Book Review: Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (Bernie Rhodenbarr #1)

Synopsis
Bernie Rhodenbarr is a burglar for hire. It may not be the most respectable career, but it pays the bills. One day, Bernie is hired to steal a blue leather box from an actor’s house. However, when he arrives, he can’t locate the box. While he’s inspecting every nook and cranny of the actor’s desk, two police officers bust into the apartment and demand a bribe in return for Bernie’s freedom. The lead officer, Ray, takes the money while his assistant, Loren, goes to the bathroom.

As he leaves the bathroom, Loren glimpses the dead bod of the actor lying in his own bedroom. Shocked by the discovery, Loren faints in front of his partner. Bernie capitalizes on the moment to run out of the apartment and hide in a friend’s apartment. There, he meets the friend’s housekeeper. The two partner up to investigate the murder and clear Bernie’s name.

Thoughts
Burglars Can’t Be Choosers is NOT a cozy mystery. Although Bernie is an amateur sleuth, he is too irreverent to be a cozy sleuth. Furthermore, there are a couple of mild sex scenes. This book reminds me more of the Pot Thief series by Michael Orenduff. Both the Bernie Rhodenbarr and Pot Thief series feature compelling, but unconventional (even criminal) sleuths. Burglars Can’t Be Choosers is therefore not for every mystery reader.

I was struck by the age of this novel. Bernie has to use the White and Yellow Pages to look up people and acting agencies. Today, he would be able to access this sort of information with just a touch of the keyboard. The misogyny also dates the book. If you are interested in a recently-published mystery involving a burglar sleuth, I recommend the Electra McDonald series by Ashley Weaver. I read book 1, A Peculiar Combination, a year ago.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the mystery itself. Although I guessed the killer, I did not expect the mystery to have so many layers. The many strands of the mystery came together nicely in the end. There was even an unexpected twist involving one of the main characters.

I would be interested in reading another book in the series.