This series follows the adventures of Bernie Rhodenbarr, an unlikely hero leading a double life. By day, he's a charming bookseller with a passion for literature. By night, however, he possesses a unique talent for burglary. When Bernie inevitably stumbles into trouble, he must rely on his wit and unconventional skills to solve crimes and clear his name. These stories offer a delightful blend of mystery, humor, and clever plotting.
Five big ones just for lifting a a little blue box? A steal - or so Bernie thought until he got stiffed with a corpse! Bernie should have taken a powder the minute the shifty-eyed,pear-shaped man made his offer. But five grand an hour is nice work if you can get it. Things went smoothly even after the cops showed up. A little bribe here; a handshake there. Until one of the cops stumbled over the body. Faster than you could say "STOP THIEF," Bernie ran - straight into the arms of a deliciously nutty young woman. That's when the caper really got interesting!
It's hard to ignore someone with his hands in your mouth. Bernie Rhodenbarr's all ears when Dr. Sheldrake, his dentist, starts complaining about his detestable, soon-to-be-ex wife, and happens to mention the valuable diamonds she keeps lying around the apartment. Since Bernie's been known to supplement his income as a bookstore owner with the not-so-occasional bout of high-rise burglary, a couple of nights later he's in the Sheldrake apartment with larceny on his mind -- and has to duck into a closet when the lady of the house makes an unexpected entrance. Unfortunately he's still there when an unseen assailant does Mrs. Sheldrake in . . . and then vanishes with the jewels. Bernie's got to come out of the closet some time. But when he does, he'll be facing a rap for a murder he didn't commit -- and for a burglary he certainly attempted -- unless he can hunt down the killer who left him hanging.
Bernie Rhodenbarr has gone legit – almost – as the new owner of a used bookstore in New York's Greenwich Village. Of course, dusty old tomes don't always turn a profit, so to make ends meet, Bernie's forced, on occasion, to indulge in his previous occupation: burglary. Besides which, he likes it. Now a collector is offering Bernie an opportunity to combine his twin passions by stealing a very rare and very bad book-length poem from a rich man's library. The heist goes off without a hitch. The delivery of the ill-gotten volume, however, is a different story. Drugged by the client's female go-between, Bernie wakes up in her apartment to find the book gone, the lady dead, a smoking gun in his hand, and the cops at the door. And suddenly he's got to extricate himself from a rather sticky real-life murder mystery and find a killer – before he's booked for Murder One.
In this fourth installment of the popular Burglar series, readers are drawn back into the life of the witty and resourceful protagonist, who navigates a world filled with crime and intrigue. The story promises a blend of humor and suspense as the character encounters new challenges and adversaries, showcasing Block's signature style of clever plotting and engaging dialogue. Fans of the series can expect a thrilling adventure that deepens the exploration of the main character's life and moral dilemmas.
Bernie Rhodenbarr, a used bookstore owner and part-time burglar, finds himself in a precarious situation when he becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. After evaluating a wealthy man's library, his fingerprints are left at the scene, complicating his life as he navigates the legal repercussions of both his legitimate and illicit activities. This blend of crime and humor showcases Bernie's cleverness and the thrill he finds in his unconventional profession.
In Greenwich Village, Bernie Rhodenbarr, the rare book dealer who moonlights as a burglar, is arrested for murder in connection with the robbery of a valuable collection of baseball cards. Only he didn't do it.
Bookseller Bernie Rhodenbarr's in love—with an exotic Eastern European beauty who shares his obsession with Humphrey Bogart movies. He's in heaven, munching popcorn with his new amour every night at a Bogart Film Festival—until their Casablanca-esque idyll is cut short by his other secret passion: burglary. When he's hired to pilfer a portfolio of valuable documents from a Park Avenue apartment, Bernie can hardly refuse. But the occupant's early return forces Bernie to flee empty-handed—and he soon finds himself implicated in a murder. Before you can say "who stole the strawberries?" he's hunting for a killer, up to his neck in the outrageous intrigues of a tiny Balkan nation . . . and menaced by more sinister fat men and unsavory toadies than the great Bogie himself butted heads with in pursuit of that darn bird!
Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar extraordinaire and bookseller ordinaire, has taken leave of his beloved New York City and gone country. Our setting is Cuttleford House, a quaint, lovely inn, where Carolyn and Raffles the Cat have joined Bernie for a wintry weekend. Of course, Carolyn wasn't Bernie's first choice for a romantic getaway weekend, but his intended, Lettice Runcible, turned out to be someone else's intended. But if you think Bernie's sole purpose is healing his wounded heart, think again. As a bookseller, Bernie's always in search of a valuable edition, and this time he believes he's found it. And it's somewhere in Cuttleford House's largely ignored library. During his nightly prowl, Bernie finds unexpected company in the way of a corpse. The next morning everyone else find the body, too. Making matters worse is the fact that all of the guests - including, (surprise!) Lettice and her new husband, Dakin Littlefield - find themselves snowbound after a particularly fierce storm during the night. With everyone pointing fingers at everyone else, Bernie decides he's got to catch the culprit - before there's another murder. Isn't there always? And let's not forget that book, which has mysteriously disappeared off the library shelves.
When a friend suggests that Bernie burgle a romantic rival's home, Bernie is happy to oblige. Along with lesbian friend Caroline Kaiser, Bernie is overjoyed to find a safe full of cash. And for once in a Bernie Rhodenbarr story, there isn't even a dead body in the house. At least not yet. Because a nearby home has also been burgled and in that robbery, three people have died. The police recognise Bernie from a nearby cash machine camera and soon he is in the newspapesr as the suspect.
Soubor povídkové tvorby amerického autora přináší především povídky s detektivní a hrůzostrašnou tematikou.
Jedenasedmdesát povídek vybral ze svého celoživotního díla samotný autor, který tak znovu přivedl na scénu hrdiny několika svých rozsáhlejších cyklů - detektiva Matthewa Scuddera, právníka Martina Ehrengrafa a další, jejichž příběhy si získaly již dříve pozornost čtenářů. Kniha uspokojí nepříliš náročné ctitele detektivky, psychothrilleru či hororu.
Souborné vydání druhého, třetího a čtvrtého pokračování série Bernie Rhodenbarr. Tři detektivní příběhy lupiče-detektiva jsou plné nečekaných zvratů a překvapení. Obsahuje: Lupič, který rád citoval Kiplinga -- Lupič, který čte Spinozu -- Lupič v šatníku. Knihy v ČR zatím samostatně nevyšly.
