The Burglar in the Library - Lawrence Block

After his girlfriend dumps him to marry another, Bernie Rhodenbarr retreats to an upstate B&B with his sights set on a valuable first edition located in the inn's library. But when a dead body appears and all the guests remain snowbound, it's up to Bernie to solve the case. n nBookseller and New-Yorker-to-the-bone, Bernie Rhodenbarr rarely ventures out of Manhattan, but he's excited about the romantic getaway he has planned for himself and current lady love Lettice at the Cuttleford House, a remote upstate b&b.

Unfortunately, Lettice has a prior engagement--she's getting married . . .

and not to Bernie--so he decides to take best buddy Carolyn instead. A restful respite from the big city's bustle would be too good to waste. Besides, there's a very valuable first edition shelved in the Cuttleford's library that Bernie's just itching to get his hands on.

Did we neglect to mention that Bernie's a burglar?n nBut first he's got to get around a very dead body on the library floor. The plot's thickened by an isolating snowstorm, downed phone lines, the surprise arrival of Lettice and her reprehensible new hubby, and a steadily increasing corpse count. And it's Bernie who'll have to figure out whodunit .

. . or die.n