Bernie is a gentleman thief. He is also the owner of a brick-and-mortar bookshop in Greenwich Village, New York. Neither of those occupations are easy in today’s world. His customers browse in his bookstore but buy their books online. Cameras and electronic locks are everywhere. But what if one morning, Bernie woke up and, poof, online book sellers, surveillance cameras and fancy locks are gone. It seems that Bernie was The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown on the pages of his alternate universe 1950 novel. Could this really be happening? Bernie and his best friend aren’t waiting to find out. They are stealing an enormous diamond from a nasty neighbor as soon as possible. Preferably before the world snaps back to reality.
After reading eleven books in this series over the course of a lot of decades, I was curious how it was going to be revived in the current world. The author uses an ingenious method of throwing just enough alternate world science fiction into the plot to make this book a throwback to the earlier books. The entire series is a gently humorous look into one man’s life. The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown is an enjoyable way to spend a day or two reminiscing about the past. 4 stars!
Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.