The Burglar Who Counted The Spoons - Hardcover

Block, Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 140915355X ISBN 13: 9781409153559

Publisher: Orion, 2014

Synopsis

Ever since The Burglar on the Prowl climbed the bestseller lists in 2004, fans have been clamoring for a new book featuring the lighthearted and lightfingered Bernie Rhodenbarr. Now everybody's favorite burglar returns in an eleventh adventure that finds him and his lesbian sidekick Carolyn Kaiser breaking into houses, apartments, and even a museum, in a madcap adventure replete with American Colonial silver, an F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscript, a priceless portrait, and a remarkable array of buttons. And, wouldn't you know it, there's a dead body, all stretched out on a Trent Barling carpet...

About this title

About the Author

Lawrence Block was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2004. He is also a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. He is the author of many novels and short stories and has won numerous awards for his mystery writing. He lives and works in New York City.

Review

“Bernie is such a likeable goof, the dialogue so finely crafted and the plot so twisted that one sitting is all it takes on this book.” —Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

“All of Block’s Bernie books are outrageously funny.” —Associated Press

“The bookseller-thief remains one of the most endearing characters in the genre, and combined with a stellar supporting cast, remarkably clever premises, and nonstop humor, the series offers terrific entertainment.” —Booklist

“Lawrence Block is a marvel.” —Boulder Planet

“Hilarious...zany...madcap stuff. Perfectly satisfying. The dialogue is crisp, the concept witty, and the pace is more than brisk.” —Buffalo News

“Breezy style, entertaining dialog, and sharp one-liners.” —Charlotte Observer

“Intoxicating writing.” —Chicago Tribune

“Block is a master of witty dialogue, plotting and pace, and the series’ wacky, offbeat characters make great companions.” —Cleveland Plain-Dealer

“Fans will welcome it. New readers will delight in it. A witty, and always affectionate, sendup of the genre.” —Denver Post

“Clever and amusing.” —Detroit Free Press

“Wittily diverting...rather like an Agatha Christie novel narrated by Basil Fawlty, or a game of Clue organized by Monty Python.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Block peoples his mystery with a wacky cast of characters who all happen to have a knack for snappy dialogue, the wackiest and snappiest being Bernie himself, of course.” —Florida Times-Union

“Rhodenbarr is one of the slickest characters in crime, and Block...one of the most talented writers.” —Houston Chronicle

“...you’d rather be stranded on a desert island with [Bernie Rhodenbarr] than with any other detective in fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In his Matthew Scudder books, Block is one of the most serious of crime novelists. When he chronicles Bernie...Block is one of the funniest...[Bernie] is enough to give burglary a good name.” —Los Angeles Times

“Wonderfully funny...Block’s effortless first-person narrative and zippy dialogue is as pleasing as escapist fare ever gets.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Classy. Interesting and fun...no one does Manhattan any better than Lawrence Block with these incredible tales...one of the best satirical mystery series on the market today.” —Midwest Book Review

“The joy...is Bernie’s sharp tongue and wit.” —Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

“His canny survival instincts, combined with his irrepressible sense of humor, make Bernie Rhodenbarr one of detective fiction’s most engaging heroes.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Literary entertainment does not get any better than this. If you’ve never tried the Burglar books, you couldn’t ask for a better time to start.” —Mystery News

“Lawrence Block is a master of the art of mystery.” —New Orleans Time-Picayune

“[Block] is one of the great mystery writers of all time. And gets better as he goes. Rhodenbarr is a wonderful New York character with a knack for surrounding himself with colorful eccentrics...bite, wit, and enough stylish attitude to power the Plaza for a week.” —New York Daily New

“A witty series, Bernie is incorrigibly adorable. Between his inquiring mind and his sticky fingers, Bernie is the ideal sleuth. Notre Dame at dusk. Pepy’s account of the great fire of London. A really good cashmere coat. Some treasures are timeless...I feel like putting Bernie Rhodenbarr on that list.” —New York Times Book Review

“As good as it gets. Rhodies will eat it up.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

