The Burglar in the Closet - (Bernie Rhodenbarr) by Lawrence Block (Paperback)

About the Book

First published in 1978, this second novel in Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr series is now repackaged.

Book Synopsis

The thing about being a burglar is it's a secret best kept to yourself. You live safer, and the police have less chance of finding you out. Maybe you can tell a friend, but your dentist? Well, this is the awkward situation Bernie Rhodenbarr finds himself in, in The Burglar in the Closet. Like all great capers, it starts out complicated and goes downhill from there. At a routine teeth cleaning Bernie discovers a few things. One, he's got a nasty cavity. Two, his dentist is unhappily married. Three, his dentist knows Bernie's a burglar. Seems good old Dr. Sheldrake is in need of a burglar to steal back some valuable diamonds from his soon-to-be ex, Mrs. Sheldrake. Next thing Bernie realizes is his tooth feels better, and, prowling around Crystal Sheldrake's apartment for the goods, his head hurts. That's because someone just put a key in the lock and is coming through the door. With only one place to hide, Bernie slips into the closet, agonizing over the overly friendly sounds coming from Crystal's boudoir. Time passes, Bernie emerges, and there's the lovely Crystal Sheldrake - only she's not so lovely anymore - lying dead on the floor, a dental instrument to blame. To top it all off, the diamonds are gone. So too is Bernie, chasing a killer's shadow and evading the inquiring eyes of his nemesis, Detective Ray Kirschmann.

From the Back Cover

It's hard to ignore someone with his hands in your mouth. Bernie Rhodenbarr's all ears when Dr. Sheldrake, his dentist, starts complaining about his detestable, soon-to-be-ex wife, and happens to mention the valuable diamonds she keeps lying around the apartment. Since Bernie's been known to supplement his income as a bookstore owner with the not-so-occasional bout of high-rise burglary, a couple of nights later he's in the Sheldrake apartment with larceny on his mind -- and has to duck into a closet when the lady of the house makes an unexpected entrance. Unfortunately he's still there when an unseen assailant does Mrs. Sheldrake in . . . and then vanishes with the jewels.

Bernie's got to come out of the closet some time. But when he does, he'll be facing a rap for a murder he didn't commit -- and for a burglary he certainly attempted -- unless he can hunt down the killer who left him hanging.