Our favorite burglar is back in the first of “The Burglar Who” books that actually has “The Burglar Who” in the title. Joining Bernie on his capers are some old faces and some new faces. Ray Kirschmann, “the best cop money could buy” is back to either arrest Bernie, or not, or maybe just get Bernie to “acquire” a fur for Mrs. Kirschmann.
We get to meet Carolyn Kaiser. Carolyn is “crowding 30, with Dutch-cut dark-brown hair and remarkably clear blue eyes. She stands five-one in high and never wears them, and she’s built like a fire hydrant, which is dangerous in her line of work.” Carolyn is a dog groomer who owns the Poodle Factory, the business two doors up from Bernie’s new business.
You see Bernie is now an honest bookseller who owns Barnegat Books. He purchased the book store sometime between his last brush with the law and this current adventure. Bernie met Carolyn about the time he purchased Barnegat Books from old Mr. Litzaurer, and she becomes his lunch buddy, drinking buddy and confidant.
In this adventure Bernie is hired by one Rudyard Whelkin to steal a “limited” edition Kipling poem from one Jesse Arkwright. In the process he gets, drugged, framed for the murder of Madeleine Porlock. Another fun who-dunnit from Lawrence Block. With snappy dialog and love of bad puns the reader is entertained from page 1.