“Block’s touch is light, his creations literary soufflés that both please and leave you hungry for more.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Clever, witty...Too hip to be Poirot, too gentlemanly to be Philip Marlowe, Rhodenbarr brings his own style to murder mystery fiction.” —Providence Sunday Journal

“[An] addictive series...Block’s effortless mastery of the material, his relaxed ease, are as pleasurable as always. Pure pleasure. Bernie Rhodenbarr...is one of Block’s most stylish creations.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lawrence Block clearly has a great deal of fun writing his Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries, and the sense of whimsy is infectious.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Once again, Block has produced a funny and eminently readable mystery with clever plotting and amusing twists.” —Roanoke Times

“Engaging. Have you read Block’s [Rhodenbarr} mysteries? You should. They are a real kick. Bernie Rhodenbarr is one of the most charming and witty characters in the burglar business.” —Rocky Mountain News

“One of the mystery genre’s favorite characters. Delightful. Good fun.” —San Antonio Express-News

“Bernie Rhodenbarr, lighthearted and light-fingered, is a most ingratiating sleuth. Delightful...good, clean fun...thank goodness for Lawrence Block.” —San Diego Union-Tribune

“Bernie Rhodenbarr is such an outrageous and witty character, you wish he were real.” —San Francisco Examiner

“Block’s Burglar series is one of crime fiction’s best.” —South Bend Tribune

“It’s the mark if an innovative storyteller to turn a normally reprehensible character into a hero—of sorts. Author Lawrence Block’s Bernie the burglar series aren’t just good mysteries, they’re supreme escapism...Bernie is sheer amusement.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Bernie Rhodenbarr is the perfect companion.” —Tampa Tribune

“Wonderfully detailed and inspired writing...Bernie Rhodenbarr doesn’t have to try for hipness, because hip is in the very air he breathes...He is cute without being cuddly, he is witty without looking like he’s striving for it, and he is rakish without possessing a single mean streak in his lithe and sinuous body. His plots are cunning and inventive...and his language—I suppose we should say Lawrence Block’s language—is dry and droll and elegant, like how Dashiell Hammett would write if he were still doing the Thin Man books today.” —The Guardian

“With a writer like Block, a master plotter, trying to figure out the guilty party can definitely keep you turning the pages.” —Toronto Star

“Wonderful...hilarious dialogue and characters you wish you could invite over for supper. Block is a hoot, plain and simple. [Block’s] written dialogue has the honesty of a conversation overheard on a bus...Bernie Rhodenbarr is a lot-of-laughs burglar. Recommended reading...Age has not dimmed Rhodenbarr’s considerable charms. The wit runs fast and plot twists are quick as a cat burglar.” —USA Today

“[Block] always seems to be having the time of his life in this series about a nimble-witted New York City antiquarian book dealer and still once-in-a-while...burglar. If you like Donald Westlake’s capers, you’ll love Bernie. Mystery writers with the comic touch are rare, and Block is one of the best.” —Washington Post Book World

“[Block] is as much a pro at writing mysteries as Rhodenbarr is at stealing. Beyond the mechanics of building a mystery, however, Block hasn’t lost the mischievous gleam in his writing eye that leads readers through the twists and turns of a satisfying plot.” —Wisconsin State Journal

“It’s joyous stuff.” —Ian Rankin

“An absolute delight! Bernie has always been one of my favorite heroes and I couldn’t restrain my excitement when I learned he was back. This is classic Block: Clever, original, fast-paced, and populated with characters we completely believe and love spending time with. Retirement be damned! Larry better be at work on the next one in the series. That’s all I can say.” —Jeffery Deaver

“Finding a new Bernie Rhodenbarr Burglar book is like meeting up with an old friend.” —Festivale

“I was hooked from the opening scene and devoured the book in two sittings.” —Dangerous Dan

“If you enjoy consistently erudite, witty, clever writing, and who amongst us does not, you will find much to love here.” —Gloria Feit

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 140915355X
• ISBN 13: 9781409153559
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272