Sunday, September 22, 2013

Lawrence Block. The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian (1983)

      Lawrence Block. The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian (1983) Bernie Rhodenbarr, an antique dealer, moonlights as a thief of fine art and artefacts. I tried reading this book twice, and got about 20 pages both times. Block has tried to create the witty thief, the crook with whom we empathise, and twenty-odd years ago this ploy worked. But now it seems dated, and Bernie just isn’t an interesting enough character. He’s just a container for adolescent fantasies. (2007)

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Mice in the Beer (Ward, 1960)

 Norman Ward. Mice In the Beer (1960. Reprinted 1986) Ward, like Stephen Leacock, was an economics and political science professor, Leacock...