THE BURGLAR IN THE RYE

New York’s most likable cat burglar is asked to purloin a set of personal letters between a reclusive author and his literary agent before they are auctioned off at Sotheby’s. Naturally bodies begin showing up, many glasses of rye whiskey are emptied, and Bernie the burglar is deep in hot water. Having heard Lawrence Block read his own works may be a handicap. It’s hard to hear anyone else read his work. Richard Ferrone’s voice does justice to hard-boiled detective writing with its deep, slightly gravelly tone, but his style may be darker and deeper than what is called for in reading Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 01]