Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Three of FiveThe Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian by Lawrence Block
Dutton, Dec., 1998..Hardcover, 234 pages.
ISBN: 052594382X.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Antiquarian book dealer Bernie Rhodenbarr (who
occasionally morphs into a gentleman burglar at night) agrees to
appraise the private library of Gordon Onderdonk,
a millionaire who lives in the exclusive highrise, The
Charlemagne, in Manhattan. After doing the appraisal,
Bernie stays on for a little after-hours burglaring. But when
he returns to Onderdonk's apartment to relieve him of the
valuable Mondrian painting (in order to ransom his best friend's
kinapped feline), he finds an attractive live female and a
dead body. The plot gets considerably more complicated
after that as Bernie tries to rescue Carolyn's cat, clear himself
of a murder charge and sort out a number of Mondrians --
some of which must be fakes.
This is a hardcover reprint of the popular fifth entry in the "burglar" series starring gentleman burglar and bookstore owner Bernie Rhodenbarr. What makes this series so appealing are the characters: the witty, urbane Rhodenbarr who has his own code of morality, his lesbian best friend Carolyn, who is always teetering on the edge of a full-blown neurosis, and Ray, the cop who's always trying to catch Bernie in another crime. Block is an expert at farce, and never goes over the edge. The repartée is witty and the humor is sharp in this fast-paced charmer. Another gem for Rhodenbarr fans.
--Claire E. White
Dark Justice by William Bernhardt
Ballantine Books, Jan., 1999.Hardcover, 389 pages.
ISBN: 0345407385.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Lawyer and novelist
Ben Kincaid is on
a book tour in the
Pacific Northwest.
He stops for a signing in
Magic Valley, a small logging community.
Hardly anyone attends
his book signing, but he
does encounter an
opportunity for a new client
after he is thrown in jail for
trying to rescue a cat.
In the jail cell next to his
Kincaid meets
George Zakin, a member of
Green Rage,
an environmental
activist group (known
as "eco-terrorists" by
the local loggers), who has been
accused of the murder of
a lumberjack who was shot
and burned to death.
Maureen Williamson, also
in the jail cell and an
attractive member of
the Green Rage
group almost convinces
Kincaid to take the case,
but Kincaid is reluctant
because of
the illegal nature of some
of the group's activities, which
includes blowing up logging
equipment. However, he
ultimately changes his
mind when some loggers
attack him and the two
activists outside the
police station. Kincaid
soon finds he is in for
more than he bargained
for in a town that is
extremely pro-logging and boasts
a judge that prefers to see
things the prosecution's way.
The prosecutor, a vixen
named Rebecca Adams,
is in tight with the Judge
and has her mind set on slamming the
door on Kincaid's client
no matter what it takes.
In this latest entry from William Bernhardt, the characters are appealing and the mystery stays well-hidden until the end. The skirmishes between loggers and the eco-terrorists are intriguing -- and somewhat alarming -- as are the insights into how the logging industry manages to thwart the government and cut down trees anyway despite fines and penalties. Another excellent legal thriller from Bernhardt. Highly recommended.
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