H. R. F. Keating described him as "one of the most delectable characters of the day", and "inimitable",[1] while The New York Times called him "the Heifetz of the picklock"[2] and a "timeless (...) treasure".
[3] Bernie Rhodenbarr is a New York City-based thief who excels in lock picking and breaking and entering, and who is addicted to the thrill it provides.
[4] Bernie's investigative techniques include not only interviewing the victim's associates, but visits (sometimes involving illegal entry) to their homes to identify (and occasionally plant) evidence.
Prior to the novel The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (to explain a publishing hiatus in the series) it was revealed that the bookstore was actually making a profit, before its building's landlord changed and the new owner raised the rent catastrophically.
The two meet over drinks on a regular basis, discussing their work and love lives; their conversations enable writer Block to display his wit and mention favorite authors.
Wally has helped Bernie by negotiating the sale of the Barnegat Books building to him, and has also taken up martial arts, which came in handy in a later novel when he apprehended an escaping suspect.
He occasionally helps Bernie out by identifying potential victims for him, usually rich people with a cash flow problem who would like to collect on their home insurance policy by reporting a burglary, and, in fact, this is how the purchase of the Barnegat Books building was financed (detailed in The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams).
For a movie tie-in edition, Block added a short intro in which Bernie explains that he has a cousin named Bernice who is also a thief.