The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza

A welcome reissue is The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza, the fourth entry in Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr series originally published in 1980. The Greenwich Village bookseller who moonlights as a burglar ""happens"" to discover a rare coin in someone else's apartment. The next day, two dead bodies are found there, one belonging to the owner, the other to Bernie's fence. To clear himself of a murder charge, Bernie must clear up the mystery, which he does with the expected, timeless style and wit. (Dutton, $23.95 224p ISBN 0-525-94180-0)