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Bernie Rhodenbarr #12
The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown
Suppose you’re Bernie Rhodenbarr.
You’ve got a dream job, running your own cozy secondhand bookstore, complete with Raffles, your caudally challenged cat. It’s in Greenwich Village, and your best friend’s dog grooming salon is two doors away, and the two of you lunch together and meet for drinks after work.
And you’ve got another way to make a buck. Every once in a while you put your conscience on the shelf and let yourself into someone else’s residence, and you leave with more than you came with. You’re a burglar, and you know it’s wrong, but you love it.
And you’re good at it. You’ve got two ways to make a living, one larcenous, the other literary and legitimate, and you’re good at both of them.
Nice, huh?
Until the 21st Century pulls the rug out from under you. All of a sudden the streets of your city are so overpopulated with security cameras and closed-circuit TV that you have to lock yourself in the bathroom to have an undocumented moment. And locks, which used to provide the recreational pleasure of a moderately challenging crossword puzzle, have become genuinely pickproof.
Meanwhile, internet booksellers have muscled your legit enterprise into obsolescence. The new breed of customers browse your bookshop, find what they’re looking for, then whip out their phones and order their books online.
Wonderful. You had two ways to make a living, and neither of them works anymore.
But suppose you keep on supposing, okay?
Suppose you wake up one morning in a world just like the one in which you fell asleep—but with a couple of differences.
The first one you notice doesn’t amount to much. The Metrocard in your wallet has somehow changed color and morphed into what seems to be called a SubwayCard. That’s puzzling, but you swipe it at the turnstile same as always, and it gets you on the subway, so what difference does it make?
But that’s not the only thing that’s changed. The Internet’s up and running, as robust as ever, but nobody seems to be using it to sell books. Doors are secured not with pickproof electronic gizmos but with good old reliable Rabson locks, the kind you can open with your eyes closed. And what happened to all those security cameras? Where’d they go?
All of a sudden you’ve got your life back, and your bookshop’s packed with eager customers, and how are you gonna find time to steal something?
Well, just suppose one of the world’s worst human beings has recently acquired one of the world’s most glamorous gems. When the legendary Kloppmann Diamond is up for grabs, what can you possibly do but grab it?
And what could possibly go wrong?
You’ve got a dream job, running your own cozy secondhand bookstore, complete with Raffles, your caudally challenged cat. It’s in Greenwich Village, and your best friend’s dog grooming salon is two doors away, and the two of you lunch together and meet for drinks after work.
And you’ve got another way to make a buck. Every once in a while you put your conscience on the shelf and let yourself into someone else’s residence, and you leave with more than you came with. You’re a burglar, and you know it’s wrong, but you love it.
And you’re good at it. You’ve got two ways to make a living, one larcenous, the other literary and legitimate, and you’re good at both of them.
Nice, huh?
Until the 21st Century pulls the rug out from under you. All of a sudden the streets of your city are so overpopulated with security cameras and closed-circuit TV that you have to lock yourself in the bathroom to have an undocumented moment. And locks, which used to provide the recreational pleasure of a moderately challenging crossword puzzle, have become genuinely pickproof.
Meanwhile, internet booksellers have muscled your legit enterprise into obsolescence. The new breed of customers browse your bookshop, find what they’re looking for, then whip out their phones and order their books online.
Wonderful. You had two ways to make a living, and neither of them works anymore.
But suppose you keep on supposing, okay?
Suppose you wake up one morning in a world just like the one in which you fell asleep—but with a couple of differences.
The first one you notice doesn’t amount to much. The Metrocard in your wallet has somehow changed color and morphed into what seems to be called a SubwayCard. That’s puzzling, but you swipe it at the turnstile same as always, and it gets you on the subway, so what difference does it make?
But that’s not the only thing that’s changed. The Internet’s up and running, as robust as ever, but nobody seems to be using it to sell books. Doors are secured not with pickproof electronic gizmos but with good old reliable Rabson locks, the kind you can open with your eyes closed. And what happened to all those security cameras? Where’d they go?
All of a sudden you’ve got your life back, and your bookshop’s packed with eager customers, and how are you gonna find time to steal something?
Well, just suppose one of the world’s worst human beings has recently acquired one of the world’s most glamorous gems. When the legendary Kloppmann Diamond is up for grabs, what can you possibly do but grab it?
And what could possibly go wrong?
First published October 18, 2022
About the author
Lawrence Block
739 books2,854 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
September 7, 2022
Bernie Rhodenbarr is not happy about the state of the world. As a used bookseller his business has been pretty much destroyed by Amazon, and that used to be less of a problem because he made most of his money in his second job as a burglar. However, the modern world is now filled with surveillance cameras and various forms of electronic security that can’t be cracked with old school lockpicking. When a rich jerk buys a priceless diamond and brags about keeping it in a nearby penthouse, it’s a score that Bernie would have once jumped at, but one quick look convinces him that he wouldn’t even be able to get into the building.
Bernie grumbles about all this to his best friend Carol over drinks one night, and after going home he then tries to take his mind off it by reading a book by Fredric Brown about alternate universes. Something strange happens the next day though.
