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    The Burglar on the Prowl
    The Burglar on the Prowl
    The Burglar on the Prowl
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    The Burglar on the Prowl

    Written by Lawrence Block

    Narrated by Lawrence Block

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block returns with the extraordinary Bernie Rhodenbarr. Antiquarian bookseller by day, burglar by night, Bernie has an innate knack, a gift, for getting into places designed to keep him out.

    Bernie is a gentleman who knows and loves his territory, the gloriously diverse streets of Manhattan; a connoisseur who surrounds himself with the finer things in life, including his tailless Manx tabby, Raffles, and good friends like his neighbor, Carolyn. In fact, it's a friend that gets him in his latest jam. Bernie is asked for a favor -- a neat, uncomplicated bit of vengeful larceny that will reap a tidy profit -- an offer the intrepid thief can't refuse.

    A few days before the crime, Bernie gets restless. What does a burglar do to change his mood? Go on the prowl. This bit of prowling lands Bernie in a pile of trouble that includes four murders and the burglary of his own home. Caught in the center of a deadly mystery, he must use his wits and wiles to connect the dots and add up the coincidences. Because if Bernie doesn't catch a killer, he'll lose not only his freedom but his life.

    Infused with the rich atmosphere of New York City and filled with a smart, charming cast of characters headed by the stylish Bernie, The Burglar on the Prowl is an engaging and delightfully suspenseful tale sure to be savored by Block fans old and new.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 3, 2004
    ISBN9780060783174
    Author

    Lawrence Block

    Lawrence Block has been writing award-winning mystery and suspense fiction for half a century. His newest book, pitched by his Hollywood agent as “James M. Cain on Viagra,” is The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes. His other recent novels include The Burglar Who Counted The Spoons, featuring Bernie Rhodenbarr; Hit Me, featuring philatelist and assassin Keller; and A Drop Of The Hard Stuff, featuring Matthew Scudder, brilliantly embodied by Liam Neeson in the new film, A Walk Among The Tombstones.  Several of his other books have also been filmed, although not terribly well.  He's well known for his books for writers, including the classic Telling Lies For Fun & Profit and Write For Your Life, and has just published a collection of his writings about the mystery genre and its practitioners, The Crime Of Our Lives.  In addition to prose works, he has written episodic television (Tilt!) And the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.  He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.

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    Reviews for The Burglar on the Prowl

    4/5

    22 ratings15 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Reading Lawrence Block is like coming home for me, and the Burglar books are like coming home to a warm cup of coffee and a snuggly blanket. A stolen coffee and blanket in someone else's home, but that's neither here nor there.

      They all have the loveable rascal Bernie getting in some scrape tangentially related to his vocation as a burglar, but convoluted plots aside, it's Block's witty dialogue and setting description that make the books a joy to read. Burglar on the Prowl follows the formula well, with Bernie moving into the modern world somewhat. There are even references to Google and instant messaging, but the story is a classic Bernie Rhodenbarr.

      While I prefer Block's Scudder novels (more, please!) and the Keller stories, sometimes a Burglar book is perfect, when you need something light and fluffy but still infused with a healthy dose of moral ambiguity.
    • 5/5
      I can never decide which of this series is my favorite, but this one is at or near the top. It goes without saying that Bernie, himself, is one of my favorites. With characteristic sly humor, he tells this tale of seemingly impossible coincidences, ending in a conclusion worthy of Perry Mason or Hercule Poirot. This one is incredibly complex, and despite the bad stuff in it, still keeps you ROFL!
    • 4/5
      I have great affinity for the burglar series and Lawrence Block's ability to spin a yarn. This one doesn't disappoint .
    • 4/5
      The “Burglar” series books are always charming and this one is no exception. Bernie is on the prowl for a score but is soon (as usual) enmeshed in a murder that brings new meaning to the word “complicated.” The plot is intricate and the “long arm of coincidence” sets off his internal alarms and you might think it overreaches, but these books are read for the style and dialogues. In classic style, Bernie gets everyone together for the final denouement.Lots of fun.
    • 4/5
      I like the Bernie the Burglar series... This one got a bit too convoluted for my taste toward the end. Still, an entertaining read.
    • 4/5
      Very readable. There are still a few holes at the end, but it is a fun story. Better than average Bernie.
    • 5/5
      What I really love about the Bernie Rhodenbarr series is that Bernie is such a gentleman. He meets a young woman; there is a mutual attraction; and they do what consenting adults do in private. That's almost exactly how Block phrases it. I cannot help but think of Cary Grant in the role of Bernie. Utterly enjoyable mystery series.
    • 3/5
      Another slice of Rhodenbarr sponge... drizzled with whisky, probably Laphroaig. Formulaic to a fault with even Block signposting his lazy adherence to the cliche:

      ... what a less original narrator might characterize as that fateful day...

      And, yet, not without its charms. Perhaps more than most, this featherlight book is built on silly coincidences, but Block makes them a feature and brazens his way to another satisfying conclusion.
    • 4/5
      It's good to have Bernie back, even though this book challenges how much coincidence can really happen to one person. The ending took several reading to try and understand what happened and I still don't know if I get. However, with all of that, it was still and entertaining story, mainly because of Bernie and Carolyn. I love their friendship, banter, and Bernie's strange moral compass.
    • 3/5
      While scouting out the location of his next job, Bernie decides to do break into an apartment for an easy in and out job. Unfortunately, the owner comes home with a date and Bernie is witness to a date rape. His original job has complications and someone gets murdered outside his bookshop. Bernie tries to get justice for the rape victim by befriending her.
    • 2/5
      Like all the Rhodenbarr books, this one's got sparkly, witty dialogue, and it's a quick read. But the plot got a bit outlandish this time around. Fun, but not the best of Block's Burglar books. Still a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon though.
    • 4/5
      Bernie Rhodenbarr, gentleman burglar and antiquarian bookseller, returns in the 10th installment of Lawrence Block’s lighthearted mystery series. All the classic elements of a Burglar book are here: witty repartee between Bernie and lesbian dog groomer Carolyn Kaiser, his best friend and occasional henchperson; being falsely accused of a crime by Ray Kirschmann, the best cop money can buy; a string of coincidences long enough to choke a giraffe; and a complicated but satisfying denouement that leaves Bernie both in the clear and with more money than he started. Not the best book in the series, but more than satisfying.
    • 3/5
      I found the entry in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series disappointing. The mystery was convoluted (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but Bernie's involvement seemed too tangential. Plus, Bernie himself was not his usual charming and fun self...My Kindle edition had some short pieces by Block about the series and a short story "The Burglar Who Dropped in on Elvis", which was entertaining.
    • 4/5
      As lighthearted as ever, Bernie finds himself right in the middle of a complicated scheme where money seems to be the least of the targets. One of the funnest things about this series is how the world goes on but Bernie is still young and his life has just been adapted to modern developments.
    • 4/5
      In a hilariously funny tale of the most striking coincidences, Bernie finds himself trapped under a homeowner's bed when she returns home from a date with her date, finds himself accused of a burglary and multiple murder he didn't do, and rushes out of his bookstore to see a customer gunned down. Much of the book is dialogue and witty thoughts. It is intentionally funnier and lighter than the Matthew Scudder series, but it is not difficult to see the connections between the two series. Both take place in Manhattan. Both involve drinking and crime. A series of odd connections or coincidences ties things together often in both series. Fans of Scudder who read about Bernie will miss the darkness, the grittiness, the gloom of the Scudder series. Nevertheless, the Burglar On The Prowl is a captivating book and, once you start reading it, you find yourself curious about who pulled off the heist and murders, why they think Bernie has hidden away, whether there is a Latvian connection, and whether it would be odd for him to date someone whose house he burgled.