THE BURGLAR WHO TRADED TED WILLIAMS

In the ten years since recovering burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr's last venture into larceny (The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian, not reviewed), his prolific creator has become famous mostly for his dark-hued Matthew Scudder stories. But Block hasn't lost his light touch either, as he demonstrates when Bernie's confronted by temptation — overhearing that the Martin Gilmartins will be leaving their apartment ripe for the picking — valiantly resists, keeps phoning the Gilmartin place till Gilmartin picks up the phone and Bernie knows the hour of temptation has passed — and then, unable to resist a second tip about another empty apartment, lets himself in, discovers a dead body (male, nude, shot) locked inside a bathroom, dusts himself off and goes home — only to be arrested next morning for stealing Gilmartin's collection of baseball cards. Ray Kirschmann, the arresting officer, is perfectly willing to do a deal for the cards; so is Gilmartin's covetous brother-in-law Borden Stoppelgard, Bernie's new landlord. And although Gwendolyn Cooper, who absently tipped him off about the second apartment, is convinced he didn't steal the cards, she wants Bernie to break into her boyfriend's place to grab them from him. Deliciously laid-back fare from a master who makes it all look easy. Bernie, it's been too long.