In this 10th book in the comical 'Bernie Rhodenbarr' mystery series, the professional thief/amateur sleuth investigates a nefarious scheme. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
New Yorker Bernie Rhodenbarr has two sources of income - he's a used bookstore owner and a burglar.
Bernie's larcenous proclivities are well known to his friends, who'll sometimes even tag along on a break-in. The cops also know that Bernie's a thief, but - much to their chagrin - they can't quite catch him with the goods.
As the story opens Bernie's friend Marty Gilmartin wants a favor. A married plastic surgeon called Crandall Roundtree Mapes stole Marty's girlfriend, and Marty wants revenge. He asks Bernie to break into Mapes' house and steal the pile of cash the shady doctor keeps in his safe.
Bernie agrees, but first he has to case the Riverdale house - which has security - and plan the escapade.
In the meantime Bernie gets an itch to exercise his skills, and roams around Manhattan looking for a quick score.
Bernie breaks into a woman's apartment and gets caught short when the tenant suddenly returns with a man.
As Bernie is hiding under the bed, he realizes a date rape is occurring, after which the perp robs the unconscious woman and leaves. Bernie - who feels bad about the whole thing - tidies up the apartment and replaces some of the stolen cash. In the following days Bernie makes it his business to hang out in the neighborhood, where he meets the victim, whose name is Barbara. One thing leads to another and a romance starts.
In the meantime, Bernie's perambulations around Manhattan have been caught on CCTV, and he's wrongly arrested when a man and woman are found murdered in their ransacked apartment.
The charges don't stick but trouble follows anyway because someone thinks Bernie took something from the dead couple - perhaps a book - and they want it! This misconception leads to more deaths, including a customer who bought a spy novel called 'Secret Agent' from Bernie.
To add insult to injury, Bernie's apartment is tossed, and he's robbed of thousands of dollars. Bernie realizes a scheme is afoot, but he can't quite figure out what it is.
Finally, when Bernie breaks into Dr. Mapes' home to rob the safe he finds something that leads to an epiphany. Bernie gathers all the interested parties together (a la Hercule Poirot) and explains what's been happening, why people were killed, and who did it.
Unfortunately, the scheme is SO complicated it's almost impossible to follow, which is a major flaw in the book (IMO).
Favorite recurring characters make an appearance, including Bernie's friend Carolyn Kaiser - who grooms dogs and sometimes helps with burglaries; and police officer Ray Kirshmann - a not quite honest cop who's determined to arrest Bernie.
Though the plot was over the top, the book provided a few laughs.
Rating: 3 stars
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