Book Collector & Thief

Meet Bernie Rhodenbarr, a fictional thief who uses the proceeds from his crimes to buy a secondhand bookshop.

Bernie, is also a crime fiction fan, and refers to Agatha Christie, E.W. Hornung (Bernie’s cat is named “Raffles”), Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Sue Grafton and John Sandford.

According to Wikipedia,’ he plots run very much to form: Bernie breaks into a residence (usually on Manhattan’s Upper East Side), and, through a series of implausible events, becomes involved in a murder investigation—often as the prime suspect.’

Bernie is the creation of Lawrence Block is an American crime writer best known for a long-running New York–set series, about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder. Block was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994.

I enjoyed The burglar who painted like Mondrian.

Contribution by ESA member AB