The Burglar in the Library

Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar extraordinaire and bookseller ordinaire, has left New York City to spend a wintry weekend at a cozy New England inn famed for its quaint atmosphere and, not coincidentally, its rare books. And there is no book rarer than the one tucked away in the Cuttleford House library: a first edition of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, inscribed to Dashiell Hammett, no less. For Bernie, an irresistible treasure is only a light finger away.
That's before a dead body turns up in the library...before Bernie's two-timing girlfriend arrives with her new husband...and before a sudden storm leaves everyone snowbound. Then - lo and behold - the book disappears. That's when Bernie decides to make his move. Because for Bernie Rhodenbarr, finding the priceless stolen volume is second only to finding a killer who may also be, heaven help him - or her - a thief.