The world seems mostly the same, but Bernie’s Metrocard has now been changed to a Subway Card. Even weirder, his bookstore is now doing a brisk business and Amazon doesn’t exist. Bernie also quickly notices that there are far less security cameras and high tech locks around. Only he and Carol seem aware that there’s been any changes, and Bernie can only guess that somehow they’ve shifted to an alternate universe that is lot more hospitable to a guy who sells books and breaks into places. Maybe he could even now manage to steal a priceless diamond.
Getting a new Burglar novel at this point feels like a real treat precisely because of what Bernie himself is saying at the start of the story. It’s nigh on impossible to be a bookseller who just runs an actual store or be a professional burglar in modern times. So when the series is oriented around those as key traits of the main character, you’d think it’d be time to retire or maybe set the book in the past.
So it’s a delight that Lawrence Block found a loophole with the idea of alternate realities, and then just transplants the whole concept to one in which Bernie can not only exist, but thrive. It’s a little odd because Mr. Block isn’t really associated with sci-fi, and to just have this happen in a series that’s been set in ‘reality’ requires a regular reader to shift into a different gear.
Yet it completely worked for me because the alt-universe thing isn’t the point, it’s just a way for Mr. Block to tell us a story with Bernie again. Not only that, the story eventually becomes a kind of meta-commentary in which Bernie starts to become self-aware about how a lot of his burglary jobs become complicated and involve him playing an amatuer sleuth. Most importantly, this still feels like a Bernie book with him having his conservations with Carol, trying to steal something, and solving a mystery in a low-key grounded kind of way.
Mr. Block has said that he’s retired from writing novels, but fortunately we exist in a reality where a new book like this can appear.
November 6, 2022
In this thirteenth book in the series, Lawrence Block has brought the light fingered Bernie Rhodenbarr back to life again, some thirty six years after he first introduced him to readers. For those yet to make his acquaintance, Bernie is a bookseller by day and a burglar by night. His antiquarian bookshop is in Greenwich Village in New York City, and each day he opens up his shop, drags out his bargain table and feeds his cat Raffles, before serving the ever decreasing number of customers who make their way into his store. At lunch time and after work he meets up with his best friend Carolyn Kaiser, occasionally his partner in crime but always his confidant. Carolyn is back along with a few other returning characters amongst whom, I was particularly pleased to see, is Ray Kirschmann, ‘the best cop money can buy’.
The story this time is a slightly odd one and concerns the legendary (and mythical) Kloppmann Diamond, owned by one of the New York’s least likeable figures and stored in a penthouse suite – living quarters that sound spookily like an apartment owned by a certain Mr Trump. In any case, any thoughts of stealing the illustrious gem are put to bed as a result of the existence, now, of pickproof electronic locks and the presence of a plethora of security cameras. It looks like Bernie’s days of relieving NY’s citizens of their most treasured possessions are long gone. But wait a minute… it seems that fate has surprise or two in store for Bernie and Carolyn.
In a somewhat confusing and perhaps overly protracted telling, the pair enter a world in which things aren’t quite the same. Suddenly the opportunity to get his mitts on a coveted stone might just have landed in Bernie’s lap. It just so happens that he had been reading a book called What Mad Universe a science fiction novel by Frederick Brown (1906 – 72), in which he tells of how a massive energy discharge allows a man to enter a strange but deceptively similar parallel universe. The streets look the same and people wear the same sort of clothes and drive the same kind of cars, but other things are different. Now Bernie awakes to find that his daily commute to work is completed using not the normal MetroCard but a new card he digs out of his wallet.
The humour, ever present in this series, is here and the interactions between the main characters are a joy. But I confess I got a little lost in the story. There are quite a few threads running through this one, involving people who are present for a whole range of reasons. This might have been resolved if it were not for what felt like an overly complex explanation following an Agatha Christie-esque gathering of all involved. Others may feel less confused (I’m easily befuddled these days) and in any case I really did enjoy the opportunity to meet up with Bernie and co again. LB is in his 85th year and his output these days ain’t what it used to be – this could be the last opportunity to meet up with these guys. I’m at about 3.5 stars for this one but I’m going to round it up to 4, just because I’ve enjoyed Bernie’s adventures so much over the years.
The story this time is a slightly odd one and concerns the legendary (and mythical) Kloppmann Diamond, owned by one of the New York’s least likeable figures and stored in a penthouse suite – living quarters that sound spookily like an apartment owned by a certain Mr Trump. In any case, any thoughts of stealing the illustrious gem are put to bed as a result of the existence, now, of pickproof electronic locks and the presence of a plethora of security cameras. It looks like Bernie’s days of relieving NY’s citizens of their most treasured possessions are long gone. But wait a minute… it seems that fate has surprise or two in store for Bernie and Carolyn.
In a somewhat confusing and perhaps overly protracted telling, the pair enter a world in which things aren’t quite the same. Suddenly the opportunity to get his mitts on a coveted stone might just have landed in Bernie’s lap. It just so happens that he had been reading a book called What Mad Universe a science fiction novel by Frederick Brown (1906 – 72), in which he tells of how a massive energy discharge allows a man to enter a strange but deceptively similar parallel universe. The streets look the same and people wear the same sort of clothes and drive the same kind of cars, but other things are different. Now Bernie awakes to find that his daily commute to work is completed using not the normal MetroCard but a new card he digs out of his wallet.
