This mystery story centers around the gentleman thief Bernie Rhodenbarr who is skilled in opening locks and safes; however, he has a legitimate business as a front, a bookstore that deals in rare and secondhand books. His mate in crime and apprentice is Carolyn Kaiser who runs a dog-grooming shop. At the beginning of the story. these two steal a valuable coin, which opens a can of worms for Bernie. The plot is built upon a formula which works very well, and although I don’t like formulas, I enjoyed reading the novel from beginning to end.

The plot centers around the stolen coin, and Bernie’s crime, for which he is framed for murder, and as the result, he does the detective work of solving the murder and endearing himself to cops, especially a not-too-honest one.

There are several secondary characters who are important to the plot and every character is perfectly portrayed. Bernie’s style of thinking and wisecracking speech inject a sense of humor to his character and consequently to the story since it is his voice the readers listen to find out what happens.

The writing style is smooth and poised and the structure of the plot well-organized, despite a couple of slightly believable twists. The story flows well due to Lawrence Block’s great storytelling and the fast pace.

I found the story entertaining and easy to read.

entertainment

Lawrence Block, the writer of mysteries in series.

It is entertaining and easy to read, and its characters are unique and quirky. Just don't expect to derive any philosophical or literary insight from it.

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Created Feb 25, 2018 at 10:58pm • Submit your own review...