This entry in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series struck me as much more humorous than the previous books! Perhaps that's because I am a bit of a Bogart fan myself so I caught more of the allusions and quotes but I believe that it's actually because Block put more humor in this book. The whole plot was a tribute to "The Maltese Falcon"; I laughed out loud when 'the fat man' was first mentioned! ( )

Block, Lawrence. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart. 1995. Bernie Rhodenbarr No. 7. HarperTorch, 2006.
In The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart, Bernie the burglar has met a girl who likes classic films, and they meet at a classic film festival, featuring Humphrey Bogart. While his romance proceeds in ways meant to remind us of the affair between Ilsa and Bogie in Casablanca, his burgling life embroils him in a plot that seems like a replay of The Maltese Falcon. Lawrence Block has amazing fun with movie tropes in this one. 4 stars. ( )

This entry in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series struck me as much more humorous than the previous books! Perhaps that's because I am a bit of a Bogart fan myself so I caught more of the allusions and quotes but I believe that it's actually because Block put more humor in this book. The whole plot was a tribute to "The Maltese Falcon"; I laughed out loud when 'the fat man' was first mentioned! ( )

A Bernie Rhodenbarr pot boiler. Not Block's finest, but a romp nonetheless with a typical ending where Bernie gets everyone in the same room at once and has them all rat each other out. ( )

I don't, as a rule, like comedic mysteries and I can't stand the ones where all the suspects are gathered in the parlor as the great detective unveils who did it. But, I really enjoy Block's Burglar series, having read more than half a dozen in this series in the past month. Block has a great sense of humor and the world of Bernie Rhodenbarr is filled with the strangest coincidences.

Here's the foreign beauty who gets Bernie to take her to a Bogart movie every night for two weeks straight and she has a European accent straight out of central casting. Here's the mystery man who engages Bernie to burgle some papers. Here's the coat closet Bernie gets stuck in while his intended burglary victim gets amorous with a date. Here's the dead body that somehow Bernie is now connected to. The cab driver from Tajikistan who keeps showing up. Of course, there's jolly ole Ray the grifting policeman who knows that all crimes somehow tie in to Bernie.

The story moves at a rapid pace, although some may find it too much chatter and clutter and too little gritty reality. It is a fun, light, clever read.

It's a tribute to the old Hollywood films and, of course, to Bogart and all of Bogie's great lines about a hill of beans and so forth. It's also a tribute to Sue Grafton and her alphabet series. And, there's a certain amount of Block's Evan Tanner character in this book and all the noble lost causes of forgotten republics in forgotten parts of the world. ( )