Wed 20 Jun 2018
Archived Review: ELIZABETH PETERS – Borrower of the Night.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[4] Comments
ELIZABETH PETERS – Borrower of the Night. Vicky Bliss #1. Dodd Mead, hardcover, 1972. Paperback reprints include: Dell, 1974. Tor, 1990. Avon, 2000.
The first adventure of Vicky Bliss, and what a woman she is! Tall, intelligent — a doctorate in history — and beautiful! — she claims to have measurements straight out of Playboy magazine, although she demurely declines to be specific. (Too good to be true?)
At stake, a treasure hidden somewhere in an old German castle, complete with ghosts in creaking armor, old tombs and secret passageways. The whole can be less than the sum of its parts, however, and on page 169 [of the Tor edition] the characters themselves admit the story is getting corny.
The Vicky Bliss series —
1. Borrower of the Night (1973)
2. Street of the Five Moons (1978)
3. Silhouette in Scarlet (1983)
4. Trojan Gold (1987)
5. Night Train to Memphis (1994)
6. Laughter of Dead Kings (2008)
June 21st, 2018 at 7:46 pm
Not my favorite Peters series of book, but like almost everything she wrote as Peters or Michaels a fast moving often fun read. Though Peters is a better writer, the light and sometimes playful nature of some books (HER COUSIN JOHN) reminds me of Dornford Yates or some of the early non series Georgette Heyer novels where the mix of adventure, suspense, and fun was the whole point.
June 21st, 2018 at 8:38 pm
To me, right now, some 28 years later, this book sounds exactly like one I’d like to read tonight. Or even another one on the series, which alas I’ve never done.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:49 am
Peters pumped out books at a furious rate for decades. Quality control was an issue for many of the later books.
June 23rd, 2018 at 4:37 pm
I regret not reading any of Peters’ Amelia Peabody books, of which there were 20, if you count the one finished by Joan Hess last year.
Not yet, that is.
I assume that this is the series you’re referring to, George. I don’t know about quality control, but they did get longer and longer as time wen on.