Every so often, you come across a book in which you know from the very first page that the story within is going to be a pure joy to experience.  The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons, the new Bernie Rhodenbarr novel by Lawrence Block, is just such a novel.  Readers will...

Not to mention: entertaining company. One of the other pleasurable features in Block's series is our narrator's friendship with dog groomer Carolyn Kaiser, who serves as a lunchtime buddy, sounding board and occasional companion during Bernie's scouting expeditions....

Block, through Bernie, manages to share some obscure history and some book recommendations without slowing down his tale. Eavesdropping on Carolyn and Bernie as they sort out the difference between Myer Myers and Meyer Meyer is among the book’s many pleasures. So is...