when his latest burglary at the
behest of his dentist of all people, ends up with Bernie again departing the
scene with a corpse left behind him. The corpse in question is his dentist's ex-wife. The dentist during police questioning
naturally fingers Bernie as the possible killer.
Bernie with the assistance of the dental receptionist (also his
dentist’s current dalliance) turns amateur sleuth again as he has to unravel the late Crystal Sheldrake’s bed partners and try and recover his swag.
Bar hopping, art galleries, artists, lawyers, more
burglaries, a familiar patrolman, New York nightlife, and something a lot bigger
than a bit of breaking and entering.
Really enjoyable. As an aside, Bernie’s occupation seems to
be NYC’s worst kept secret. A fact which undoubtedly leads to more scrapes in
future books.
Character, wit, setting, story, pace, general human observations, outcome - all plusses for me.
4 from 5
Burglars Can’t Be Choosers was enjoyed earlier this month. I’ll
be starting the third one soon.
Read – July, 2022
Published – 1978
Page count – 194
Source – purchased copy
Format – Paperback
Bernie's such a terrific character isn't he, Col? For me, anyway, you just can't help liking him, even though he is a burglar. And Block manages to make the stories witty without taking away from the tension and the layers in the story. I ought to go back to some of these *anxious look at tottering TBR pile....*
ReplyDeleteMargot, you'll be guaranteed a good time if you do!
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