The humour, ever present in this series, is here and the interactions between the main characters are a joy. But I confess I got a little lost in the story. There are quite a few threads running through this one, involving people who are present for a whole range of reasons. This might have been resolved if it were not for what felt like an overly complex explanation following an Agatha Christie-esque gathering of all involved. Others may feel less confused (I’m easily befuddled these days) and in any case I really did enjoy the opportunity to meet up with Bernie and co again. LB is in his 85th year and his output these days ain’t what it used to be – this could be the last opportunity to meet up with these guys. I’m at about 3.5 stars for this one but I’m going to round it up to 4, just because I’ve enjoyed Bernie’s adventures so much over the years.
September 11, 2023
Bernie Rhodenbarr, a gentleman burglar who runs a used bookstore by day and burgles at night, but always tries to avoid violence, is not a bad guy, just one who has slippery fingers. This is the twelfth novel in the series (not counting the short stories), which began in 1977, and the first published in ten years since 2013's The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #11). This one, obviously by the title, has a nod to Fredric Brown's 1949 science fiction novel What Mad Universe. Bernie, and his gal pal Carolyn are somehow whisked to an alternate universe with only the slightest of changes like Bernie's metro card is now a subway card and certain restaurants change names and then there's the question of whether Carolyn's sexual preference has changed. Bernie has his eyes on a gem stone theft in a nearby penthouse building, which, of course, with Bernie's luck also involves a corpse whose presence Bernie has little to do with. While certainly not action-packed, it is a light comedic story, which returns readers to the Bernie Rhodenbarr universe, one which we all thought closed and boarded up a decade ago.
May 23, 2023
This is probably the last book in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series.
It seems Bernie is a man out of time. His joint careers of burglar and book seller have been rendered obsolete by technology. In his downtime, he is reading a book by Frederic Brown about how there are infinite worlds, and there is one best of all possible worlds.
A nice thought.
The next morning, Bernie wakes up, and he finds himself in Frederic Brown territory, in a world where he can ply both of his trades effectively.
I'm not a real fan of deconstruction, but at least this is good deconstruction. The puzzle wasn't much, nor was it the point of the book.
A fitting send off for a beloved series.
It seems Bernie is a man out of time. His joint careers of burglar and book seller have been rendered obsolete by technology. In his downtime, he is reading a book by Frederic Brown about how there are infinite worlds, and there is one best of all possible worlds.
A nice thought.
The next morning, Bernie wakes up, and he finds himself in Frederic Brown territory, in a world where he can ply both of his trades effectively.
I'm not a real fan of deconstruction, but at least this is good deconstruction. The puzzle wasn't much, nor was it the point of the book.
A fitting send off for a beloved series.
November 28, 2022
I must be the only person here on GR who's never heard of Lawrence Block... or Bernie Rhodenbarr. I apologize, dear readers, but I picked up this title because it refers to Fredric Brown, who's in fact one of my favorite SF-authors.
After reading this absolutely entertaining story and getting to know Bernie and Carol (and don't forget Raffles), I promise I will try and make good on my omission ;-). This will not be the last Lawrence Block I will read.
For an avid SF-reader there's not much new in this story because I read What Mad World by Fredric Brown a long, long time ago. I really do admire Mr. Block for weaving two characters like Bernie and Carol in this intricate story/time travel story. I would have liked a little more explanation in an earlier stage of the story, because now the last few chapters feel very overloaded with information, but all in all it was a very pleasurable read.
After reading this absolutely entertaining story and getting to know Bernie and Carol (and don't forget Raffles), I promise I will try and make good on my omission ;-). This will not be the last Lawrence Block I will read.
For an avid SF-reader there's not much new in this story because I read What Mad World by Fredric Brown a long, long time ago. I really do admire Mr. Block for weaving two characters like Bernie and Carol in this intricate story/time travel story. I would have liked a little more explanation in an earlier stage of the story, because now the last few chapters feel very overloaded with information, but all in all it was a very pleasurable read.
February 6, 2023
I hate to bring a long favorite author and series down to an average rating. "The Burglar Who ..." series has long been a favorite, but this one is set in an alternative universe, where things are similar but different. Twisty plot, a bit overpopulated and a lot of loose ends (at least it lacks the crisp wind-up one is used to). Certainly not typical of the series and if you are going to get into it, this is not the place to start.
Maybe my lack of familiarity with Frederic Brown is an issue so I purchased a collection of his Sci-Fi stories to download to the kindle. About 25 stories for 99 cents so worth a look.
Maybe my lack of familiarity with Frederic Brown is an issue so I purchased a collection of his Sci-Fi stories to download to the kindle. About 25 stories for 99 cents so worth a look.
July 21, 2022
Loved this unexpected new Bernie book! It had everything I've come to expect from a Bernie Rhodenbarr tale, plus a few twists I didn't.
