Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Borrower of the Night (Vicky Bliss #1)
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 deadl
...moreAudio CD, 6 pages
Published
March 1st 2010
by Blackstone Audiobooks
(first published 1973)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
[7/10]
After three Amelia Peabody Egyptian mysteries, I decided to branch out and try something else by the author. Enters Fraulein Bliss, a contemporary (cca. 1973) American art historian, feminist alter ego of Indiana Jones, hunting for lost treasures among the tombs of the past. Borrower of the Night takes her to Bavaria and a 16 Century castle turned into a hotel, where a priceless wood sculpture from the time of the Reformation may be hidden.
There are some parallels that can be drawn betwe...more
After three Amelia Peabody Egyptian mysteries, I decided to branch out and try something else by the author. Enters Fraulein Bliss, a contemporary (cca. 1973) American art historian, feminist alter ego of Indiana Jones, hunting for lost treasures among the tombs of the past. Borrower of the Night takes her to Bavaria and a 16 Century castle turned into a hotel, where a priceless wood sculpture from the time of the Reformation may be hidden.
There are some parallels that can be drawn betwe...more
I've been hearing about Elizabeth Peters' Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody books for quite awhile now and for some reason just haven't found my way to reading any of them until now. I noticed these re-issues of the Vicky Bliss series and decided to pick up the first one and see.
Vicky is an art historian with a delightful sense of humor and a certain dry acceptance of her statuesque stature and tendency to intimidate those around her. When we first meet Vicky, she is teaching at a college in the M...more
Vicky is an art historian with a delightful sense of humor and a certain dry acceptance of her statuesque stature and tendency to intimidate those around her. When we first meet Vicky, she is teaching at a college in the M...more
2 likes · like · see review
view all 7 comments
Vicki Bliss is a historian who has just had the find of a lifetime fall into her lap, proof that a shrine built by Remenschneider (I listened to the book so spelling may be suspect) actually existed. A race between herself and her lover, Tony Lawrence, as well as treasure hunter George Nolan, takes them all to Germany in an old, supposedly haunted castle.
In the setting of the book, the castle is now a hotel run by the final countess (who married into the family) and the last surviving Drachenste...more
In the setting of the book, the castle is now a hotel run by the final countess (who married into the family) and the last surviving Drachenste...more
Nov 16, 2012
Charlotte
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adventure,
historical-mystery
I didn't *adore* this book. I could grow to like Vicky but I didn't automatically love her like I did Amelia Peabody. The set up of the mystery was alright but the pace didn't really grab my attention until halfway through the book and more of the side characters had been introduced. The.. love interest/academic vival was quite bland and, after having seen how wonderful the chemistry was between Amelia and Emerson even after the first couple of novels (which to me would normally be a test of cha...more
Originally published on my blog here in June 1999.
One of Elizabeth Peters' earliest novels (the first of the Vicky Bliss series), Borrower of the Night does not quite have as well developed a sense of satire as many of her later books. It is more like the romances of a writer like Victoria Holt than a spoof of the genre.
Some elements of the romance genre are made fun of. The character of Vicky Bliss is made deliberately too good to be true: not only does she fit into an accepted notion of femini...more
One of Elizabeth Peters' earliest novels (the first of the Vicky Bliss series), Borrower of the Night does not quite have as well developed a sense of satire as many of her later books. It is more like the romances of a writer like Victoria Holt than a spoof of the genre.
Some elements of the romance genre are made fun of. The character of Vicky Bliss is made deliberately too good to be true: not only does she fit into an accepted notion of femini...more
I love Elizabeth Peters! I love Amelia Peabody Emerson (and company), and I really like the Vicky Bliss mysteries, too. I recently realized that although I've read both series numerous times, I had never actually read the very first Vicky Bliss (mainly I think since it does not feature Smythe...). So I went back and read it. Honestly, this is the worst novel Elizabeth Peters has written. Compared to many others in the genre it isn't bad, but I can't say that it was outstanding.
Vicky Bliss is th...more
Vicky Bliss is th...more
I hate to admit it, because it may get me lynched, but I could never get into the Amelia Peabody books. I've read the first three and started off really excited to read the series, that so many people had told me was so good. But it never really clicked with me.
