The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling

Block, Lawrence.The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. New York: Random House 1979. Print.

First Sentences:

I suppose he must have been in his early twenties. It was hard to be sure of his age because there was so little of his face available for study.


Description:

Quite a good opening line to Lawrence Block's wonderful private investigator crime novel, The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. And the plot is a doozy, too. Can there be a more enticing scenario than a petty burglar turned book dealer working with a bribable cop on an investigation of a local crime?

 

Bernie Rhodenbarr is a known thief who apparently has gone straight, setting himself up as owner of a small book shop that seems to have few customers and even fewer sales (which doesn't seem to concern Bernie in the least). Where he got the money to invest in this store is questionable, but he assures everyone that he is out of the burglary business. 

That is, until he is quietly offered a job to steal a rare book and deliver it to his contact. All goes well...except for the part during the delivery of the stolen merchandise when Bernie is drugged to sleep, then awakens to find himself alone with a gun and a dead body next to him.

What ensues is a twisty-turny series of events: burglaries, set-ups, lies, and non-stop action. Bernie is in the middle of it all, trying to avoid the police who are looking for him as the murderer, as well as doggedly searching for the stolen book to redeem some sort of financial gain and prove his innocence. Of course, he would prefer not to blow his cover as a used book dealer in the process, but that gets trickier with each page.

I'm all in on this book. After initially being captivated by the title, I was pleased to discover this quirky novel was only one of many in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series written by author Block. It's exactly the kind of rollicking, funny, edgy mystery full of shady characters and settings that I love. Can't wait to try his other ten adventures, each with an even more enticing title, including The Burglar Who Studies Spinoza, The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams, and The Burglar Who Painted Like Modrian.

Happy reading. 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Block, Lawrence. Burglars Can't Be Choosers.   

Our hero/burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr is on a simple caper: steal a leather-covered box sitting inside a roll-top desk. At least it was simple until he finds the desk contains no leather box, the cops break in while Bernie is still working...and there's a dead body in the bedroom. Only his fast-talking and quick wits can keep Bernie out of jail until he can find the murderer. (This the first piece in the 11-book  Bernie Rhodenbarr series.)