Unlike the usual run of Bernie stories, this one has some sf/fantasy overtones, which made it more enjoyable. Further, Mr. Block was clearly having fun with Bernie, Carolyn, Ray, and his readers.
This series is one where the characters do not age - so they are always in their prime, and many of the stories hinge on the way each of them presents him or herself to the world.
As always, this addition to the series was a pleasure to read, and I hope Mr. Block comes up with more intriguing stories for Bernie to tell.
Unlike the usual run of Bernie stories, this one has some sf/fantasy overtones, which made it more enjoyable. Further, Mr. Block was clearly having fun with Bernie, Carolyn, Ray, and his readers.
This series is one where the characters do not age - so they are always in their prime, and many of the stories hinge on the way each of them presents him or herself to the world.
As always, this addition to the series was a pleasure to read, and I hope Mr. Block comes up with more intriguing stories for Bernie to tell.
September 4, 2022
After reading "The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown" I suddenly remembered, almost for the first time, why Lawrence Block is such a marvelous author and Grand Master of mystery/crime fiction. Who else could take a retired burglar who now runs a secondhand bookstore in Greenwich Village, couple him with a decidedly “out” lesbian pet groomer who works just two doors down, and throw in the temptation of stealing perhaps the most famous diamond in the world from perhaps the most unsavory reprobate on the planet. Then—and here’s where the author’s literary genius comes in—he tops it off with a Venn diagram of overlapping universes straight from the theme of the late Fredric Brown’s 1949 science fiction novel "What Mad Universe." The result is a complex but delightful tale in which Bernie’s theft of the rare gem appears all but unnoticed but, in his temporary new world, the police are eyeing him as the prime suspect in an altogether different heist. All in all, an extraordinarily wonderful story with twists that blindside you through to the last page. Masterful.
October 28, 2022
On the one hand, it's mostly a typical Bernie Rodenbarr mystery - banter with Carolyn, burglary, a dead body, Ray, and a (mostly made-up) solution. Mostly fun. (3 stars)
Then we have the time slip, or whatever that was. *eye roll* Seriously? Are we going there? (0 star)
And sexy times between Carolyn and Bernie. *another eye roll* We went there? Seriously? (0 star)
The last Matt Scudder was all about sex. *yawn* And now Bernie/Carolyn. *still yawning* Sorry, but I'm not impressed or particularly interested. Yes, previous books have had, and it made sense as part of the story, but this didn't and wasn't. *and yawning again*
I'm still going with 2 stars because, well, LAWRENCE BLOCK, but it really should only get 1.
Then we have the time slip, or whatever that was. *eye roll* Seriously? Are we going there? (0 star)
And sexy times between Carolyn and Bernie. *another eye roll* We went there? Seriously? (0 star)
The last Matt Scudder was all about sex. *yawn* And now Bernie/Carolyn. *still yawning* Sorry, but I'm not impressed or particularly interested. Yes, previous books have had, and it made sense as part of the story, but this didn't and wasn't. *and yawning again*
I'm still going with 2 stars because, well, LAWRENCE BLOCK, but it really should only get 1.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2023
In 'The Burglar in Short Order', Block explored how internet book sales (Amazon?) and omnipresent security cameras have ruined both of Bernie's gigs. People look at his shop books and then order them in a click (even before they leave the store). He looks at a potential burglary and notes the dozen security cameras assuring quick apprehension.
Bernie and Carolyn are drinking and talking about all the changes, then Bernie reads Brown's 'What Mad Universe'. So I stopped Burglar and read 'What Mad Universe'. A guy gets hit by a moon-rocket and bounced over to another "track", an alternate universe. His money is no good, moon-men walk the streets, his girlfriend loves another, while wearing bra and panties at work, and the fate of Earth hangs in the balance.
Bernie sleeps it off, and awakes to.... changes. MetroCard? Bowling alley? A store full of actual book-buyers pushing money at him. So with the book business booming, he goes back to this other lover, burglary. With his good friend Carolyn. Which means lots of smooth juicy dialog.
__________________________
BTW, this is not the first Larry Block to touch upon Science Fiction. Evan Tanner bounced all over the world in the 1960s, stealing, spying and (not)sleeping in Larry's first real "series". I loved them, sillies and all. Though the seventh, Me Tanner...1970), is not his best work, and by then Larry was growing less-silly characters. 25++ years passed, I got out of hospital (gut infection) and found Tanner on Ice (1998) by my recovery chaise. Evan had got put in suspended animation, how SciFi! Little Minna, a child in/of the 1960s, was not only a full grown beautiful woman, she had a keyboard attached to a TV set with a fruit on it. So Evan sets out to bounce all over this new world! The first 60 pages are great, after that the story-line runs on well-worn rails to an unsurprising ending.
Bernie and Carolyn are drinking and talking about all the changes, then Bernie reads Brown's 'What Mad Universe'. So I stopped Burglar and read 'What Mad Universe'. A guy gets hit by a moon-rocket and bounced over to another "track", an alternate universe. His money is no good, moon-men walk the streets, his girlfriend loves another, while wearing bra and panties at work, and the fate of Earth hangs in the balance.