All the same, I had been told by so many people how good Elizabeth Peters' book were that when I saw the first Vicky Bliss book on special for Kindle at Amazon, I bought it. As do so many of the books I buy, it then languished in the Amaz...more
All the same, I had been told by so many people how good Elizabeth Peters' book were that when I saw the first Vicky Bliss book on special for Kindle at Amazon, I bought it. As do so many of the books I buy, it then languished in the Amaz...more
So many things about this book bugged me. In fact, I'm struggling to think of what I DID like about this book. I guess the ambiance was nice. Set in an old castle in Germany, all the crawling about in the ruins and discussion of history. I liked that. But...
The characters were not engaging. Our heroine and narrator, Vicky, was a smart, independent woman of un-delicate proportions (her self-description as being a "bouncing Brunhilda" was pretty funny) and competitive spirit. She has declared that...more
The characters were not engaging. Our heroine and narrator, Vicky, was a smart, independent woman of un-delicate proportions (her self-description as being a "bouncing Brunhilda" was pretty funny) and competitive spirit. She has declared that...more
The Vicky Bliss series by Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Mertz) will never be as good in my opinion as the Amelia Peabody Series, but it is my second favorite. This first books stands to introduce us to Vicky Bliss, historian and art lover, who is a strong, independent female who despite being a tall, leggy, curvy blond cares more about her brains than her looks and wishes others would too. This first installation provides a good mystery both in the present day and a historical mystery that requi...more
MontanaLibrary2Go
I own this in paperback, though I can't locate it at the moment, and thought it was one I'd read years ago. When I saw it in the library ebook system I decided to check it out and reread it, and have discovered that somehow I never read it when I read the other Vicky Bliss novels.
It's important to know before starting that this book was originally published in 1973. Many of the Amazon listings only give the 2008 re-issue date, and while the book is not terribly dated, there ar...more
I own this in paperback, though I can't locate it at the moment, and thought it was one I'd read years ago. When I saw it in the library ebook system I decided to check it out and reread it, and have discovered that somehow I never read it when I read the other Vicky Bliss novels.
It's important to know before starting that this book was originally published in 1973. Many of the Amazon listings only give the 2008 re-issue date, and while the book is not terribly dated, there ar...more
Vicky Bliss decided at a young age that she would not ever get married. Her tall height and high IQ was what kept boys away when she was ten years old. However, now men seem to be determined to change her mind. Vicky must battle with her coworker Tony who is determined to prove himself her intellectual superior in order to dominate over her and make her his wife. They compete to find the long lost Riemenschneider shrine in Rothenburg, Germany. Vicky soon discovers that she has more people to com...more
Jun 17, 2013
Rosario (http://rosario.blogspot.com/)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
The Vicky Bliss series is one of my favourites. It includes one of the most satisfying, exciting romances I've ever read, that between Vicky and art thief John Smythe. However, before meeting in Street of the Five Moons each were introduced in separate books. John is a minor character in The Camelot Caper, and Vicky stars in this one.
As the book starts, Vicky is a history professor in a small Midwestern university. She's in a relationship with a fellow professor, Tony, who keeps pestering her to...more
As the book starts, Vicky is a history professor in a small Midwestern university. She's in a relationship with a fellow professor, Tony, who keeps pestering her to...more
Mar 13, 2012
Lynne-marie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
lighthearted mystery fans
Drawn to a menacing citadel by the hopes of rediscovering a last masterpiece carved by a dying medieval wunderkind, vicky is faced with a predatory counterpart also seeking the missing masterpiece and then suddenly either a great evil embodied in the castle or born of someone determined to stop at nothing. I love the Vicky Bliss series almost more than the Amelia Peabody series, because in the former, E. Peters has her tongue even more firmly in her cheek and allow the outrageous to slip from he...more
The "first" Vicky Bliss but I generally skip this one in favor of Street of the Five Moons which is better written with more romantic tension even if it lacks castles with secret passages. Peters in her witchcraft cult research phase and more identifiably 70s than usual. Worth reading if you want to see Vicky's first meeting with Schmidt, perambulating armor, and a little background for Trojan Gold. I reread it in print for the first time in a long time and I think audio (read by Barbara Rosenbl...more
Sep 07, 2010
Kaye
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-in-a-series-mysteries
After finishing the Amelia Peabody series decided to give the same authors' Vicky Bliss series a try. Vicky is a current day expert on medieval art and history. She is tall, blonde and bright. She uncovers a clue to a missing historical shrine that sends her on a summer hunt to a castle in Rothenburg, Germany. I have been to the area and enjoyed the descriptions. Also Peters historical information and art history is spot on. As a mystery it is clean, has engaging characters but is slightly predi...more
I picked this up because I adore Elizabeth Peter's other series about the Emerson family, and the character of Vicky Bliss sounded different, but still interesting enough for me to give her a try.
