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jonnywarlock's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
A nice homage to Agatha Christie. With the humorous twists that Block throws in. I enjoyed this listen quite a bit.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
I have recently been burying myself in detective/mystery classics. In the last month, I've read Raymond Chandler's [b:The Big Sleep|2052|The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1371584712l/2052._SY75_.jpg|1222673], Dashiell Hammett's [b:The Maltese Falcon|29999|The Maltese Falcon|Dashiell Hammett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689040081l/29999._SY75_.jpg|980184], and Agatha Christie's [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638425885l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872] and [b:Murder on the Orient Express|16304|Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388267702l/16304._SY75_.jpg|2285570].
So when I got wind that Block, a writer whose work I enjoy, wrote a book where his burglar protagonist, Bernie Rhodenbarr, attempts to steal a first-edition copy of The Big Sleep inscribed to [a:Dashiell Hammett|16927|Dashiell Hammett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1287255332p2/16927.jpg], only to get caught up in an [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589991473p2/123715.jpg] type murder-mystery in an English country house during a blizzard, I couldn't pass it up.
Even Rhodenbarr's cat is a literary allusion — named after [a:E.W. Hornung|26514|E.W. Hornung|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1248541677p2/26514.jpg]'s gentleman thief A.J. Raffles. But I digress.
This story is, despite the murders, a light read that delights in hanging lampshades on many detective/mystery tropes. While the pace dragged a tiny bit in the middle, and the story jarred me with a switch from first to third-person at one point, it was, overall, a very fun, enjoyable read I would definitely recommend to mystery fans familiar with the above classics.
So when I got wind that Block, a writer whose work I enjoy, wrote a book where his burglar protagonist, Bernie Rhodenbarr, attempts to steal a first-edition copy of The Big Sleep inscribed to [a:Dashiell Hammett|16927|Dashiell Hammett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1287255332p2/16927.jpg], only to get caught up in an [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589991473p2/123715.jpg] type murder-mystery in an English country house during a blizzard, I couldn't pass it up.
Even Rhodenbarr's cat is a literary allusion — named after [a:E.W. Hornung|26514|E.W. Hornung|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1248541677p2/26514.jpg]'s gentleman thief A.J. Raffles. But I digress.
This story is, despite the murders, a light read that delights in hanging lampshades on many detective/mystery tropes. While the pace dragged a tiny bit in the middle, and the story jarred me with a switch from first to third-person at one point, it was, overall, a very fun, enjoyable read I would definitely recommend to mystery fans familiar with the above classics.
stacydodds's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
usbsticky's review against another edition
3.0
Spoilers ahead:
The plot of this book is slightly different in that Bernie doesn't get framed for the murder(s) but the rest of the plot formula is still the same!
1) Bernie attempts to steal something. Dead body(ies) turn up.
2) Bernie investigates.
3) Bernie reveals mystery in front of everyone.
It's also slightly different in that it's a locked house plot (like And Then There Were None) in that the characters are stuck in a remote house due to heavy snow and a bridge being wrecked. Unfortunately Block doesn't pull it off and the atmosphere doesn't get scary at all (partly due to the forced humor).
Anyway, Bernie goes to a B&B with Carolyn because his "date" stood him up to get married. There is also an ulterior motive in that the library of the B&B has a very rare signed first edition Chandler book worth a lot. I have to give Block credit here as I learned a bit about two seminal American crime fiction writers: Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammett.
Once everyone gets there, they get heavy snow and the first dead body appears. The bridge is wrecked and the maintenance guy is found dead at the bottom of the ravine. Worse, someone cut the phone line and they can't call out so they're basically stuck there for awhile. Next the cook dies and finally another guest dies. At this point Bernie "disappears" and tries to solve the murders behind everyone's backs.
He snoops around and breaks into all the rooms to look for clues. As usual Block keeps the readers in the dark but it doesn't really matter because Block has never been able to build suspense with this plot formula he uses. Finally Bernie appears and does his reveal. There are usually several twists but again it doesn't really matter because Block didn't spend enough time building up the characters so I feel nothing for them. I don't really care for the complexity of the plot, I care about the characters and their interactions with each other. In this particular book, there are too many characters.
Thank goodness only a few more books before the series ends. Why do I care? Funny enough I like Bernie, his bookstore, his cat and Carolyn. Despite the trademark stretched dialogs and forced humor, I want to continue to follow his adventures.
The plot of this book is slightly different in that Bernie doesn't get framed for the murder(s) but the rest of the plot formula is still the same!
1) Bernie attempts to steal something. Dead body(ies) turn up.
2) Bernie investigates.
3) Bernie reveals mystery in front of everyone.
It's also slightly different in that it's a locked house plot (like And Then There Were None) in that the characters are stuck in a remote house due to heavy snow and a bridge being wrecked. Unfortunately Block doesn't pull it off and the atmosphere doesn't get scary at all (partly due to the forced humor).
Anyway, Bernie goes to a B&B with Carolyn because his "date" stood him up to get married. There is also an ulterior motive in that the library of the B&B has a very rare signed first edition Chandler book worth a lot. I have to give Block credit here as I learned a bit about two seminal American crime fiction writers: Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammett.
Once everyone gets there, they get heavy snow and the first dead body appears. The bridge is wrecked and the maintenance guy is found dead at the bottom of the ravine. Worse, someone cut the phone line and they can't call out so they're basically stuck there for awhile. Next the cook dies and finally another guest dies. At this point Bernie "disappears" and tries to solve the murders behind everyone's backs.
He snoops around and breaks into all the rooms to look for clues. As usual Block keeps the readers in the dark but it doesn't really matter because Block has never been able to build suspense with this plot formula he uses. Finally Bernie appears and does his reveal. There are usually several twists but again it doesn't really matter because Block didn't spend enough time building up the characters so I feel nothing for them. I don't really care for the complexity of the plot, I care about the characters and their interactions with each other. In this particular book, there are too many characters.
Thank goodness only a few more books before the series ends. Why do I care? Funny enough I like Bernie, his bookstore, his cat and Carolyn. Despite the trademark stretched dialogs and forced humor, I want to continue to follow his adventures.
princessleia4life's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't care for the main character, but the mystery was really good. That is, until they fail to answer every part.
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
One of the best of the series that's let down by a pretty disappointing ending.
dannb's review against another edition
3.0
Very George and Gracie. Love the banter; however, unavailable details in solving the mystery. Really enjoyed it as an audio read.