Bernie sleeps it off, and awakes to.... changes. MetroCard? Bowling alley? A store full of actual book-buyers pushing money at him. So with the book business booming, he goes back to this other lover, burglary. With his good friend Carolyn. Which means lots of smooth juicy dialog.
__________________________
BTW, this is not the first Larry Block to touch upon Science Fiction. Evan Tanner bounced all over the world in the 1960s, stealing, spying and (not)sleeping in Larry's first real "series". I loved them, sillies and all. Though the seventh, Me Tanner...1970), is not his best work, and by then Larry was growing less-silly characters. 25++ years passed, I got out of hospital (gut infection) and found Tanner on Ice (1998) by my recovery chaise. Evan had got put in suspended animation, how SciFi! Little Minna, a child in/of the 1960s, was not only a full grown beautiful woman, she had a keyboard attached to a TV set with a fruit on it. So Evan sets out to bounce all over this new world! The first 60 pages are great, after that the story-line runs on well-worn rails to an unsurprising ending.
January 29, 2023
I was very surprised to see Bernie Rhodenbarr back, as I thought that Mr. Block had somewhat retired, and that Bernie was gone for sure. After reading this book, I kind of wish that this was still true.
A bit of a disappointment all around. Bernie grumbles to Carol about how the state of the world makes it hard for him to be a burglar, not to mention the online world destroying his bookstore business as well. While reading about alternate dimensions in a book by Fredric Brown, Bernie wakes up in an alternative world where closed circuit cameras and Amazon don't exist. Now he and Carol can go and steal a big diamond from an evil person, and somehow get wrapped up in a murder as well, before eventually going back to their own world with no explanations either way.
What else do we have? Dead friends coming back to life? Check. A romance between friends even though Carol is a lesbian? Check. And solving a murder (kind of)? Check. All of things we love about Bernie are kind of trotted out with no real vigor or enthusiasm. The only thing that seems genuine is the banter, and even that is forced a bit at times.
A bit of a disappointment all around. Bernie grumbles to Carol about how the state of the world makes it hard for him to be a burglar, not to mention the online world destroying his bookstore business as well. While reading about alternate dimensions in a book by Fredric Brown, Bernie wakes up in an alternative world where closed circuit cameras and Amazon don't exist. Now he and Carol can go and steal a big diamond from an evil person, and somehow get wrapped up in a murder as well, before eventually going back to their own world with no explanations either way.
What else do we have? Dead friends coming back to life? Check. A romance between friends even though Carol is a lesbian? Check. And solving a murder (kind of)? Check. All of things we love about Bernie are kind of trotted out with no real vigor or enthusiasm. The only thing that seems genuine is the banter, and even that is forced a bit at times.
October 19, 2022
A lovely visit with old friends
As with all the Burglar books, it’s the dialogue that’s the real treat. Amid one of Block’s more outrageous plots, Carolyn and Bernie’s conversations keep the whole thing grounded. To keep this spoiler-free, the only mention I’ll make about the unusual premise is that I think I caught a shout-out to one of my favorite movies of the year.
And I think I’ll track down some Fredric Brown novels.
As with all the Burglar books, it’s the dialogue that’s the real treat. Amid one of Block’s more outrageous plots, Carolyn and Bernie’s conversations keep the whole thing grounded. To keep this spoiler-free, the only mention I’ll make about the unusual premise is that I think I caught a shout-out to one of my favorite movies of the year.
And I think I’ll track down some Fredric Brown novels.
October 28, 2022
Very, very odd and very oddly funny! I love Mr. Block's sense of humor and it is on full display here.
October 25, 2022
Bernie Rhodenbarr in the best of all possible worlds! Do yourself a favor and read WHAT MAD UNIVERSE by Fredric Brown.
February 10, 2023
The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown by Lawrence Block.
I'm not sure if this is the 13th Bernie Rhodenbarr book, but what I am sure of is I grab the latest one as fast as they are published. This phase in Bernie's life is way out there and it centers on a precept that is written about in other books written by F.B. That we havea parallel universe that we may or may not know about and may or may not enter.
An other parallel universe is first brought to Bernie's attention when he is perplexed about his Metro Card being replaced by a SubwayCard or is it vice-versa? Bernie and his BFF Carolyn begin to notice their Bowl-Mar is gone or has it reappeared? Their favorite Asian restaurants keep changing and so forth. And that's just the beginning.
Bernie and Carolyn's relationship if front and center. Their relationship alone is the best part of this book. The familiarity with each other-their special meeting places to discuss whatever is all part of Bernie's world. His second hand book store with Raffles his cat and Carolyn's lesbian lifestyle are the usual focus of their bantering. Then there's another element that enters the arena of their relationship. An element that neither one saw coming.
I love this series and Bernie is my go to kind of gut, but this was (as I said before) way out there.
I'm not sure if this is the 13th Bernie Rhodenbarr book, but what I am sure of is I grab the latest one as fast as they are published. This phase in Bernie's life is way out there and it centers on a precept that is written about in other books written by F.B. That we havea parallel universe that we may or may not know about and may or may not enter.