I enjoyed the book. Vicky, an American is just as spunky and unorthodox as Amelia but in a completely different flavour. Her rivalry with Tony, although certainly entertaining, doesn't have quite the same level of amusement and snap as the one between Amelia and Emerson.
Still, the story was fun, and the...more
I enjoyed the book. Vicky, an American is just as spunky and unorthodox as Amelia but in a completely different flavour. Her rivalry with Tony, although certainly entertaining, doesn't have quite the same level of amusement and snap as the one between Amelia and Emerson.
Still, the story was fun, and the...more
I ended up really loving this book. I had almost given up since it was slow starting out, but how good it then became made up for the rest. I read this for the "cozy mystery" author of month group. first author I have really liked in several months. this author reminded me of mysteries like Sayers or Christie which are hard to come by. No bad language, no sex in the face. I had thought of her books since there are so many-to read, but the cover's put me off. The tale did not seem to go with the...more
Mar 02, 2012
Timothy Darling
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mystery fans, fantasy buffs, historical novel fans
With all the audacity and silliness of Amelia Peabody, Vicky Bliss gives as much as she takes, and then some. This story is a corny romp through touristy historic Rothenburg. The castle, the walls, the tombs and secret passages give one all the pleasure of an episode of Scooby Doo with a vocabulary. The twists and turns are quite predictable in retrospect and Mertz follows the literary rule of getting her heros in so much hot water they can't possibly get out ... but, of course, they do. The Dra...more
Vicky Bliss is an art historian who travels to Bavaria in search of a wooden treasure. She's staying in a an old castle who has been converted to a hotel. And there is where she starts finding interesting facts about the artists' patron and his family.
The story flowed and found it a fast read. The characters were amazing, there was quite a variety of them, some more critical than others but overall a great cast. I found Vicky to be very likable. She's a modern version of Amelia Peabody in my op...more
The story flowed and found it a fast read. The characters were amazing, there was quite a variety of them, some more critical than others but overall a great cast. I found Vicky to be very likable. She's a modern version of Amelia Peabody in my op...more
Jul 05, 2008
Shannon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Shannon by:
Michelle Rock
It was hard for me to get into this at first but as soon as I did I couldn't put it down. Apparently it is a series so here I go. I am going to have to keep reading:)
Just plain fun. And you'll actually learn a lot (as you always do with her novels) about history - this time it's German/medieval. :)
1 like · like · see review
I hear the library keeps Elizabeth Peters' books under lock and key so I had to read one to see what the fuss was all about. I'm not head over heals in love with sleuth, Vicky Bliss, certainly not comparable to the girl crush I had on Nancy Drew and Linda Craig (she had a palomino horse I soooo coveted) when I was in my formative years, but nonetheless I might just be at the infatuation stage, and could possibly move into an "in a relationship" facebook status with this art historian, brainiac f...more
I love the Amelia Peabody series and so I thought I'd give another series by Elizabeth Peters a try.
This book was very similar to the Peabody ones. You might even say that the books are a bit formulaic. But within that formula Elizabeth Peters manages to surprise me every time. I love the strong female character who is so confident and sure of herself and yet is sometimes dead wrong. I like the sense of humor her female characters possess. Vicky (or Amelia) are never wrong for long and ultimatel...more
This book was very similar to the Peabody ones. You might even say that the books are a bit formulaic. But within that formula Elizabeth Peters manages to surprise me every time. I love the strong female character who is so confident and sure of herself and yet is sometimes dead wrong. I like the sense of humor her female characters possess. Vicky (or Amelia) are never wrong for long and ultimatel...more
I really like Vicky Bliss. She's smart, self-deprecating, and funny. She's feminist while still being feminine, and sometimes that's hard to find in a strong female character. The writing is clever, and the mystery is well-plotted but not too complicated. I really enjoyed the international flair with a little bit of history, and it was fun to read about a place I've actually been to. I also like the lack of gory violence and gratuitous sex that seems to dominate most current mystery novels. Just...more
Book One of the Vicky Bliss Series.
