The Burglar on the Prowl (Block, Lawrence) [Hardcover]

Lawrence Block (Author)

Book Description

Series: Block, Lawrence | Publication Date: March 16, 2004

"I don't play cards with men named Doc, or eat at places called Mom's. Or drink before I burgle. . . . It is, I should point out, not a career I would recommend for anyone. The fact that I evidently can't give it up doesn't mean I'm not well aware of the disagreeably sordid nature of what I do."

-- Bernie Rhodenbarr

Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block returns with one of his most inspired and popular characters: the extraordinary Bernie Rhodenbarr. Antiquarian bookseller by day, burglar by night, Bernie has an innate knack, a gift, for getting into places designed to keep him out.

Sophisticated yet down-to-earth, philosophical yet practical, Bernie is a gentleman who knows and loves his territory, the gloriously diverse and electric streets of Manhattan; a connoisseur who surrounds himself with the finer things in life, including his tailless Manx tabby, Raffles, and good friends like his neighbor Carolyn. In fact, it's a friend who gets him in his latest jam. Bernie is minding his own business when he's asked for a favor -- a neat, uncomplicated bit of vengeful larceny that will reap a tidy profit -- an offer the intrepid thief can't refuse.

But with a few days to go before the crime, Bernie gets restless. So what does a burglar do to change his mood? Go on the prowl, of course. Though not the best way to do business, as he well knows. This bit of prowling lands Bernie in a pile of trouble that includes four murders and the burglary of his own home. Caught in the center of a deadly mystery, he must use his wits and wiles to connect the dots and add up the coincidences. Because if Bernie doesn't catch a killer, he'll lose not only his freedom but his life.

Infused with the rich atmosphere of New York City and filled with a smart, charming cast of characters headed by the stylish Bernie, The Burglar on the Prowl is an engaging and delightfully suspenseful tale sure to be savored by Block fans old and new.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar with a heart of gold, returns for this 10th installment in a reliable series from the versatile and prolific Lawrence Block (70-plus books to date). In Burglar on the Prowl, Bernie is recruited by an old friend to burgle the home of a crooked plastic surgeon, removing some off-the-books cash from a wall safe. A simple enough job, but Bernie complicates matters by going "on the prowl" one restless evening―-randomly cruising for an easy job. While he's pawing through a woman's empty apartment, she returns home; Bernie hides hastily, only to overhear an act of violence that draws him into a hunt for the perpetrator and a deepening role in the victim's life.

Lawrence Block's prose is merely serviceable, but his plotting and storytelling are first-rate. He constructs a complex puzzle, yet weaves in each new development so seamlessly that you almost don't see it happen. Like its Bernie predecessors, The Burglar on the Prowl is droll and charming, and at times you can feel Block trying a bit too hard with the charm. However, a few truly horrific bad guys and some ugly violence keep the sweetness from cloying. And it's impossible not to like Bernie, a gentleman criminal with few peers in contemporary fiction. --Nicholas H. Allison

From Publishers Weekly

You'd think that Block, with more than 50 books to his credit, would run out of ideas, but as this 10th in his Burglar series shows (after 1999's The Burglar in the Rye), he's as fresh, witty and inventive as ever. The author builds his plot on stupefying coincidences, but not to worry—everything eventually meshes. A friend asks Bernie Rhodenbarr, confirmed New Yorker, used-book dealer and gentleman burglar, to rob a mob-connected plastic surgeon who stole the friend's mistress. He agrees, and cases the doctor's house in Riverdale, the Bronx. But Bernie is restive and, uncharacteristically (because he plans carefully), he breaks into a Manhattan apartment on a whim and almost gets caught, hiding under the bed while a woman is date-raped. Next day a customer is shot near his bookstore, a mysterious émigré couple is murdered, a former Latvian war criminal is reported in New York and Bernie's apartment is ransacked. These crimes seem unrelated in such a large city, but Bernie finds a common thread. In the end, Bernie assembles 22 people (including lawmen) in the surgeon's living room and, Charlie Chan style, explains each participant's role and, where appropriate, crime. Lesser hands would not bring off this breathtaking performance, but in Block's it's seamless and hilarious. Quirky characters like Bernie's pals Carolyn Kaiser, the dog groomer, and cop Ray Kirschmann; an insider's love of New York; and a slew of wonderful puns add to the fun.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060198303
• ISBN-13: 978-0060198305
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally renowned bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series as well as dozens of short stories, articles, and books on writing. He has won four Edgar and Shamus Awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom. In France, he has been awarded the title Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice received the Societe 813 trophy.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer.

Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope (2002), which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories.

In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller--and thief-on-the-side--Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor.

A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now THIS is more like it!, March 25, 2004

By 

Mike Midler (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burglar on the Prowl (Block, Lawrence) (Hardcover)

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!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bernie Steals The Show, May 11, 2004

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burglar on the Prowl (Block, Lawrence) (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Series, October 19, 2004

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Burglar on the Prowl (Block, Lawrence) (Hardcover)

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.