Borrower of the Night

The First Vicky Bliss Mystery

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

A missing masterwork in wood, the last creation of a master carver who died in the violent tumult of the sixteenth century, may be hidden in a medieval German castle in the town of Rothenburg. The prize has called to art historian Vicky Bliss, drawing her and an arrogant male colleague into the forbidding citadel and its dark secrets. But the treasure hunt soon turns deadly. Here, where the blood of the long-forgotten damned stains ancient stones, Vicky must face two equally perilous possibilities. Either a powerful supernatural evil inhabits this place … or someone frighteningly real is willing to kill for what Vicky is determined to find.

©1973 Elizabeth Peters

Satsifying alternative to Amelia Peabody

I'd already listened to all the Amelia Peabody books, and I'm happy to report the Vicky Bliss books are pretty much in the same vein. This first installment weighs much more heavily on mystery than the others, keeping the reader guessing up to the very end. As always, Barbara Rosenblatt's narration is excellent.

great character !

vicky bliss is easy to ready and listen to start to finish. Can't go wrong with elizabeth peters

A fun story excellently narrated

I really enjoy all the Vicky Bliss stories, and Barbara Rosenblat’s narration is excellent. It’s so great to hear the story told by someone who sounds natural when speaking in a German accent.
Rosenblat makes Vicky Bliss sound like the brilliant scholar that she is, which makes me very happy.

Another wonderful Peters novel

Vicky Bliss is funny and bright and has a talent for trouble . The way I like my females heroines to be !

Mediocre

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I love Elizabeth Peters' series with Amelia Peabody but this story seemed full of holes and illogical at various places. I would not recommend it and did not send it to anyone.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I didn't think it was entirely logical. Why were all these people gathering at the same time to find the missing artifact for example. After all these years, the sudden gathering at the same time and place seemed far fetched. Multiple other aspects seemed illogical as well.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The quality of the audio was below the standard I'm used to. It had good volume and clarity, but I could hear her mouth movements and breathing too much. I would get used to it and then stop to listen again later and get distracted again.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe. Perhaps the script and visuals would make up for some of the other qualities.

Any additional comments?

Listen to the Amelia Peabody series instead :)