Burglar in Closet

by Lawrence Block

1986

Status

Available

Publication

Pocket (1986)

Description

It's hard to ignore someone with his hands in your mouth. Bernie Rhodenbarr's all ears when Dr. Sheldrake, his dentist, starts complaining about his detestable, soon-to-be-ex wife, and happens to mention the valuable diamonds she keeps lying around the apartment. Since Bernie's been known to supplement his income as a bookstore owner with the not-so-occasional bout of high-rise burglary, a couple of nights later he's in the Sheldrake apartment with larceny on his mind -- and has to duck into a closet when the lady of the house makes an unexpected entrance. Unfortunately he's still there when an unseen assailant does Mrs. Sheldrake in . . . and then vanishes with the jewels. Bernie's got to come out of the closet some time. But when he does, he'll be facing a rap for a murder he didn't commit -- and for a burglary he certainly attempted -- unless he can hunt down the killer who left him hanging.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jennyo

Another perfectly entertaining Bernie Rhodenbarr story. These are the perfect treat when you just want a couple of hours of witty, lighthearted reading. I'm sure I'll continue to read books in this series when I need a break from the heavy stuff.

Oh, and it was nice to see that my comparison of

Block's dialogue to that of The Thin Man was vindicated in this book. There's actually a quote in the book that goes something like this:

"She decided we would be Nick and Nora Charles, or possibly Mr. and Mrs. North, two pairs of sleuths she had a tendency to confuse."

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LibraryThing member breic2

A humorous, very readable mystery about a burglar (Bernie Rhodenbarr) who finds himself framed for murder and needs to find the real killer. Of course, it is all tied off perfectly neatly in the last chapter.

LibraryThing member benfulton

A very fun book. Bernie is perky, literate, and has his own twisted set of morals. He reminds me of a Cockney bartender. The pacing is good and fast. Not many of the characters come across with any sort of personality other than Bernie, and I'm not sure that the crucial clue to solving the puzzle

was given before the denouement or not. But the excitement and fun of the book more than make up for any weaknesses.

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LibraryThing member FMRox

Bernie Rhodenbarr is framed once again for murder in the apartment he gets trapped in the midst of a jewel burglary.
The plot is complicated with no true clues as to who did it but neatly wrapped-up in the last 1-2 pages. Lot of poorly developed characters and snarky quips. I think I am finished

with this series.

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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna

Bernie's back in the wrong place at the wrong time. In order to clear his name, Bernie has to find the real murderer who is doing a great job of creating convincing circumstantial evidence. Aside from some canned explanations that sounded like they were lifted right out of the first book (who

Bernie is and what his philosophy is), the story was interesting and certainly stands on its own - no need to read the first novel in order to understand what's going on here.

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LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan

Well read again by Adams Morgan, whose voice fits Bernie Rhodenbarr perfectly & captures the other New Yorkers well, too. (I love Mrs. Hesch. Reminds me of my Aunt Anna.) Bernie is again suspected of murder & must find the real killer before the cops find him. There were so many similarities to the

first in the overall plot that I just couldn't give this another star, although it wasn't bad. The end worked out about how I expected, but there was a bit of twist that I thought was over the top. Bernie thinking that Craig the dentist was the one making love to his ex-wife while he was hiding in the closet. Other than that, it was another fun romp, but I'm hoping the next book will break the mold a bit more.

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LibraryThing member antiquary

funny crime story told by a burglar

LibraryThing member stevebishop

Block's burglar books are always good light-hearted value. Sort of Wodehouse meets Connelly with the burglar as the (anti)hero.

LibraryThing member jetangen4571

Bernie Rhodenbarr, snarky, punny, humor, murder, amateur sleuth, law enforcement

Only Bernie could get into such fixes! There's lots of situational and verbal humor. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, but Bernie gets tagged for murders but has never physically hurt

anyone. Unless you consider readers spewing coffee. Enjoy the fun and mayhem!
Richard Ferrone is truly remarkable as Bernie and friends.

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LibraryThing member DaveWilde

Block first published “Burglar in the Closet” in 1978 as the second of what eventually became an eleven-book series featuring the gentleman-burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. This is clearly one of the best of the series and is a terrific read. In the series, Bernie is not your typical gritty, dirty

criminal. He is actually, despite his predilection for burgling, an ordinary guy. He tries to live an ordinary life. At night, he burglarizes places and hopefully unoccupied places. The book is smoothly written and quick reading and quite hilarious, particularly when this professional burglar gets locked in the closet among the ex-wife’s gowns and shoes. This series tends to be more humorous than Block’s Scudder series and less gritty. Nevertheless, for those of you familiar with Scudder, there are echoes of Scudder here with Bernie working on the barest of clues and wandering through lower Manhattan. Bernie, however, has no problem with drinking and genuinely enjoys getting plastered.
Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member kevn57

A funny fast paced mystery, my favorite scene in the book is when Bernie calls Denise Raphaelson on the phone and their back forth dialogue, she appears to have impressed Bernie with her wit also. I don't usually go to much for crime novels but Bernie makes an excellent detective and Block really

knows how to write. You may need to be a bit older to solve this mystery written in 1978 with it's tent cent payphones and late night TV.

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LibraryThing member RobertaLea

I love this series. All sneaky in and out of people's homes and apartments.

LibraryThing member BookConcierge

In this second episode of the series, Bernie Rhodenbarr gets roped into stealing from his dentist’s ex-wife. It seems like an easy score, and he’s scoped out the lady’s apartment building and her habits, so he feels confident. But when she returns before he has left, he slips into the closet

only to be locked into it by the resident. When he hears an altercation and realizes something is very wrong, he works his way out of the closet and finds the body of the lady of the house. What he does NOT find, is the attache case (filled with the lady’s jewelry) which he’d left outside the closet. What the hell?

There are plenty of suspects, including the World’s Greatest Dentist, but Bernie really needs to solve the case before the police turn on him as the most likely suspect.

The detectives assigned to the case seem easy to fool, but beat cop Ray Kirschmann is harder to shake. Bernie gets some help from a lovely dental hygienist with divided loyalties. Could there be a romantic relationship in Bernie and Jillian’s future?

Gosh but I love Bernie! He’s a gentleman burglar and has standards and ethics. I cannot help but picture Cary Grant; IMHO, he would have been perfect as Bernie.

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LibraryThing member AliceAnna

More or less mindless entertainment, but a bit more clever than that. I do enjoy Mr. Rhodenbarr's exploits. The plot was decent, the auxiliary characters were entertaining and, overall, it was a nice diversion.

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