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A review by usbsticky
The Burglar in the Library by Lawrence Block
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.