Burglars Can't Be Choosers (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
Readers wanting to follow the exploits of a bad-boy lead character usually have to choose between hit men, fixers, or other hard cases who generally seek to solve problems through the application of force. Back in the late 1970s, however, Lawrence Block introduced a less-bad bad boy: gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, who debuted in this novel just a year after Block's other best-known series character, alcoholic ex-cop Matthew Scudder.In this story, Bernie accepts a job burgling an Upper East Side apartment. It turns out the flat is minus the thing to be burgled, but instead features a dead person. Our Hero becomes a suspect in the murder and, natch, has to clear his name by fingering the real culprit.Bernie is neither a dashing cat burglar nor a criminal mastermind. He's a relatively average bloke with an encyclopedic knowledge of locks and a very workmanlike approach to his vocation. Bernie's easy to get along with, personable, opinionated, with a clear eye for the other characters and the world they live in. He's good company, usually does things that normal human beings in his position might do, and stays in character throughout. The story is told through his eyes and voice; as first-person narrators go, he's quite normal except for his occupation.Written in 1977, Bernie's (like Scudder's) New York City is the pre-cleanup, pre-Disneyfication version. Bernie tends to take more time describing interiors rather than exteriors. It's unclear whether this is Bernie's kink or the author's, but the upshot is that you'll no have problem visualizing the rooms Bernie moves through and little idea what the city surrounding them looks like. Luckily, Bernie notices clothing more than architecture, so you'll not want for knowing what the other characters are wearing.If so much is going right, why only three stars?The first big problem is Ruth, the comely young lady who drops in on Bernie's post-escape hideout and stays on to aid his effort to solve the murder. She seems more a device than a character: chipper, selflessly helpful, easy to get into bed (Bernie has an eye for the ladies) and ever-present. She so obviously has an agenda that it's amazing (and difficult to believe) that a supposedly smart operator such as Bernie doesn't recognize it or wonder why she's doing all this. The explanation she eventually gives him is unlikely enough that you have to wonder why Bernie accepts it as readily as he does. At no point did I ever believe in Ruth as a real person.The other major letdown is the general ordinariness of the story. There's nothing particularly distinctive about Bernie's voice; the murder-blackmail-false identity plot isn't anything revolutionary; there are few twists or surprises. Less than a month after finishing it, I struggle to remember much about it. It was pleasant enough to read while it was in front of me, and perhaps that's all it's meant to be.Burglars Can't be Choosers isn't a bad story, nor is it a great one. Perhaps someone more into traditional detective stories will find it agreeable; if so, there are ten more installments in the series to be had. For now, I'll give it three stars and maybe give Bernie another whirl sometime down the road.
There are many a variant of detective fiction that any bibliophile will come across in their journeys across the landscapes of mystery and thrills. There is the much adored closed room mystery of the Brits, the police procedural of the Americans, the haunted detective of the...of the...hmm...of the somewhere ! and so on and so forth. Some of the ones that I have read have tended to put me off reading these genre for repeated use makes them stale. I think there are some which tend to dilute the core of the story ( the mystery) for creating a much more interesting set of characters. It was after quite a few books that I came back to mystery again ( the last one being Higashino's The devotion of suspect X ). While this one did not outshine its contemporary works in any way, it sure offered me a fun filled afternoon.The character of Bernie Rhodenbarr is by virtue of his career as a burglar, an unlikely sleuth. He does however don the deerstalker cap and goes out in search of clues to save his own liberty and reputation. It is the world of a gentleman burlgar that Lawrence Block invites us to. Bernie is not a violent thief, he prefers the five or six odd jobs a year and spend his free time in relaxation. He is the kind who lives in a respected NY high rise, relaxes with a scotch and a good book in his hand ( I have respect for a burglar who in his collection of books has Edward Gibbons's The decline and fall of the Roman Empire and The Guns of August ). He gets into a job, one thing leads to another and then we have a whodunit at our hands. There isn't blood or gore, the mystery isn't too convoluted and the dialog is witty enough that it kept me reading. Rather than an intellectual exercise, this is the kind of mystery to spend a lazy afternoon immersed in.
What do You think about Burglars Can't Be Choosers (2004)?
Professional burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr gets hired to steal a blue box from an apartment, but the police bust in and catch him just after he breaks in. The good news is that one of the cops is crooked, and it looks like he’ll be able to buy his way out of the arrest. The bad news is that the cops find the apartment owner’s body in the bedroom so the bribing option just went bye-bye. Bernie flees and manages to hide out in the apartment of a friend he knows is out of town, but he’s a wanted man with his picture all over the news. Can Bernie figure out who really killed the man in the bedroom and avoid jail?Lawrence Block is one of my favorite writers, but for some reason, I’ve never fallen completely in love with his Bernie Rhodenbarr series. I’m not sure why. They’re as well written as anything else he’s done, and as usual, Block creates an interesting main character in New York and then populates the books with a variety of unique supporting characters. The idea of a series about a thief appeals to me, but for some reason I don’t get the same thrill out of Bernie that I get from Block’s more serious Scudder and Keller novels. I think my issue may be that the series is more about Bernie playing amatuer slueth than Bernie being a burglar. This would also explain why I like Donald Westlake’s humorous books about New York thief John Dortmunder better than Bernie. The Dortmunder books are about the crimes, not solving mysteries. I think I’d like Bernie more if the books were centered around him planning and pulling off burglaries rather than him having to play Sherlock all the time. They’re certainly not bad, and I’ve never regretted reading one, but they’re not at the top of my Block rating scale.
—Kemper
I haven't read much mystery, but the end seemed a little messy with all of its complicated plans to reveal every single person involved in the murder.Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Bernie's wit is entertaining, and his morals as a career burglar are intriguing. Block keeps making me forget the characters I'm rooting for are thieves and corrupt officers.(the consensus on the characters' part was that it was all right so long as wealthy people were the ones losing out.)Block seems to have piqued my interest in mystery books. I found the story interesting, even the ending was satisfying--despite any confusion. To be honest, the appeal of Bernie's character alone would be enough to keep me reading.
—Mary
When I picked up this book I was expecting a noirish fun caper story and I was not disappointed. In this, the first of a series of book's by Block for the Bernie character, we are introduced to Bernie Rhodenbarr Gentleman Thief. Here are some thoughts:1) Bernie is fun, he's witty, funny, and has an air of confidence about him. He is very unlike the other noir books I read where the protagonist is a miserable, bitter, angry, chain smoking, brooding ghost of a man. Here as in mose noir and hard boiled fiction the story is told in a first person narrative and Bernie makes this fun and refreshing (or maybe I've not read enough of this genre and I am crazy). Block's writing is smooth and easy to read and the dialog is competent, Bernie made the story fun.2) The story however was fairly standard mystery and about 1/3 in I had most of the pieces in place. This is nothing fancy and nothing amazing, it is what it is and what it is is an enjoyable crime tale.Being the first book in a large series I found the introduction of Bernie to be nice, I like the first couple of chapters which introduced us to him and the way he thinks and acts and I find him an engaging and enjoyable character. I am interested and will probably continue with this series in the future. People looking for a straight forward mystery tale with interesting characters and fun dialog will find enjoyment.Onward to the next book!
—Wing Kee Ho
