The Burglar in the Rye

Starred review from June 28, 1999
Block's addictive series about bookseller/burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr (The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian, etc.) continues as our hero invades the hotel suite of an aged literary agent in search of a cache of letters, by a respected and reclusive writer, that are wanted by people both legitimate and not. As he usually does, Bernie finds a corpse on the other side of the locked door he so neatly opens, and he is immediately suspected of murder by his nemesis, sticky-fingered Ray Kirschmann of the NYPD. More murder ensues before Bernie, with the help of his lesbian buddy Carolyn, can get a handle on the proceedings. But when he does, and has gathered all the principals into a room for the inevitable explanatory/accusatory windup ("I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you all here," he gets to say, to his and the reader's delight, time and again), he hits on a solution that fingers a most unlikely suspect, satisfies all the claimants to the letters and leaves him (and Ray) richer. Block's effortless mastery of his material, his relaxed ease, are as pleasurable as always, and he has some splendid fun with an author not unlike J.D. Salinger. This is the prolific Block's only new novel of the year, and it's a steal at any price.

New York burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr is struck by bad luck as he is once again suspected of murder. The usual interplay with his feckless lesbian pal, Carolyn, enlivens the tale, as does "the best cop money can buy." It's risky for an author to read his own work, but Block pulls it off well. His high-pitched voice sounds like one might suspect Rhodenbarr's would, and he adds slight distinctions to characters he obviously knows well. He's both a humorous writer and reader, and the effect is enjoyable. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine