Bernie Rhodenbarr is a fictional character created by American novelist Lawrence Block. Rhodenbarr is a NYC thief who is an expert lockpick who loves the thrill of breaking and entering. The series is lighter in tone than Block’s Matt Scudder series. The novel The Burglar in the Closet was (loosely) adapted into the film Burglar starring Whoopi Goldberg as “Bernice.” Needless to say, Block was displeased with this adaptation.

The Bernie Rhodenbarr series began with Burglars Can’t Be Choosers in 1977. Below is a list of Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr books in order of when they originally published (and in chronological order):

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Publication Order of Bernie Rhodenbarr Books

Burglars Can't Be Choosers(1977)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar in the Closet(1978)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling(1979)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza(1980)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian(1983)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Like a Thief in the Night(1983)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams(1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Takes a Cat(1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart(1995)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar in the Library(1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar in the Rye(1998)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Dropped in on Elvis(1999)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar on the Prowl(2001)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Smelled Smoke(2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Bad Night for Burglars(2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar in Short Order(2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown(2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Note: The Burglar Who Smelled Smoke was co-authored by Lynne Wood Block.

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