Vicky is a tall, brilliant and beautiful. Her and Tony, both scholars set off on an adventure to find a shrine carved by Tilman Riemenschneider, who is appartently Germany's greatest master of the late Gothic. Someone else is trying to get to the shrine at the same time. And trying to kill Vicky to keep her away.
This is a pretty good start to a new series for me by Elizabeth Peters. There is still something more enduring in the Amelia Peabody series, but I am...more
Vicky is a tall, brilliant and beautiful. Her and Tony, both scholars set off on an adventure to find a shrine carved by Tilman Riemenschneider, who is appartently Germany's greatest master of the late Gothic. Someone else is trying to get to the shrine at the same time. And trying to kill Vicky to keep her away.
This is a pretty good start to a new series for me by Elizabeth Peters. There is still something more enduring in the Amelia Peabody series, but I am...more
Plot: In order to prove herself to her boyfriend, Tony, Vicky goes in search of a lost shrine designed for a German family by a famous artist. As the two search fro the shrine, action ensues. And just who is the villain anyway?
Why I picked it up? I like the Amelia Peabody series, so though I'd give the Vicky Bliss series a try.
Why I kept reading? I'm hoping I'll like the series as it progresses.
In the end? I was glad it was done. Even though it was dated and tough to get through, I'll keep going...more
Why I picked it up? I like the Amelia Peabody series, so though I'd give the Vicky Bliss series a try.
Why I kept reading? I'm hoping I'll like the series as it progresses.
In the end? I was glad it was done. Even though it was dated and tough to get through, I'll keep going...more
Another one of those meh books. This is the second Elizabeth Peters' book that I have read and I can't say that I particularly like either of them primarily because I do not like the protagonist - in this case I found her boring, self-centred and histrionic - and most amazing of all she ended up with both of the heroes liking her. This simply strained my credulity beyond what it was able to bear. Oh well, at least I am borrowing the audiobooks from the library and did not waste time reading them...more
Later this year I will be spending an afternoon in Rothenburg so was excited to see a book that was actually set there. Added to this was the fact that the treasure they were hunting for was a ‘long lost’ piece of work by Bavarian wood carver Tilman Riemenschneider, and St James church in Rothenburg is famously known for its Holy Blood altar piece by Riemenschneider. Obviously I was meant to read this book.
Sadly it wasn’t the greatest cozy mystery I have ever read, however there were lots of lov...more
Sadly it wasn’t the greatest cozy mystery I have ever read, however there were lots of lov...more
★★★½✩ Well narrated by Susan O'Malley, this audiobook by Ms. Peters is a nice little ghost story set in an old German castle with secret passageways, that eventually leads to a séance, then a treasure hunt. I liked the (brilliant) Vicky Bliss and her lover, Tony, well enough; I enjoyed their trying to “one-up” each other in their challenge, and that their sparing never turned mean-spirited. But, I’ll be honest and say I liked Amelia Peabody in her series more. What am I saying? I loved Amelia...more
2 1/2 stars
Originally posted on my blog here.
After getting hooked into the FRIGGIN' AMAZING world of Amelia Peabody I had high hopes for this series also by Elizabeth Peters. I shouldn't have gotten so excited.
After the hilarious dry humor and wit of Amelia, Vicky was too light and modern, not enough substance to her as a character or to the story line as a whole. I've heard that the series gets better as time goes on (as in a better guy shows up...hey, romantic tension is one way to keep me int...more
Originally posted on my blog here.
After getting hooked into the FRIGGIN' AMAZING world of Amelia Peabody I had high hopes for this series also by Elizabeth Peters. I shouldn't have gotten so excited.
After the hilarious dry humor and wit of Amelia, Vicky was too light and modern, not enough substance to her as a character or to the story line as a whole. I've heard that the series gets better as time goes on (as in a better guy shows up...hey, romantic tension is one way to keep me int...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Elizabeth Peters is a pen name of Barbara Mertz. She also writes as Barbara Michaels as well as her own name. Born and brought up in Illinois, she earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. Mertz was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998. She lives in a historic farmhouse in Fred...more
More about Elizabeth Peters...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“love has a very dulling effect on the brain”
—
5 people liked it
“Everything has happened before - not once, but over and over again. We may not be able to solve our problems through what are pompously called "the lessons of history," but at least we should be able to recognize the issues and perhaps avoid some of the solutions that have failed in the past. And we can take heart in our own dilemma by realizing that other people in other times have survived worse.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
