THE BERNIE RHODENBARR MYSTERIES

The Bernie Rhodenbarr series is as light as Matthew Scudder is dark. Bernie’s a bookseller by day, a burglar by night. Unlike Matt, who grows and ages, Bernie stays the same lighthearted youthful fellow throughout. Just like his creator, come to think of it. . .

Consequently, it’s less important to read the Burglar books in order. (I wrote them in order, but I didn’t have any choice.)

1

BURGLARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS. Random House, 1977. Bernie's debut. The Random House first edition is hard to find. Dutton reissued the book in hardcover in 1995, and I have a limited number of copies for sale. The Signet paperback is out of print, but there's two paperback editions available now: in the UK from No Exit and in the US from HarperTorch (US cover shown).

2

THE BURGLAR IN THE CLOSET. Random House, 1978. This was the source for much of the plot of "Burglar", the Whoopi Goldberg movie. The Random House first is one of the harder books to find, the Dutton hardcover reissue also out of print. Currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch.

3

THE BURGLAR WHO LIKED TO QUOTE KIPLING. Random House, 1979. Winner of the Nero Wolfe award. This book introduces Carolyn Kaiser as Bernie's best friend and occasional henchperson, and is the first one in which he has the bookstore. Dutton published a hardcover reissue in 1996, and I have some copies on hand. The Signet paperback is out of print, currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch.

4

THE BURGLAR WHO STUDIED SPINOZA. Random House, 1980. Bernie walks off with a 1913 Liberty Nickel, one of five in existence. Again, there was a Dutton hardcover reissue in 1997, but it's out of print. The Signet paperback is out of print, too. Currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch.

5

THE BURGLAR WHO PAINTED LIKE MONDRIAN. Arbor House, 1983. Reissued in hardcover by Dutton in 1998. Book collectors should note that I have copies of the original Random House hardcover first edition. The Signet paperback is out of print; currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch. Nick Blackburn has compiled an excellent selection of foreign Mondrian covers; if you know of any other covers, please contact him via his website.

6

THE BURGLAR WHO TRADED TED WILLIAMS. Dutton, 1994. The first new adventure for Bernie after an eleven-year layoff. Winner of the German Philip Marlowe award. Ailurophiles will be pleased to note that this is the book in which Bernie meets Raffles the Cat. The Signet paperback is out of print, currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch.

7

THE BURGLAR WHO THOUGHT HE WAS BOGART. Dutton, 1995. Bernie goes to a Humphrey Bogart film festival, and (surprise!) falls in love. Currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch.

8

THE BURGLAR IN THE LIBRARY. Dutton, 1997. Bernie and Carolyn leave New York and wind up snowed in at a New England country inn. Think Agatha Christie at Fawlty Towers. The Signet paperback is out of print, currently available in mass-market paperback from HarperTorch.

9

THE BURGLAR IN THE RYE. Dutton, 1999. Suppose some woman had an affair in her youth with an extremely reclusive American writer. And suppose an ex-agent had arranged to sell off the letters the reclusive author had written to her. Of course nothing like that could ever happen in real life, but doesn't it sound like a job for Bernie Rhodenbarr? Currently still available in Dutton hardcover and Thorndyke large print and Signet paperback.     10 THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL Antiquarian bookseller by day, burglar by night, Bernie has an innate knack, a gift, for getting into places designed to keep him out.... For more on the story, CLICK HERE.

Bernie’s appeared in a few short stories. One of them, "The Burglar Who Dropped In On Elvis," draws queries from time to time; it’s out on audio and readers wonder if it’s a novel they somehow missed. It’s a short story, and first appeared in Some Days You Get The Bear.

And what's next for our lad? There will be a new Bernie Rhodenbarr book; but we don't know when.