The Burglar in the Rye by Lawrence Block
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"I don't know how the dictionary defines 'anticlimactic.' I suppose I could look it up, but so could you, if you care. I don't, because I know what it is. It's standing in a bathtub, desperate for a pee, after two people in the next room have finished making love."

90% of Lawrence Block's The Burglar in the Rye (1999) is absolutely delightful! I have been oohing and aahing about the cute prose and giggling loud. Already the third paragraph of the novel, still on the first page, made me burst out laughing:

"He was a bear, of course, but not the sort whose predilection for sylvan defecation is as proverbial as the Holy Father's Catholicism."

And a few pages later:

"[...] the room was so small you had to go out to the hall to change your mind."

Then:

"People say it all the time. 'oh, really? Both the dog and your mother-in-law? That's funny, because you didn't seem drunk at all.'"

Enough of that! Let the readers find the sweet nuggets of prose on their own.

The witty prose is not the only reason to love this novel! The title offers a clear hint and - if I am allowed to hint at the nature of the author's hint - it is not because many characters in the novel frequently drink rye whisky. This installment of Burglar transcends the conventions of the series and is a high-class meta-literary joke. Something exactly perfect for us here on Goodreads!

With the witty prose and the "meta" who cares about the plot! I certainly did not pay much attention to it. But let's at least explain the setup. As usual in the series, it starts promising. Bernie Rhodenbarr checks into a room at the Paddington Hotel. From his conversation with Carolyn - a delightful conversation that touches such topics as whether gold hoops would go well with a dirndl - we understand that he is in the hotel to do his real job, that is breaking and entering, rather than the daily job of owning a used book shop.

And indeed, Bernie does break into a room in the hotel but... As usual in the series, many complications arise and their complexity only keeps growing throughout the novel. I did not even try to follow what was going on; I just kept enjoying the light touch of Mr. Block's pen. No writer's block for this bloke!

But there is the disappointing business of the remaining 10% of the novel. Well, again as usual in the series, we have a Nero Wolfean ending, with the characters gathered in one place, etc. etc. A horrid convention! (Hey, is it another pun? I should be pun-ished!)

For the Paddington bear, sylvan defecation, dirndl, for both the mother-in-law and the dog, I would really love to rate the novel with four-and-a-half stars. Alas, the cliché ending deflated my enthusiasm.

Four stars.

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