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blacksentai's review against another edition
2.0
This is emphatically not my jam. Thought it would be, but the main character is super annoying to me and, I dunno, feels like everyone is a little too smart and talks way too much?
lakegirllinda77's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
jcbmathcat's review against another edition
4.0
The Bel Air Mystery Book Club read this for the February selection. I don't recall reading any of the Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries before, but if a mystery can be called "delightful," this one was. The characters were suitably quirky, and there were mysteries other than the natural (or was it?) death of a woman to involve Bernie and his friend, Carolyn. I will try more entries in this series, as I enjoy a mystery that also makes me laugh. Plus, I learned about apostle spoons, the value of certain collectibles, and much about buttons. Yes, buttons!
captainjaq's review against another edition
5.0
There are times during The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons where our protagonist Bernie Rhodenbarr laments that he doesn’t want anything to change. He wants everything to continue on just the way it is. We who love the Burglar books want the same thing. There’s just one problem: things change whether we want them to or not.
And yet… Lawrence Block manages to address both issues at the same time and does it brilliantly. This is the book Block wrote after he decided to retire, so at this point, anything he comes out with is gravy, and his fans would pick it up regardless – but he doesn’t rely on that. Instead, he gives us a Burglar book which addresses the idea of change and the idea of status quo and still delivers a first rate mystery in his classic style.
If you’re familiar with the series, of which this is number 11, all the elements are present. Carolyn Kaiser, Ray Kirschman, the various places of employ and relaxation and, well, the Two Guys from… restaurant, which delivers the best surprise of the bunch (okay, it doesn’t deliver, you have to pick it up, but that’s splitting hairs). In every sense, this is a perfect Bernie story. He commits crimes, he solves crimes, he has witty banter with everyone, he gets laid (Good on ya Bern!) and he’s instantly recognizable as the same guy who first appeared in 1977.
Except he’s not the same guy. Block doesn’t let Bernie age (this isn’t series for that – that’s his Scudder books, which are also amazing, but playing in a different ballpark) but the world around him does. No longer can Bernie merely walk around a building, now he has to deal with security cameras. He doesn’t look up information in encyclopedias, but Googles them instead. He learns about burner phones and Internet book dealers. In this way, Bernie has already changed with the times but he’s still the same old Bernie.
All the while, Block is also taking us all on a trip down memory lane. He references a number of the past adventures (no harm if you haven’t read them, although what are you waiting for?) which leads us to a rather interesting observation made by Carolyn near the end of the book regarding Bernie’s night time activities and his interesting relationship with law enforcement. It’s something we, as readers have obviously seen (that’s why we keep reading) but by having Ms. Kaiser point it out, and Bernie to flat out reject its implications, is a wonderful nod to the fluid nature of the books and their internal reality.
Enough of that, though, this book stands on its own quite nicely. As a former rare book seller, I greatly appreciated the insight into that world, especially the peek behind the curtain of the original holographs and association copies and the shout outs to Button Gwinnet, the unsung hero of founding father collectibles is priceless (almost literally). The way the various threads of the plot tie together make for a characteristic Rhodenbarr “wondering why I called you all here” unraveling and a certain moral ambiguity we love to see in our favorite burglar.
Finally, there’s “Juneau Lock,” the mythical location of great Chinese food and one of the reason why these books and characters are so great to return to time and again. While it’s got nothing at all to do with the main mystery, it has everything to do with the lives of our heroes. And in the end, that’s really what we’re interested in and why keep checking back. We want to see how the gang is doing, even if they never change. We do, and we can appreciate them on new levels every time. So whether this is the final adventure we read about, we’re left with the impression this is certainly not the final adventure Bernie will be having. And that makes me happy.
And yet… Lawrence Block manages to address both issues at the same time and does it brilliantly. This is the book Block wrote after he decided to retire, so at this point, anything he comes out with is gravy, and his fans would pick it up regardless – but he doesn’t rely on that. Instead, he gives us a Burglar book which addresses the idea of change and the idea of status quo and still delivers a first rate mystery in his classic style.
If you’re familiar with the series, of which this is number 11, all the elements are present. Carolyn Kaiser, Ray Kirschman, the various places of employ and relaxation and, well, the Two Guys from… restaurant, which delivers the best surprise of the bunch (okay, it doesn’t deliver, you have to pick it up, but that’s splitting hairs). In every sense, this is a perfect Bernie story. He commits crimes, he solves crimes, he has witty banter with everyone, he gets laid (Good on ya Bern!) and he’s instantly recognizable as the same guy who first appeared in 1977.
Except he’s not the same guy. Block doesn’t let Bernie age (this isn’t series for that – that’s his Scudder books, which are also amazing, but playing in a different ballpark) but the world around him does. No longer can Bernie merely walk around a building, now he has to deal with security cameras. He doesn’t look up information in encyclopedias, but Googles them instead. He learns about burner phones and Internet book dealers. In this way, Bernie has already changed with the times but he’s still the same old Bernie.
All the while, Block is also taking us all on a trip down memory lane. He references a number of the past adventures (no harm if you haven’t read them, although what are you waiting for?) which leads us to a rather interesting observation made by Carolyn near the end of the book regarding Bernie’s night time activities and his interesting relationship with law enforcement. It’s something we, as readers have obviously seen (that’s why we keep reading) but by having Ms. Kaiser point it out, and Bernie to flat out reject its implications, is a wonderful nod to the fluid nature of the books and their internal reality.
