Customer Reviews

The Burglar on the Prowl (Bernie Rhodenbarr)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are a Bernie fan, run out and grab one of these books today and you will feel like you did when you discovered your first Bernie novel, it is that good. Not to be overly critical of the last couple of Bernie books, but they cannot hold a literary candle to The Burglar on the Prowl. I felt like Mr. Block was starting to rest on his laurels a bit like Tom Clancy has started to do of late and just throw fans a weak effort at a Bernie novel every now and then. But, as if to restore my faith, along comes The Burglar on the Prowl! This is what a Bernie book should be...it was a sheer pleasure to read. The wit is back Mr. Block. Stay off the cruise ships when you write and go to Ragsdale and repeat this process again and again. It has produced a winner! I laughed aloud at least 5 times by the beginning of Chapter 4! The wit of Bernie and Carolyn combined with all the wonderful metaphors, word plays, and well-researched literary (and other) references plus the tie-in to the earlier 'Ted Williams' book made this new read seem like an old friend right from the start. Welcome back Bernie! Welcome back Lawrence Block! Well done!

It's strange to read books with criminals as the protagonists. In the real world you read about these guys in the paper or you come home to find yourself a victim of their handiwork and you rage "these people must be stopped". But put them in a fictional story and make them decent people apart from the burglary thing and you find yourself rooting for them, hoping they get away with it. This is my experience when reading the Burglar books, at least.

Lawrence Block is probably best known for his hardboiled Matt Scudder series, a P.I. series featuring the deeply troubled alcoholic as he fights his way through life. The Burglar series is a much lighter series and this book, THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL is the 10th in the series. The series features Bernie Rhodenbarr, a bookstore owner who moonlights as a professional burglar.

Bernie is asked by a friend to burgle the home of a plastic surgeon as a favour for stealing his girlfriend. He's looking for a form of revenge and the fact that the surgeon has a safe filled with cash sweetens the deal. Springing from this plot come a rather unusual chain of events, murders, robberies and the like, that are unrelated at first glance but closer inspection reveals that the country of Latvia is making a disturbing number of appearances. It seems that no matter which way Bernie moves, he either meets someone from Latvia or Latvia is brought up in conversation. It really becomes a head scratcher that is as amusing as it is perplexing.

Although Bernie outlines the rules that a burglar must adhere to if he wants to stay out of trouble, but while waiting to pull off the plastic surgeon job he can't help but break one of those rules putting it down to restlessness. The rule he breaks states that a burglar must always prepare and study his target thoroughly - I think in burglar-ese it's known as "casing the joint". He defines his breaking of the rule as a need to go out on the prowl. When out on the prowl, he simply wanders the streets in search of a likely house or apartment to burgle without knowing whether anyone is inside, what security is in place or even if there's anything to steal.

Naturally, his little excursion results in the unexpected arrival home by the owner, but Bernie was quick enough to hide to avoid detection. But while he remains hidden, he overhears something taking place that is to later weigh very heavily on his conscience. (Of course, I'm not going to spoil it for you by telling you what it is!) Amazingly, this encounter which was completely random is tied in with the main plot - again using the increasingly astounding Latvian connection. Its place in the story is a very clever piece of plotting

The finale is presented in a rather Hercule Poirot-like manner, using the trick of gathering all the suspects and other sundry characters together in one big room and presenting the facts to everyone in the hopes that the guilty party will blink. Bernie takes the role of Poirot and ties the case together, a role that becomes particularly difficult when police are involved and much of the evidence he gathered was due to his breaking and entering abilities.

There are many amusing moments in the book, particularly when Bernie and his long-time friend Carolyn Kaiser get together. Carolyn is a lesbian and has trouble maintaining a relationship. Her latest solution is to take out a personal ad on the internet and their observations about the results are very funny. Similarly, Block has made it a habit in the series of poking fun at a few fellow authors, making up parody book titles and plotlines. In THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL he does it again, this time taking aim at John Sandford's Lucas Davenport series with hilarious results.

You can tell that Block has delighted in throwing in coincidence upon coincidence, some of them absurdly unlikely. I think it works wonderfully well, adding quirky humour to the story that the quirk inside me appreciated. As with all of the burglar books, Block mixes the humour with more serious themes such as organised crime, murder and date rape. But the overriding tone is light and the mystery is clever and very well constructed.

