Автор - Lawrence Block

The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian

Amazon.com ReviewIf the only side of Lawrence Block you know is the dark and gloomy Matt Scudder books, such as the noir classic When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, then you might be surprised to hear that he's also one of the most delightfully droll writers in the mystery business."I hurried uptown and changed into chinos and a short-sleeved shirt that would have been an Alligator except that the embroidered device on the breast was not that reptile but a bird in flight. I guess it was supposed to be a swallow, either winging its way back to Capistrano or not quite making a summer, because the brand name was Swallowtail. It had never quite caught on and I can understand why." That's Bernie Rhodenbarr, used book dealer and gentleman burglar, making a literary fashion statement in this latest return to print of one of Block's best books about him.

The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza

In the realm of larceny, there's no one quite like Bernie Rhodenbarr. A gentleman, a bookseller, and a thief, Bernie steals with style. But now Lawrence Block's beloved criminal has discovered one of the abiding truths about the burglary business: Two's company. Three is definitely a crowd. The second burglars were Bernie and his dog grooming partner, Carolyn. They came to rob the Colcannons' West Side brownstone while the couple was out of town having their own personal burglar alarm – a Bouvier named Astrid – bred. But when Bernie and Carolyn break in they discover that they've already been beaten to the punch. Fortunately for Bernie, the first burglars left behind some decent goods, including a pair of emerald earrings, a fine Piaget watch, and a valuable coin that could just be too hot to handle. But of course he takes it anyway. The Colcannon home, though, still has a busy night ahead, and the next morning one person is dead. And when the next murder strikes uncomfortably close to home, it's time for Bernie to go to work. Because somewhere between a bungled burglary, a nasty case of double homicide, and a rare nickel is a case that makes little sense.

The Burglar who thought he was Bogart

Bernie Rhodenbarr – a romantic? Hey, even burglars fall in love and in this case it's Bernie doing the falling, with the lovely and alluring Ilona. Night after night, sharing popcorn in the flickering shadow of a Bogie movie, Bernie finds himself tongue-tied – sometimes literally. It would appear Ilona's now doing all the stealing. Well, not really. Bernie's been approached by the oddly named Hugo Candlemas to pilfer a posh East Side apartment, make off with the portfolio and collect a fast, easy sum. A reasonable enough request for a trained burglar, sure, but just when things are going well, things turn bad.

The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams

For nearly a year Bernie Rhodenbarr has gone straight…well of a fashion. But Bernie has a new landlord for his Greenwich Village bookstore — Bernie Stoppelagard — not a nice man, who wants to increase his rent by 10,000 dollars…a month! Desperate times call for desperate measures. So Bernie is back to work burgling an apartment of a couple on a European tour of untraceable cash. There is only one problem — the naked man in the bathroom — and the fact that he is deceased. At the same time the apartment of Stoppelgard's brother-in-law has been relieved of a million dollar baseball card collection and somehow Bernie is being blamed (read: framed) for that crime. Mix in a mysterious woman and a crotchety old New York policeman and Bernie seems in big trouble. So what's the answer…Find the baseball cards…and steal them back.

The Canceled Czech

Evan Tanner ran head-first into a piece of shrapnel in Korea, and now he can’t sleep. Ever. Which can be an asset for a dedicated linguist, term paper forger, thief, lost cause enthusiast… Spy. Tanner takes on jobs for a covert intelligence organization so secret that even those who work for it have no idea who they’re working for. Now his nameless supervisor wants him to sneak behind the Iron Curtain, storm an impregnable castle in Prague (alone!), and rescue an old Slovak who’s got a pressing date with a hangman’s noose. The trouble is the prisoner is an unrepentant Nazi who makes Goering look like Mister Rogers. Tanner hates Nazis. If he’s caught (which is likely) the U.S. will deny that they know him. And Tanner will be executed. After being tortured, no doubt. All in all, there are many excellent reasons why Tanner should refuse this assignment. So, naturally, he says yes.

The Scoreless Thai (aka Two For Tanner)

Evan Tanner can’t sleep. Ever. Which gives him plenty of free time to get involved in lots of interesting endeavors in all sorts of exotic locales. Now Tanner’s in Thailand with a partially baked plan and a butterfly net, hoping to snare a beautiful missing chanteuse who’s metamorphosed into an international jewel thief. Tanner hopes everyone will buy his disguise as a rare butterfly researcher. And everyone does… Except the guerilla band holding him captive. They intend to remove his head when the sun rises, so Tanner must put his fate in the hands of a randy Thai youth who will do anything for a woman, even set a suspected spy free. Soon they’re running through the jungle together, chased by bandits, soldiers, and yellow fever, and racing headlong into the heart of darkness – and into the flames of war.

The Thief Who Couldn’t Sleep

From Library JournalBlock introduced Evan Tanner, specialist in lost political causes, in this rousing, often comic 1966 yarn. Unable to sleep for 15 years following a Korean War head wound, Tanner devotes his considerable free time to reading, learning languages, and turning his affliction into a livelihood by writing theses and dissertations for graduate students in New York. Then he learns of hidden Armenian gold in Turkey and sets off on an unlikely adventure that makes him the most wanted fugitive in the world as well as the accidental leader of a Macedonian revolt. Block's tale gets off to an engaging start, sags in the middle partly because of some bone-jarring violence, and recovers neatly at the end. Nick Sullivan handles the characters' many accents quite well. Highly recommended.

Threesome

Tiempo Para Crear, Tiempo Para Matar

El crimen es el crimen, pero el asesinato es algo mayor, diferente. Nadie tiene derecho a arrojar al río la cabeza de un pequeño ladrón y chantajista. Por lo menos según el codigo de honor de Matt Scudder…Giros Jablon, un delincuente de poca monta, acude a donde un antiguo policía al que respetaba, Matt Sudder, para entregarle un sobre que debe abrir tan sólo si muere violentamente. Cuando es asesinado Scudder lo abre y averigua que estaba chantajeando a tres personas importantes una de las cuales, con casi total seguridad, es el responsable de su asesinato.

Un baile en el matadero

Matt Scudder ha pasado muchos de sus días sumergido en el alcohol, dejándose el alma en cada rincón de la Gran Manzana. Hace tiempo perteneció al Departamento de Policía de Nueva York, pero todo aquello ya quedó atrás. Ahora es un detective sin licencia, perseverante y de mente afilada, y no deja que sus obsesiones enturbien la investigación.Lo acaban de contratar para que demuestre una sospecha: que Richard Thurman, personaje influyente de la vida pública, planeó el brutal asesinato de su esposa, estando ella embarazada. En medio de la investigación aparecerán pistas desconcertantes, aparentemente desligadas del caso, pero todos los misterios acabarán confluyendo para enseñar al detective que una vida joven e inocente puede ser comprada, corrompida y aniquilada.`Un baile en el matadero` recibió el premio Edgar 1992.

Un paseo entre las tumbas

`Un millón de dolares en efectivo o matamos a tu mujer`. Los traficantes de drogas son presa fácil de la extorsión y, por razones obvias, no pueden acudir a la policía. Kenan Khoury recibió el mensaje, pero vaciló frente al precio del rescate: no volvió a ver a su mujer con vida. Ahora sólo piensa en vengar su muerte. Para ello contrata los servicios de Matt Scudder, un detective privado sin apenas trabajo y que sufre algún que otro problema con el alcohol. Con ayuda de dos genios de los ordenadores, un punk callejero y una amiga prostituta, Scudder busca a los asesinos en los bajos fondos de Brooklyn.

Warm and Willing