The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart [Mass Market Paperback]

Lawrence Block (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Bookseller Bernie Rhodenbarr's in love—with an exotic Eastern European beauty who shares his obsession with Humphrey Bogart movies. He's in heaven, munching popcorn with his new amour every night at a Bogart Film Festival—until their Casablanca-esque idyll is cut short by his other secret passion: burglary.

When he's hired to pilfer a portfolio of valuable documents from a Park Avenue apartment, Bernie can hardly refuse. But the occupant's early return forces Bernie to flee empty-handed—and he soon finds himself implicated in a murder. Before you can say "who stole the strawberries?" he's hunting for a killer, up to his neck in the outrageous intrigues of a tiny Balkan nation . . . and menaced by more sinister fat men and unsavory toadies than the great Bogie himself butted heads with in pursuit of that darn bird!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This time out, the recently revived Bernie Rhodenbarr, Greenwich Village bookseller and dedicated burglar, is swept away by a gorgeous foreigner who comes into his store one day. They share a passion for old Bogart movies and are soon spending successive nights sharing popcorn at a Bogart film festival. There is even more to Ilona than meets the eye, however, as Bernie finds out after he retrieves a portfolio from a locked apartment for another customer. Soon his client is dead, and so is one of the client's partners, and Bernie is up to his eyes in a bizarre mystery involving exiles from a never-never land in Central Europe, retired CIA men and what may (or may not) be a fortune in ancient bearer bonds. The tale goes down smoothly, much helped by the usual ditsy conversations with Bernie's lesbian best friend Carolyn and some neat use of famous Bogart dialogue. The only thing that keeps this from equaling last year's Ted Williams in the Burglar series is the slightly too fanciful and tangled plot. But even middling Rhodenbarr has entertainment value to burn.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

"Justice gets served last, and usually winds up with leftovers." Yes, it's witty, but what really makes this line work is that the man speaking it, bookstore owner and master burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, finds not just irony but opportunity in its meaning. That's the thing about the Rhodenbarr mysteries: Bernie keeps you on your toes. He has a heart of gold, but he loves to steal, both for the thrill and the profit. Sentimental, yes, but selfish, too, thank God--sort of like Bogart, which leads us to the just-plain-fun plot of Bernie's latest caper. Out of all the bookstores in all the towns in all the world, this girl named Ilona happens to walk into Bernie's: they get to talking, she buys a book on Bogart, and before you can say, "Here's looking at you, kid," they've made a date to see two Bogey flicks at a New York film festival. After that, it gets complicated fast: they keep going to the Bogey festival every night; Bernie steals some documents; his sort-of-partner is killed; an enigmatic fat man appears, lusting after the documents; Ilona disappears, leaving Bernie holding the popcorn; and, inevitably, Ilona takes the midnight plane, dedicating her life to helping another man achieve an idealistic political dream, but not before Bernie has a chance to mutter, "We'll always have Twenty-fifth Street." What does it all mean? Not much, but if you're a film fan, who cares? It's funny, it's silly, it's stupendously clever, it's drop-dead romantic. Play it again, Bernie. Bill Ott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060872799
• ISBN-13: 978-0060872793
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Block, Lawrence

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

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second-rate mystery, First-rate Bernie, February 25, 2002

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery (Paperback)

This is certainly not the best book in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series, but it is still entertaining in the way I expect from Block. Bernie is back with his wisecracking and his lockpicking, this time with a convoluted plot involving Humphrey Bogart movies and an attempted country called Anatruria. But it's all really unimportant, and the main clue, the word "caphob," turns out to be the key to the solution but in a really obscure way.

It's really too complicated for its own good, and Block has definitely done better, but I would read another Burglar book for the reason anyone reads a series novel, for the main character and the regular supporting cast: Carolyn, the lesbian dog groomer; and Ray, the ubiquitous policeman. Oh, yes, and Raffles, hard-working, toilet-using feline about town.

The Bogart references are fun, too, especially for a film fan.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It Doesn�t Really Amount To A Hill of Beans, July 29, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery (Paperback)

Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar extraordinaire is recruited by the friend of an old acquaintance to break into an apartment to steal some documents. Unfortunately, he is interrupted during the attempt and the documents disappear. When murdered bodies begin showing up along with mysterious visitors, both threatening and friendly, Bernie finds himself drawn into a mystery whose origins come from an unknown European country.

While it had its amusing moments, I thought the plot became very convoluted and was bogged down by a bewildering number of characters. I was also a little disappointed with the explanation for the murders and for the interest in the object that Bernie was meant to steal. All in all, it felt a bit anti-climactic.

Humorous references are made to Sue Graftons Kinsey Milhone series throughout the book with Block making up names for a new book that had supposedly just been released. I is for Claudius was my favourite title.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bernie does a decent Bogart impression in his seventh caper, November 15, 1997

By 

Steven Cross - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery (Paperback)

Set against the backdrop of Bernie's nightly attendance at a Bogart film festival, THE BURGLAR WHO THOUGHT HE WAS BOGART is unusually moody and not quite up to par. This time out, Bernie tangles with international intrigue and high romance, just like his on-screen hero, Bogie; and while the mix is funny and sporadically engrossing, neither the comedy nor the mystery reach this exceptional series' normal high standards. Block is a master plotter -- so how could he have his characters puzzle over the meaning of the dying message "CAPHOB" without once connecting it with the character (conspicuously and implausibly) named "Captain Hoberman"? That the connection turns out to be a red herring makes it all the worse -- Block squanders a chance to lead readers merrily astray and frustrates them in the process. Much of the plot also feels like a reprise from earlier episodes: Bernie gets locked in a closet as in THE BURGLAR IN THE CLOSET, he repeatedly manages to enter an impregnable apartment building as in THE BURGLAR WHO PAINTED LIKE MONDRIAN, and so on. And, for opposite reasons, both knowledgable Bogart affionados and people who care nothing about Bogart are likely to feel the author spends a bit too much space on plot synopses of Bogart films. Make no mistake -- there is also plenty to enjoy here. But there is more to enjoy in any of the other books in the series. If you've read all the rest and are hungry for more, you shouldn't miss this one; but by all means start with one of the better ones (such as the two mentioned above).