Although this is the 10th book in the series, it's not really necessary to read the books in order and this one can be read as a stand-alone if you'd prefer not to go back and read the earlier books first. Certainly, I read the books out of order and didn't feel as though I missed any major character developments.

Another series that is a particular favourite of mine that also features a petty thief is Donald Westlake's John Dortmunder series. If you've tried those books and found that you enjoyed them, I think you will also enjoy THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL.

If you want to know the plot, you can read the many versions in the earlier reviews. Like another reviewer before me, I'd rather read the book before I know the plot--especially in a mystery novel. But, I'll try to provide some value-added in a different regard. Lawrence Block has basically 3 series. Two are tongue-in-cheek (the Bernie Rhodenbarr the caring burglar and the Tanner "spy" series) and one is serious (Matt Scudder). I enjoy them all, but expect different things from them. In the Burglar series you usually get a lot of fun with Bernie getting into and out of trouble throughout, with humorous lines, delightful (if sometimes strange) characters, etc. In this one, the author points out the continuing evidence of lots of coincidences throughout the caper. He intentionally sacrifices credibility of events for humor and sheer fun. The Tanner books are similar in that regard. This particular offering is particularly coincidental and particularly fun--one of the most fun in the entire series, IMHO. Don't expect a Scudder-type book. They are wonderful (maybe more so) in their own right, but very different from the Bernie books. So, if you want a real whodoneit with all seriousness --where you try to figure out the guilty party etc. from the clues--read the Scudder books or Agatha Christie. If you want a really fun and humorous rollicking read, this is a great choice. Enjoy!!! p.s. It probably deserves at least another 1/2 star, but then I like Scudder better. Don't ask me why.

I so look forward to each installment in the Bernie Rhoddenbarr series. This book lived up to my expectations. It is well written with all the usual characters and many others thrown in. Bernie himself has to be one of the more interesting characters in literature. A burglar that runs a bookstore and has a soft spot in his heart. I finished the book in under 3 days and enjoyed ever bit of it.

I had a very hard time putting this book down. Bernie's as likeable as ever in it.

Block is such a great writer. Like the other Burglar books, this one is witty, smart and very well-written.

I consider Lawrence Block more a storyteller than novelist. His plots and characters are quirky, often taking unexpected - and sometimes irrelevant - turns.
"Burglar On The Prowl" is an excellent example of Block's skills as a storyteller.
Bernie Rhodenbarr is a bookseller, operating a small used bookstore. At least on occasion, when he decides to open the store. But wait, Bernie has another occupation: he's also a burglar. Bernie is thus an unusually literate and articulate criminal.

A friend asks a favor of Bernie. Just a little thing: burgle the house of the friend's nemesis. No problem for Bernie. In fact, he'll bring a friend. Bernie you see is a very sociable burglar and has a wide circle of friends, all of whom he seems to have told of his penchant for burglary.
There's a hard moment before Bernie can oblige his friend: another friend, a cop, hauls Bernie in connection with a multiple homicide. The cop, almost a refugee from a Damon Runyan story, has concluded that Bernie must have been in cahoots with the murderers because the burgled safe would have demanded Bernie's skills to crack.
Bernie, of course, has something like a get out of jail free card and is sprung in short order by his lawyer who recently took up martial arts. This latter detail and many like it become important later.
Everything becomes important latter because Bernie is a marvelous character who lives in a world of marvelous happenings, all of which eventually wind up as cogs in a big machine - the story Block is telling.
Block may not be to everyone's tastes. I sometimes can't make it all the way through his stories. But "Burglar On The Prowl" is a fun read.

Jerry

I've just finished reading THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL, my third Lawrence Block book in the continuing adventures of master burglar, Bernie Rhodenbar. I have to say that I've enjoyed them all tremendously. The charactors are thoroughly enjoyable and the stories, though wildly improbable, are just too much fun to miss.

Mr. Block writes in a style that is quick but deliberately paced, keeping those pages turning well into the evening. The characters are funny, sterotypical, completely predictable, and absolutely marvelous. That perhaps is the great charm of these books - they are like riding a roller coaster. You can see what's coming a mile away, you anticipate the plunges, dips, swerves and loops. You know they're coming, you're absolutely delighted as you go through them, and you are always satisfied with the result once you're done.

