The Burglar Who Liked To Quote Kipling
by Lawrence Block
It’s been too long since I took a spin with Lawrence Block. Here, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr runs a used book store in Manhattan and supplements his earnings with occasional odd jobs, such as pilfering a unique edition of Kipling’s big mistake from a swank suburban house. With cops and everyone else staking out his home and store, Bernie takes refuge with a lesbian pal down in Greenwich Village. Hilarity ensues.
This 1979 title is plenty of fun. It must’ve been more fun then, of course, when incidentally lesbian characters were thin on the ground and when a plot that hinges on the absence of cell phones is less obtrusive. Nonetheless, a healthy romp is had by all.