What fun! I read a couple of these years ago. One was titled something about Mondrian - and that is all I remember. Every now and then it occurs to me to wonder if keeping this blog is improving my memory of what I have read. Hard to say.
Block is another amazingly skilled craftsman. Like McBain, he has two significant series (plus a bunch of other stuff). The "burglar" books about Bernie fairly light, the Matthew Scudder books much darker, all set in New York City.
Bernie is a great character. In this, his first outing, we learn that he carefully considered his options and decided that being a burglar was a logical career choice - flexible hours, self-employed, no taxes, non-violent. There are a few drawbacks - the occasional prison sentence, for example. He trained for his line of work with as much commitment as any professional in any other field.
The only jarring bit was after the cops have discovered Bernie in the murder victim's apartment, and later discovered the body - since Bernie hadn't gotten around to touring the entire place. Having just bribed the cops to forget the incident, when the body is discovered, he bolts thereby making himself the prime suspect. Of course, he was a convenient suspect anyway. So now he is barred from his own apartment and must manage as a fugitive. Which he does successfully, and solves the murder into the bargain.
There is a fine line between making the solution to the mystery blatantly obvious (boring) and failing to give the reader the necessary clues. Nero Wolfe and Hercule Poirot come to mind, they, through the exercise of their little gray cells alone, unravel the works in a final mass confrontation scene. This one balanced quite neatly on the line, I suspected, maybe even was pretty sure, but not totally.
Block does a nice line in literary allusion. There is a priceless scene in which Bernie explains the "purloined letter" concept to the murderer who is disguised by Block in exactly that manner.
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