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The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons (Bernie Rhodenbarr Series Book 11) Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,061 ratings

Next 2 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $16.13
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Editorial Reviews

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

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

Block fans who feared the Bernie Rhodenbarr series was finished will rejoice to see that the bookseller-thief lives to steal again! All the usual suspects are back—Bernie; his lesbian sidekick, Carolyn; and his nemesis/friend, NYPD cop Ray Kirschbaum—and all are in fine fettle. The plot wanders a bit—from a Fitzgerald manuscript through a dead dowager and on to a whole bunch of rare buttons—but if it’s the charismatic Bernie doing the wandering (and peppering his peregrinations with puns of the biblio variety), who really cares? Certainly not anyone who has made Bernie’s acquaintance in any of his 10 previous adventures. And, besides, if the multistranded plot seems to be unraveling along the way, it makes the signature finale (borrowed, of course, from Nero Wolfe), when Bernie gathers all the suspects at his bookstore and reveals who dun what, all the more satisfying. Does Block’s decision to self-publish Bernie’s latest under his own LB imprint suggest that more will be on the way, or that this single LB title will become a bibliographic rarity of special interest to Block collectors (and even, possibly, to a thief with Bernies literary tastes)? --Bill Ott --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00G2K8IPQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lawrence Block; 1st edition (December 25, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 25, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 589 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0991068424
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,061 ratings
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About the author

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Lawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published more than 100 books, and no end of short stories.

LB is best known for his series characters, including Matthew Scudder, Bernie Rhodenbarr, Evan Tanner, and Keller. LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.

His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years and led to a series of books for writers. He has also written television and film screenplays. Several of LB’s books have been filmed, including A Walk Among the Tombstones.

LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America. He has won multiple Edgar and Shamus awards, the Japanese Maltese Falcon award, the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association of the UK, been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir, and has been awarded the Société 813 trophy.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,061 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2014

Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Always a treat
Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2017
Michael Mooney
5.0 out of 5 stars Untarnished
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2014
2 people found this helpful
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Cubbie
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read, though it follows the well known pattern of previous books
Reviewed in Germany on January 8, 2014
Greggorio!
5.0 out of 5 stars AN ETHEREAL READING EXPERIENCE!!!!!
Reviewed in Australia on October 12, 2014
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff as always
Reviewed in Japan on March 8, 2014
One person found this helpful
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