An other parallel universe is first brought to Bernie's attention when he is perplexed about his Metro Card being replaced by a SubwayCard or is it vice-versa? Bernie and his BFF Carolyn begin to notice their Bowl-Mar is gone or has it reappeared? Their favorite Asian restaurants keep changing and so forth. And that's just the beginning.
Bernie and Carolyn's relationship if front and center. Their relationship alone is the best part of this book. The familiarity with each other-their special meeting places to discuss whatever is all part of Bernie's world. His second hand book store with Raffles his cat and Carolyn's lesbian lifestyle are the usual focus of their bantering. Then there's another element that enters the arena of their relationship. An element that neither one saw coming.
I love this series and Bernie is my go to kind of gut, but this was (as I said before) way out there.
November 9, 2022
Lawrence Block’ın son Bernie macerası bitti ve yine yakın bir dostumdan ayrılmışım gibi bir hüzün kapladı içimi. Muhteşem bir polisiye değildi belki ama Bernie ve Carolyn ile zaman geçirmek harikaydı. Bana Leonard Cohen konserlerini hatırlattı: yazar okurların umduğu/beklediği her şeyi vermek istemiş. Umarım gerçekten son kitap değildir ve başka Bernie romanları/öyküleri gelir ama içimden bir ses ‘Bernie ile vedalaşma vakti’ diyor.
January 10, 2023
It's always a pleasure to read a new Lawrence Block title and it's equally exciting that it's a new Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery. All the familiar ingredients are present as we've got Bernie himself, bookseller by day and burglar by night, his close friend and dog groomer Caroline, Detective Ray Kirshmann, Bernie's nemesis of sorts, burglaries and as usual, a dead body (or two). There's also a few twists and turns to the plot and this time we find Bernie and Caroline inhabiting a parallel universe where things are not all that they were. As always I especially enjoy the dialogue between Bernie and Caroline, in which they verbally spar with one another till they eventually get to the point. Equally there are cultural and literary references aplenty and even Bernie advises us at one point to have Google at hand. It's not the first time that I've discovered a new writer through references in Block's novels and the obvious reference point in this case is Fredric Brown.
A welcome addition to Block's vast catalogue and to the Burglar series. I'm also thoroughly looking forward to the much anticipated Matt Scudder 'autobiography' that Block has alluded too in his regular newsletter.
A welcome addition to Block's vast catalogue and to the Burglar series. I'm also thoroughly looking forward to the much anticipated Matt Scudder 'autobiography' that Block has alluded too in his regular newsletter.
December 23, 2022
For the first 2/3, this was my favorite book in the series, with the frank embrace of a fantasy AU, good fun for everyone — fictional characters, author, and readers alike. But the rest of if reads as if Block didn’t really know how to draw the curtain on the story, which was a disappointment after the highs of what had come before. I’m still glad he decided to tackle the characters again, though, and delighted he did so the way he did.
January 20, 2023
Bernie is back
This was a very different type of burglar book, yet at the same time, a very typical burglar book. I’ve always loved the series and the characters and having the twist that this story has was unexpected, and very enjoyable this is not the book to start with if you not read any of the previous books in the series, but it is a great one to read after you’ve read the rest.
This was a very different type of burglar book, yet at the same time, a very typical burglar book. I’ve always loved the series and the characters and having the twist that this story has was unexpected, and very enjoyable this is not the book to start with if you not read any of the previous books in the series, but it is a great one to read after you’ve read the rest.
July 26, 2023
This is the latest of Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr novels but the first I've read. Turns out it's an odd choice because from what I gather it's definitely the most fanciful of the bunch, almost meta, and inspired not by Fredric Brown's crime novels so much as it is by Brown's debut feature-length fiction, the sci-fi "What Mad Universe."
And for all that it works pretty splendidly as a crime novel. A delightful feat from a master who's still got surprises up his sleeve. And the final page shout out to a jazz musician both LB and I are friends with is sweet and apt. I do look forward to catching up with the series!
And for all that it works pretty splendidly as a crime novel. A delightful feat from a master who's still got surprises up his sleeve. And the final page shout out to a jazz musician both LB and I are friends with is sweet and apt. I do look forward to catching up with the series!
December 15, 2022
I have read all "The Burglar Who......." series. I would rank this one in the top two or three. Unlike the others, this one mixes a little fantasy with mystery. It also reinforces the old warning, "be careful what you wish for", because it just might come true. There is always in these stories a slight sense of don't take yourself too seriously and in this particular case that sense is very strong. I loved the way the story unfolded, and I particularly liked the way it all wrapped up. A great read, and it instilled a desire to find and read some of Fredric Brown's works. Thank you, Mr. Block.
November 7, 2022
Lawrence Block wrote twelve books about Bernie Rhodenbarr, a New York City bookstore owner and thief. Many of them had fun titles, "The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza" or "The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams". Bernie had a store cat, Raffles, and a best friend Carolyn who owns a pet grooming store nearby. He also has a complicated relationship with the local cop, Ray.
The stores were lighthearted caper stories with a certain Nero Wolfe New York feel. They were great fun. I gobbled them down as they came out between 1977 and 2004. A stray one came out in 2013 and nothing since.
