Publication date October 31, 2023

Summary

Bernie Rhodenbarr has had a pretty good life. He lives in New York City and owns a used book store which has admittedly struggled since the arrival of Amazon and Ebay, but that’s okay because, on the side, he occasionally engages in a bit of burglary at the homes of the well-to-do. Unfortunately, the arrival of security cameras and high-tech locks has made his back-up career less than profitable of late. 

Then, one evening, he talks to his best friend about Fredric Brown and parallel universes, only to find that the following morning he and his friend have both arrived in a universe very similar to, but also rather different from, their regular universe. Of course, it would be wrong not to take advantage of the absence of cameras and the presence of old-fashioned locks to relieve “one of the worst men in the world” of one of the most valuable diamonds in the world.

But when a body turns up in that particular penthouse and some other valuable items have also gone missing at an art gallery, Bernie decides he’d better come up with a clever idea fast.

My Thoughts

Well, huh.

Even though these books don’t fall into my traditional favorite genres, I have really enjoyed the Bernie Rhodenbarr books in the past. So, when I saw this on NetGalley, I automatically requested it without even reading the description. Always read the description. 

It’s safe to say the parallel universe thing caught me a bit off guard, and I admit that even after finishing it I’m still perplexed. If modern day security cameras and locks make doing traditional Bernie burglaries too complicated, which I understand, wouldn’t it have made sense to just set it back in the 70s or 80s rather than this rather odd parallel universe approach?  But maybe the author just felt like experimenting with a new genre?

In spite of the strange jump between universes, the book still had the humor that I expect in these stories. The banter between Bernie and Carolyn is always entertaining. One of my favorite lines is when Bernie tells Carolyn to sleep with the money in case they travel between universes again, to which she replies “Jesus, I’ll feel like Scrooge McDuck.”

The heist was well plotted out and most of the twists and turns that came after it, including a couple of dead bodies showing up, very much had the feel of one of the traditional Bernie Rhodenbarr books. 

However, because of the parallel universe situation, the mystery just seemed a bit convoluted. The summary and resolution of the crimes was far less satisfactory than usual.

We also never learned where the second universe’s Bernie and Carolyn went. Did they go back to the first universe, and if so, did they cause trouble while they were there? Is there going to be a second book where we find out what the second Bernie and Carolyn were doing? Honestly, I hope not.

What Else I Liked

• I did appreciate that one character from an earlier book had a happier ending in the parallel universe.

Trigger/Content Warnings

Anti-Asian Slurs

My Rating 3/5

I struggled with this rating. I finished the book a couple of days ago, and I’m still thinking about it, which is usually the sign of a very good book, right? Very good books make us think. However, I may just be too conventional for the genre jump, and I did have a few issues with the wrap-up. So I’m going with good, 3 stars, rather than a very good 4 stars.

I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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About the Author

Lawrence Block is a writer of crime, mystery and suspense who has published 6 different series, several collections of short stories, 3 works of non-fiction, and at least 7 stand alone novels. Overall, he has written over 100 books and even more short stories. He has won numerous awards for his work.

To learn more about him, check out his website.