Granted, these stories do not rise to the level of a really engaging John Le Carre, P.D. James or Collin Dexter mystery. Actually, they put me more in mind of a Lilian Jackson Braun "Cat" novel or a really funny episode of Monk on the television. If you want a dark, brooding mystery with gritty realism, leave Block's books on the shelf. If, on the other hand, you want a great experience of light reading on a cold winter's evening or while lounging on a sunny beach - these are the books for you.

Bernie (the burglar) is always witty, inventive and in trouble. His fast-paced mysteries are a joy to read and Mr. Bloch's dialogue keeps the memory of Rex Stout alive. I have all the Bernie adventures and hope that his creator loves him as much as I do and will keep on writing for years and years.

Bernie Rhodenbarr is an endearing burglar and bookseller, as anyone familiar with this series knows. Mr. Block imbues him with clever turns of phrase and wordplay throughout the novel.

The plot is better than the last few "Burglars". It is filled with instances of what Bernie aptly calls "the long arm of coincidences", but they all work. Heck, if you can not suspend reality for a brief time while reading a book about a burglar who is solving all the crimes of NYC, then you shouldn't have your nose in this book anyway.

The plots has many interesting twists and turns. What separates this from the run of the mill mystery is that Bernie, as a burglar, manufactures some of the best twists and turns. Some you see, some you don't. In addition to the primary plot line, there are a few subplots, or side mysteries, that get pulled together at the end. The forces of good overcome several forces of evil - even if the laws of breaking and entering are put to the side.

The characters are all well-developed - especially Bernie. His repartee is always good, especially with his lesbian friend. Their conversations is where the wordplay is the finest. They are a couple of believeably clever and witty people with whom it would be a pleasure to spend time.

This is a good mystery that you will read with a smile on your face. Highly recommended as a clever and amusing romp.

If you haven't met Lawrence Block's busy bookselling burglar, Bernie Rhodenbarr, you have ten treats ahead of you that include The Burglar on the Prowl. Bernie's addicted to burgling. He loves the feeling of being in someone else's place when they are not there, and he adores the loot that he lifts. But he has a conscience. He remembers being burgled himself, and avoids taking items of sentimental value to the owners. If he sees a wrong, he'll do what it takes to right it . . . even if there's nothing in it for old Bernie.

Although it's usually best to start at the beginning of a series (in this case with Burglars Can't Be Choosers), Mr. Block does a good job of providing background in this story so you could begin with this one without losing very much enjoyment.

The Burglar on the Prowl starts off innocently enough. Old friend Marty Gilmartin (the owner of the baseball cards that were stolen in The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams) has a bone to pick with a fellow roué, plastic surgeon Crandall Rountree Mapes, who has seduced and alienated the affections of his girl friend. Never mind that both Gilmartin and Mapes are both married. Gilmartin wants vengeance. Gilmartin tells Bernie that Mapes keeps lots of cash in a wall safe at home and gives Bernie the address. Gilmartin is even willing to give up his usual finder's fee if Bernie will lift the loot.

Bernie dutifully cases the joint, sees a way to pull off the caper, and heads home to watch Law and Order on television. Feeling twitchy, he decides to go out again. That impulse to go on the prowl sets off an incredible set of events that reverberate throughout the novel. After a lot of pondering, he decides he wants to burgle a brownstone . . . and wanders around until he finds one that calls out to him. Without casing the joint or knowing if anyone is at home, he breaks into a top floor apartment and finds some jewels and cash in the freezer. Then he hears two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. He bolts for the window to the fire escape . . . and cannot open it. What next?

Before the next few days are over, there are dead bodies all over New York and Bernie's been busted as a suspect in these cases. But he doesn't know anything about those bodies.

Shaking off the inconvenience, there's still all of that loot at the Mapes place in Riverdale. Will Bernie glide away with it?

These are just a few of the imponderables in The Burglar on the Prowl. Before he's done, Bernie finds a lot of baddies who need to be bashed . . . and Bernie does his best to be sure that happens.

This book could have been subtitled "Meaningful Coincidences" and have understated the point. The plot creates astonishing connections among the characters that will leave you breathless by the end. Although it's all part of the fun of the book, if you are like me you'll find the plot overly complicated. Sometimes simple is better . . . and comic heist capers at some point lose their beauty with too many twists and turns. I graded the otherwise entertaining book down one star for the excesses in the plot.

And the next time you get an urge to take a late night prowl, think of old Bernie in this book. Perhaps you'll decide to settle for a dish of ice cream at home instead.