Bernie Rhodenbarr

Bernie Rhodenbarr
First appearanceBurglars Can't Be Choosers (1977)
Last appearanceThe Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown (2022)
Created byLawrence Block
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationBookstore owner, burglar
NationalityAmerican

Bernie Rhodenbarr is the protagonist of the Burglar series of comic mystery novels by Lawrence Block. He first appeared in Burglars Can't Be Choosers, published in 1977; as of 2024, he has appeared in twelve novels by Block, as well as three short stories. H. R. F. Keating described him as "one of the most delectable characters of the day", and "inimitable",[1] while The New York Times called him "the Heifetz of the picklock"[2] and a "timeless (...) treasure".[3]

  1. ^ Whodunit? A Guide to Crime, Suspense & Spy Fiction, edited by H. R. F. Keating; published 1982 by Van Nostrand Reinhold; p. 124-125
  2. ^ CRIME, in The New York Times; published October 23, 1977
  3. ^ CRIME, by Marilyn Stasio, in The New York Times; published December 24, 1995