The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams: 2A Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery (original 1994; édition 1994)

This was a really funny book. And you know, I know people like Bernie Rhodenbarr, with his strange, cynical sense of humor. They are good people and I think if I did not know real people, I may not have enjoyed this book as much as I did. And while it is one of a series, it works very well as a standalone.

It's NYC in the mid-90s so it is a slower paced world with people who make phone calls from pay phones and no internet. Bernie is a reformed burglar who is making a living off his low rent bookstore until his new landlord steps in. And lo and behold, the low rent is now going to be upped by $10K per month.

And then Bernie's burgling itch starts up that evening over drinks with his good friend and fellow small business owner, Carol. He really doesn't mean to, but he eventually winds up in an apartment where the rich older couple is in Europe for a while, and things happen. Like, jewelry and cash and, wait, why is this door locked? Oh. it is, and there's a dead guy in it. But the door only locks from the inside (an interesting look at burgling and the tools and the folks who are able to enter locked doors and drawers) and how did he get dead?

A cast of characters that border on the all-money-but-no-brains category ensures that I had to keep guessing who was doing what. Oh, and some of them were related to one another for an interesting plot twist. Then there was the stolen baseball card collection and the reasoning for some cards being more valuable than others, and you get a funny and strangely twisted story of burgling and mayhem and a very strange ending. I will say it did not go at all the way I expected. ( )

This was Block returning to the character after more than ten years away and this was the first one that was properly funny rather than simply cute. ( )

I got to 50% and found myself skimming pages. Time to put it down and find another. The mystery was good, the banter between the characters was weird and never felt believable. It was like some cheesy play, each line felt over rehearsed. The only characters that was working for me was the cat. Well I tried, this garage sale find was a bust. ( )

There are eleven books in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series, but if you have read just one of them, then you have a pretty good idea of how the plot goes. Bernie is the world's most expert burglar, except he thinks of himself as sort of retired from the business and devoted to running his used and antiquarian bookstore, which is around the corner from his best friend, Carolyn Kaiser's dog grooming shop. He can't stop himself from burglarizing, but, even though he is non- violent and a gentleman at all times, he is always tripping over dead bodies and his attorney is always bailing him out for robbing and murdering people he didn't. But, Bernie can't present an alibi usually because, while he wasn't doing the crimes he was accused of committing, he was probably down the hall or around the corner, burglarizing another apartment. And, to finish it off, Bernie's stories are always a sort of world onto themselves, kind of like sinking into a mushy hell of Six Degrees of Separation where everyone is sort of connected to anyone else. In a nutshell, that's a Burglar book for you.

The thing is that Block is such a talented writer that, as a reader, you don't care if the books have similar plotlines any more than you care if all the James Bond movies have a similar plot. This book, like the others in the series, is a funny, comedic journey through New York's East Village and it is simply an enjoyable read that is hard to put down. Be forewarned that this is not the gritty meat of a Scudder book or even of Block's Kit Tolliver stories. This is a series that is light and airy and humorous and filled with coincidences.

What does Ted Williams have to do with all this? Well, someone thinks Bernie stole his collection of Ted Williams baseball cards and everyone thinks he has them or has fenced them or something and bad things are going to happen if he doesn't turn them over. ( )

bad puns, Bernie Rhodenbarr, snarky, amateur sleuth, murder, NYC, law enforcement

I laughed myself silly over the mangling of Sue Grafton titles! Bernie really tried not to go back to burglary, but it happened anyway. And I got to learn more about used book pricing and the insane prices of some vintage baseball cards. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, just enjoy the unraveling of the mystery!
Richard Ferrone continues to be perfect as narrator for this series. ( )