This is the dramatic return. The book starts with Bernie explaining how both of his professions have been killed by technology. Amazon and online book sites have destroyed used bookstores, especially in New York City. High tech security, unbreakable locks, ubiquitous cameras and the disappearance of cash have taken all of the fun out of burglary.
Block comes up with a spectacular plot twist to deal with all of those problems. One of the pleasures of the book for me is that the plot is a riff on a 1949 science fiction novel by the pulp master Fredrick Brown, who is one of my favorite writers from the 40s and 50s.
Block plays out the consequences of his plot twist brilliantly. He creates a clever twisty story that makes internal sense, and he makes no effort to try to justify the premise. He just reports on it.
This is great fun.
It appears that the book is self-published by Brown. It is available on Amazon, (despite the irony). I hope it is self-published because that is a more profitable way for Block to publish, but I fear that the major publishers just aren't that interested in quirky fun crime stories, even those written by one of the great mystery writers.
The stores were lighthearted caper stories with a certain Nero Wolfe New York feel. They were great fun. I gobbled them down as they came out between 1977 and 2004. A stray one came out in 2013 and nothing since.
This is the dramatic return. The book starts with Bernie explaining how both of his professions have been killed by technology. Amazon and online book sites have destroyed used bookstores, especially in New York City. High tech security, unbreakable locks, ubiquitous cameras and the disappearance of cash have taken all of the fun out of burglary.
Block comes up with a spectacular plot twist to deal with all of those problems. One of the pleasures of the book for me is that the plot is a riff on a 1949 science fiction novel by the pulp master Fredrick Brown, who is one of my favorite writers from the 40s and 50s.
Block plays out the consequences of his plot twist brilliantly. He creates a clever twisty story that makes internal sense, and he makes no effort to try to justify the premise. He just reports on it.
This is great fun.
It appears that the book is self-published by Brown. It is available on Amazon, (despite the irony). I hope it is self-published because that is a more profitable way for Block to publish, but I fear that the major publishers just aren't that interested in quirky fun crime stories, even those written by one of the great mystery writers.
November 10, 2022
Are you kidding me? Lawrence Block publishes another Bernie Rhodenbarr book? At age 84? What could he possibly do with the gentleman burglar that hasn't already been done?
Well, it turns out, quite a bit. This book might be the coda on the series, as Block gets positively metafictional (at one point Bernie's friend Carolyn speculates that Bernie's life as an amateur sleuth would make a great detective series, maybe ten or a dozen books – this is the twelfth novel).
Falling asleep while reading Frederic Brown's multiverse book “What Mad Universe” puts Bernie in a New York without security cameras or electronic locks, instead of the 21st century. It's heaven for burglars, just like it used to be when Bernie started out in 1977. But of course, dead bodies happen, as they tend to in these books.
Block tap dances through science fiction territory in this one, but it's really just an excuse for another crime caper with Bernie. This time, Carolyn goes along (she was ported into the same alternate universe with knowledge of the original one). It turns out that the alternate world has been kind to her, too.
As with most Bernie books, the fun is in the banter and wordplay. In some cases in this mad world we don't find out whodunnit after all. But it doesn't matter. Berne's back!
Well, it turns out, quite a bit. This book might be the coda on the series, as Block gets positively metafictional (at one point Bernie's friend Carolyn speculates that Bernie's life as an amateur sleuth would make a great detective series, maybe ten or a dozen books – this is the twelfth novel).
Falling asleep while reading Frederic Brown's multiverse book “What Mad Universe” puts Bernie in a New York without security cameras or electronic locks, instead of the 21st century. It's heaven for burglars, just like it used to be when Bernie started out in 1977. But of course, dead bodies happen, as they tend to in these books.
Block tap dances through science fiction territory in this one, but it's really just an excuse for another crime caper with Bernie. This time, Carolyn goes along (she was ported into the same alternate universe with knowledge of the original one). It turns out that the alternate world has been kind to her, too.
As with most Bernie books, the fun is in the banter and wordplay. In some cases in this mad world we don't find out whodunnit after all. But it doesn't matter. Berne's back!
December 4, 2022
I'm a massive fan of fan of Fredric Brown (specifically his crime fiction) so when I heard about this book, I just had to read it. Strangely enough it seems I had never previously read anything by Lawrence Block before so this was a good introduction.
Brown doesn't just get name checked. Instead, the entire premise of this novel is cleverly inspired by WHAT MAD UNIVERSE... and saying much more would just ruin the fun. Block's book is not quite as madcap as Brown's (then again: what can be?) but it's a highly original crime drama/science fiction hybrid and also weaves other Brown novels into the plot as well as Brown's own inspirations (like ALICE IN WONDERLAND that features quite frequently in Brown's books, too).
Towards the end the book starts to drag a bit but overall I am enthused about this discovery and look forward to reading more by Block (and of course, Brown!) in the not too distant future.
