The Burglar in the Closet - By Lawrence Block Page 0,71

I could have had a shot at changing her mind. But if I had to go through all that then she wasn’t worth it, so the hell with her.

There’s plenty of women in this world.

Like that one I talked to on the phone. Narrowback Gallery. What the hell was her name? Denise. Denise Raphaelson. She’d been lots of fun over the phone, and fun was something Jillian was manifestly not. Cute and cuddly is nice, but after you’ve done the dirty deed a few times it’s nice if you can also lie around and have a few laughs.

Of course she could turn out to be a beast. Or the chemistry in person could be far different from what it had been over the phone. But in a day or three I’d go look at some paintings, and if the signs were right I’d introduce myself, and if it worked that would be nice, and if it didn’t that would be okay, too.

Plenty of women in this world.

But where was I going to find another dentist?

About the Author

A Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, LAWRENCE BLOCK is a four-time winner of the Edgar® and Shamus awards, as well as a recipient of prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. He also received the British Crime Writers’ Association’s prestigious Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement in crime writing. The author of more than fifty books and numerous short stories, he is a devout New Yorker and enthusiastic world traveler. Visit his website at www.lawrenceblock.com.

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Praise for everyone’s favorite felon

BERNIE RHODENBARR and

New York Times bestselling Grand Master

LAWRENCE BLOCK’s

“BERNIE RHODENBARR IS THE PERFECT COMPANION.”

Tampa Tribune

“[Block] returns the incomparable Bernie Rhodenbarr for a seventh criminal appearance…Sure, it’s a wildly improbable plot, yet who but Block could pull it off?…

A FASCINATING ARRAY OF SUSPECTS…

Hilarious…A typical bravura performance by the nonpareil Block.”

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“A witty series…Bernie is incorrigibly adorable…Between his inquiring mind and his sticky fingers,

BERNIE IS THE IDEAL SLEUTH.”

New York Times Book Review

“A DANDY LITTLE DETECTIVE STORY…

It’ll keep you entertained.”

Denver Post

“WITTY, CHARMING…FUNNY…ENTERTAINING READING.”

Virginian Pilot

“READING RHODENBARR IS ABOUT AS LIGHT AND EASY AS DRINKING LEMONADE ON A HOT DAY, and it’s a whole lot more fun.”

Syracuse Post-Standard

“His canny survival instincts, combined with his irrepressible sense of humor, make

BERNIE RHODENBARR ONE OF DETECTIVE FICTION’S MOST ENGAGING HEROES.”

Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A FUN BIT OF WHODUNIT.”

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

“The comic caper has few practitioners today, but…

[BLOCK] IS AS GOOD AS THEY COME.”

South Bend Tribune

“In his Matthew Scudder books, Block is one of the most serious of crime novelists. When he chronicles Bernie…Block is one of the funniest…

[BERNIE] IS ENOUGH TO GIVE BURGLARY A GOOD NAME.”

Los Angeles Times

“Have you read Block’s [Rhodenbarr] mysteries? You should. THEY ARE A REAL KICK.”

Denver Rocky Mountain News

“Thoroughly enjoyable…

A FUN, CLEVER, HIGHLY ENTERTAINING MYSTERY.”

BPI Entertainment News Wire

“It’s the mark of an innovative storyteller to turn a normally reprehensible character into a hero—of sorts.

AUTHOR LAWRENCE BLOCK’S BERNIE THE BURGLAR SERIES AREN’T JUST GOOD MYSTERIES, THEY ARE SUPREME ESCAPISM.”

Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“BLOCK IS A MASTER OF WITTY DIALOGUE, PLOTTING AND PACE, and the series’ wacky, offbeat characters make great companions.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer

“DEFINITELY AMUSING.”

The Times (London)

“[BLOCK IS] A MASTER OF INGRATIATING, LITERATE ENTERTAINMENT…

Plot turns aside, it’s simply fun to listen to Bernie Rhodenbarr talk.”

Washington Post Book World

Books by Lawrence Block

The Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries

BURGLARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS • THE BURGLAR IN THE CLOSET • THE BURGLAR WHO LIKED TO QUOTE KIPLING • THE BURGLAR WHO STUDIED SPINOZA • THE BURGLAR WHO PAINTED LIKE MONDRIAN • THE BURGLAR WHO TRADED TED WILLIAMS • THE BURGLAR WHO THOUGHT HE WAS BOGART • THE BURGLAR IN THE LIBRARY • THE BURGLAR IN THE RYE • THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL

The Matthew Scudder Novels

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS • TIME TO MURDER AND CREATE • IN THE MIDST OF DEATH • A STAB IN THE DARK • EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE • WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES • OUT ON THE CUTTING EDGE • A TICKET TO THE BONEYARD • A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE • A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES • THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD • A LONG LINE OF DEAD MEN • EVEN THE WICKED • EVERYBODY DIES • HOPE TO DIE • ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING

Keller’s Greatest Hits

HIT MAN • HIT LIST

SMALL TOWN

Collected Short Stories

ENOUGH ROPE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 1978 by Lawrence Block. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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About the Publisher

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HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

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