The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons (Bernie Rhodenbarr #11) by Lawrence Block

I first discovered Bernie Rhodenbarr, gentleman burglar, in middle school. My best friend and I were obsessed with Lillian Jackson Braun’s “The Cat Who” books. I was looking for one at the library one day, and something caught my eye “The Burglar Who…” bu Lawrence Block, just a few shelves up. I think the first one I read was second in the series (The Burglar in the Closet). I loved it, and quickly devoured the rest of the series. That would have been in the mid-90s. Block has written eleven Bernie books, spread out over forty years (which is pretty damn impressive). The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons is the latest, and the first since 2001. It held up to the rest quite well, I think. Block has a great style and writes Bernie’s distinctive voice wonderfully. Hopefully he won’t wait 13 years to publish another.

So Bernie is back — along with his short sidekick Carolyn, his cat Raffles and everyone’s favorite crooked cop Ray. As usual, he’s minding his own business when he gets roped into a burglary, he solves a crime, he meets a girl and he has drinks with Carolyn. Everything wraps up neatly in the end. The Bernie books follow a formula, but the plot always ends up so convoluted that the ride is different every time. The writing is funny as hell, alternating between dry and silly, and the endings are impossible to guess.

Between a new Stephen King and a new Bernie book, I feel like I fell back into middle school reading mode over the past couple weeks. Maybe it’s worth brushing off some Lillian Jackson Braun as well (although come to think of it, I do have a new Dean Koontz on my shelf…)