Enough of that, though, this book stands on its own quite nicely. As a former rare book seller, I greatly appreciated the insight into that world, especially the peek behind the curtain of the original holographs and association copies and the shout outs to Button Gwinnet, the unsung hero of founding father collectibles is priceless (almost literally). The way the various threads of the plot tie together make for a characteristic Rhodenbarr “wondering why I called you all here” unraveling and a certain moral ambiguity we love to see in our favorite burglar.
Finally, there’s “Juneau Lock,” the mythical location of great Chinese food and one of the reason why these books and characters are so great to return to time and again. While it’s got nothing at all to do with the main mystery, it has everything to do with the lives of our heroes. And in the end, that’s really what we’re interested in and why keep checking back. We want to see how the gang is doing, even if they never change. We do, and we can appreciate them on new levels every time. So whether this is the final adventure we read about, we’re left with the impression this is certainly not the final adventure Bernie will be having. And that makes me happy.
alisonannk's review against another edition
3.0
This was part of a book club read for me and I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, not because it is unappealing but because I'd never heard of this series before. This is not the last I will read in the series.
It took me a while to get into the character relationships and I wasn't sure if the policeman, Ray, was a threat or a friend at first. However, the fact that this is the 11th in the series now makes sense with regards to how well established the relationships are and the certain amount of prior knowledge that is assumed. The humor was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the fast paced and witty dialogue. The plot kept me guessing and I didn't see how it all tied together the way I often guess with other books. A quick, entertaining read.
It took me a while to get into the character relationships and I wasn't sure if the policeman, Ray, was a threat or a friend at first. However, the fact that this is the 11th in the series now makes sense with regards to how well established the relationships are and the certain amount of prior knowledge that is assumed. The humor was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the fast paced and witty dialogue. The plot kept me guessing and I didn't see how it all tied together the way I often guess with other books. A quick, entertaining read.
crutnacker's review against another edition
4.0
Lawrence Block's latest in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series is a reminder of why I love Lawrence Block. After an absence of many years, Block returns to the Rhodenbarr character without missing a step. This time the professional thief turns his attention to helping a mysterious stranger amass a variety of things for his rather specialized collection. Block's effortless dialogue combines with an engaging mystery about what the mysterious stranger is really up to, and some amusingly pointed exchanges on bookselling, e-books, online auctions, and the writing game itself. Highly recommended.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons by Lawrence Block is a Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery published in December 2013.
This was my kindle library book for the month of January. I couldn't believe it when I saw this one was available in the kindle lending library. This is the 11th novel in this offbeat mystery series featuring Bernie Rhonenbarr and his partner in crime Carolyn.
BOSWELL: I added that this person maintained that there was no distinction between virtue and vice.
JOHNSON: Why, Sir, if the fellow does not think as he speaks, he is lying; and I see not what honour he can propose to himself from having the character of a liar. But if he does really think that there is no distinction between virture an vice, why, Sir, when he leaves our house let us count our spoons.
While Bernie innocently works in his Greenwich Village book store during the day, he is hired to scout out places to rob looking for specific items, in his spare time. Bernie has a penchant for art and in this book a rare manscript amonng other things is on the agenda.
Naturally, Bernie stumbles across a dead body during his clandestine pursuits. How all these oddities wind up in murder is anyone's guess.
Block's trademark is unconventional characters, a true blue detective, a hired murderer, and burgler round out the infamous Block characters. Having a thief involved in a murder mystery is irony at it's best. Humor, wonderful dialogue, a mystery on the lighter side, and I love all the shout outs to other authors and other book series. It has been a while since the last book in this series was published and I know there was a lot of excitment for fans when this one was released.
This is a quick, easy and fun read written by one of the best. It's always a pleasure to read a Lawerence Block novel. This one is an A
This was my kindle library book for the month of January. I couldn't believe it when I saw this one was available in the kindle lending library. This is the 11th novel in this offbeat mystery series featuring Bernie Rhonenbarr and his partner in crime Carolyn.
BOSWELL: I added that this person maintained that there was no distinction between virtue and vice.
JOHNSON: Why, Sir, if the fellow does not think as he speaks, he is lying; and I see not what honour he can propose to himself from having the character of a liar. But if he does really think that there is no distinction between virture an vice, why, Sir, when he leaves our house let us count our spoons.
While Bernie innocently works in his Greenwich Village book store during the day, he is hired to scout out places to rob looking for specific items, in his spare time. Bernie has a penchant for art and in this book a rare manscript amonng other things is on the agenda.
Naturally, Bernie stumbles across a dead body during his clandestine pursuits. How all these oddities wind up in murder is anyone's guess.
Block's trademark is unconventional characters, a true blue detective, a hired murderer, and burgler round out the infamous Block characters. Having a thief involved in a murder mystery is irony at it's best. Humor, wonderful dialogue, a mystery on the lighter side, and I love all the shout outs to other authors and other book series. It has been a while since the last book in this series was published and I know there was a lot of excitment for fans when this one was released.
This is a quick, easy and fun read written by one of the best. It's always a pleasure to read a Lawerence Block novel. This one is an A