Brown doesn't just get name checked. Instead, the entire premise of this novel is cleverly inspired by WHAT MAD UNIVERSE... and saying much more would just ruin the fun. Block's book is not quite as madcap as Brown's (then again: what can be?) but it's a highly original crime drama/science fiction hybrid and also weaves other Brown novels into the plot as well as Brown's own inspirations (like ALICE IN WONDERLAND that features quite frequently in Brown's books, too).
Towards the end the book starts to drag a bit but overall I am enthused about this discovery and look forward to reading more by Block (and of course, Brown!) in the not too distant future.
November 7, 2022
Rating 4.5
A surprise announcement by LB of a new Burglar story made me immediately place pre-order for the paperback and ebook (wish I could get a hardback).
One of my most anticipated books of the year and it didn’t disappoint me.
As always with LB, the plot was good and it was great to revisit the characters of Bernie and Carolyn.
It wasn’t as elegiac as the Matt Scudder novella of a few years back so I do hope it isn’t the last visit to Barnegat Books. Although it did feel a bit like a soft goodbye so fingers crossed.
No point to relay the plot, just buy the book and enjoy it.
Perhaps next year I should finally get around to the re-read of the series and in 12 months be back here again. It might be bumped to a 5 star on another go through.
A surprise announcement by LB of a new Burglar story made me immediately place pre-order for the paperback and ebook (wish I could get a hardback).
One of my most anticipated books of the year and it didn’t disappoint me.
As always with LB, the plot was good and it was great to revisit the characters of Bernie and Carolyn.
It wasn’t as elegiac as the Matt Scudder novella of a few years back so I do hope it isn’t the last visit to Barnegat Books. Although it did feel a bit like a soft goodbye so fingers crossed.
No point to relay the plot, just buy the book and enjoy it.
Perhaps next year I should finally get around to the re-read of the series and in 12 months be back here again. It might be bumped to a 5 star on another go through.
November 11, 2022
Classic Bernie Rhodenbar yarn with a fresh new twist.
Loved the newest Bernie Rhodenbar story and the addition of a modicum of sci-fi that allowed all the tropes that made the older books work to still function regardless of our new high tech world.
CCTV is no issue to an old time burglar like Rhodenbar, because this is all neutralized by his creator. The books surprising pivot to dimension shifting actually is provocative as it pictures a world as it might have been if we had no eBay or Amazon.
Of course, the meat of the story sticks to Bernie and his quirky sidekick Carolyn and the time travel and dimension shifting are artfully balanced in the hands of the master writer, Lawrence Bloch.
Very entertaining!
Loved the newest Bernie Rhodenbar story and the addition of a modicum of sci-fi that allowed all the tropes that made the older books work to still function regardless of our new high tech world.
CCTV is no issue to an old time burglar like Rhodenbar, because this is all neutralized by his creator. The books surprising pivot to dimension shifting actually is provocative as it pictures a world as it might have been if we had no eBay or Amazon.
Of course, the meat of the story sticks to Bernie and his quirky sidekick Carolyn and the time travel and dimension shifting are artfully balanced in the hands of the master writer, Lawrence Bloch.
Very entertaining!
November 20, 2022
Not your typical Rhodenbarr
I enjoyed this Burglar Who... story very much. However, it was not (and was) your typical Bernie story. In it, Bernie and Carol find themselves in a New York that is not exactly the New York that they are used to. Barnegat Books is still there, but it is doing a thriving business, instead of selling only a book or two a day. Lots of other things are not quite right. There are one or two burglaries and Bernie finally figures what is what. If you are a Burglar Who... fan, it is a great read; if you haven't read any previous stories of the burglar, go back and read those first.
I enjoyed this Burglar Who... story very much. However, it was not (and was) your typical Bernie story. In it, Bernie and Carol find themselves in a New York that is not exactly the New York that they are used to. Barnegat Books is still there, but it is doing a thriving business, instead of selling only a book or two a day. Lots of other things are not quite right. There are one or two burglaries and Bernie finally figures what is what. If you are a Burglar Who... fan, it is a great read; if you haven't read any previous stories of the burglar, go back and read those first.
November 30, 2022
117-2022. Another delightful romp with our hero, Bernie the burglar, his gal pal Carolyn, and the stuff they become ensnared in. The plot involves a fabulous diamond, a parallel universe, and shenanigans. It all rumbles around with snappy dialogue, and winds up satisfactorily. Bernie solves a mystery, and all is well. There may not be any more of Bernie’s adventures, but I’m happy to have read all of them.
October 23, 2022
I have read books by this author before but somehow missed this series. I usually like to start at the beginning of a series but this book just grabbed me. The characters were very interesting and the story was very unique and I just could not stop reading. Because I did enjoy this story so much I am going back to book one.
November 13, 2022
I greatly enjoyed this book.
It's fan service, of a sense. These are favorite characters, who one easily wishes would live on, would have more experiences, would fill some of the gaps. And this book does, managing to explore an adjacent universe where certain facts play out differently, without damaging the canon universe.
I appreciated it.
It's fan service, of a sense. These are favorite characters, who one easily wishes would live on, would have more experiences, would fill some of the gaps. And this book does, managing to explore an adjacent universe where certain facts play out differently, without damaging the canon universe.
I appreciated it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews