Since we last saw burglar-cum-bookseller Bernie Rhodenbarr - some ten
years ago - his creator, Lawrence Block, has gone on to become one of
the most respected names in crime fiction. His Matthew Scudder series
has won numerous awards, as well as the highest praise from both critics
and readers alike. So, how does an author top all that success? By
bringing back that infamous burglar, Bernie Rhodenbarr, to burgle once
again. Just to update you on Bernie. For nearly a year he's walked the
straight and narrow and has coaxed his secondhand bookstore in New
York's Greenwich Village into turning a small profit. He's even allowed
a cat to move in, and struggled with nocturnal retirement. Then Borden
Stoppelgard comes into Bernie's life. Not a nice man. Borden is Bernie's
new landlord, and wants to increase the rent by ten thousand dollars - a
month! Desperate times call for desperate measures. By chance, or so it
seems, Bernie discovers a West Side apartment whose occupants are in
Europe, slips inside with his usual finesse, lifts a large sum of
untraceable cash with his usual aplomb, and spots a naked dead man in
the bathtub. Now, across town another burglary has taken place - at
Stoppelgard's brother-in-law's apartment - and what's missing is a
million-dollar baseball card collection. Somehow Bernie's been blamed
(read: framed) for that crime. Toss in a mysterious woman and a
crotchety New York police detective to Bernie's troubles, then mix well
for a burglar in big trouble. What's the best way out? Why, to find the
baseball cards and steal them back, of course. In The Burglar Who Traded
Ted Williams, Lawrence Block once again gives us a riveting story and
shows us a great time. It's crimefiction with a laugh track. And while
he may be older, he may be wiser, and certainly more skillful, thank
goodness he's still a bad boy at heart. Bernie, too. Reason enough for
fans to rejoice.
