The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian
It's not that used bookstore owner and part-time burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr believes the less legal of his two professions is particularly ethical. (It is, however, a rush, and he is very good at it.) He just thinks it's unfair to face a prison term for his legitimate activities. After appraising...
show more
It's not that used bookstore owner and part-time burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr believes the less legal of his two professions is particularly ethical. (It is, however, a rush, and he is very good at it.) He just thinks it's unfair to face a prison term for his legitimate activities. After appraising the worth of a rich man's library -- conveniently leaving his fingerprints everywhere in the process -- Bernie finds he's the cops' prime suspect when his client is murdered.Someone has framed Bernie Rhodenbarr better than they do it at the Whitney. And if he wants to get out of this corner he's been masterfully painted into, he'll have to get to the bottom of a rather artful -- if multiply murderous -- scam.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780060731434 (0060731435)
Publish date: July 26th 2005
Publisher: HarperTorch
Pages no: 336
Edition language: English
Series: Bernie Rhodenbarr (#5)
I am huge fan of Lawrence Block but, for some reason, have just never been able to connect with this series. In this book Bernie gets embroiled in a murder and art theft but the plot was just too convoluted for me and the humor a bit flat.
I love the story of The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian, but the denouement leaves much to be desired. Most of the Burglar-Who books end with a drawing-room-style reveal, but this is the only one I can think of where the reader knows practically no one in the drawing room. As it is explained, it's...
Aside from the good mystery -- Bernie always gets himself into some kind of scrape that he has to dig himself out of by solving the crime he has been accused of -- the books have great repartee. I burst out loud laughing several times. Bernie has just stumbled into another thief (female) in an a...