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Loading... The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza (1980)by Lawrence Block
None. Very fast read (a single sitting, really). It's nicely written, with interesting characters and a bit of humor in it. The mystery isn't very deep, and there's a lot of Bernie explaining events "off camera" so all the characters know what's going on, but the reader doesn't. Oh, and there was a detailed discussion of coin collecting (history of a specific coin) which wasn't very interesting if you're not a big coin aficionado. It's not graphic or sexual and doesn't contain any bad language, but none of this deterred me from reading it (hah). This is really a backwards mystery. You know who committed a crime, but you don't know who committed the crime. Bernie has to find the culprit to save his own skin. It was just okay for me. Another of Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries. Had this one figured out waaaay too early on in the story. But it was still a fun couple of hours, and a good one to take on my family trip this weekend. Not too much concentration required. no reviews | add a review Is contained in
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0060872764, Mass Market Paperback)Bookselling burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr doesn't generally get philosophical about his criminal career. He's good at it, it's addictively exciting—and it pays a whole lot better than pushing old tomes. He steals therefore he is, period. He might well ponder, however, the deeper meaning of events at the luxurious Chelsea brownstone of Herb and Wanda Colcannon, which is apparently burgled three times on the night Bernie breaks in: once before his visit and once after. Fortunately he still manages to lift some fair jewelry and an extremely valuable coin. Unfortunately burglar or burglars number three leave Herb unconscious and Wanda dead . . . and the cops think Rhodenbarr dunnit. There's no time to get all existential about it—especially after the coin vanishes and the fence fencing it meets with a most severe end. But Bernie is going to have to do some deep thinking to find a way out of this homicidal conundrum. (retrieved from Amazon Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:19:08 -0500) "The Greenwich Village bookseller who moonlights as a burglar "happens" to discover a rare coin in someone else's apartment. The next day, two dead bodies are found there, one belonging to the owner, the other to Bernie's fence. To clear himself of a murder charge, Bernie must clear up the mystery." - Publishers Weekly.… (more) |
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I feel bad for the characters at the end of these Bernie Rhodenbarr books because they're always getting framed for murder. I mean, they're guilty and all, but it is a distinct characteristic of the series that Bernie will always plant evidence to support his case. And he never gets charged with the burglary he inevitably does. But the idea of the cop on the take is brilliant for explaining that. (