• Borrower of the Night

  • The First Vicky Bliss Mystery
  • By: Elizabeth Peters
  • Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
  • Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (638 ratings)

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Borrower of the Night  By  cover art

Borrower of the Night

By: Elizabeth Peters
Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
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Publisher's summary

After Vicky Bliss stumbles over a clue to the existence of a hidden masterpiece by a late Gothic sculptor, she and her then-boyfriend, Tony, embark on a contest of will and wits to find the treasure.
Don't miss any of the mysteries in the Vicky Bliss series.
©1973 Elizabeth Peters

What listeners say about Borrower of the Night

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

THE edition of the book to hear

First off I first got the other edition of this book. I loved the charactors and the story, but with picking up the second book read by Barbara I was much more in love with the series. I HAD to get this reading, and I plead with you to pick up this book. You will love it!!! Very much a good old pulp story with a treasure hunt and all. A Nancy Drew for adults!!!

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just for Fun

Barbara Mertz -- writing here under the pen name "Elizabeth Peters" -- commands awe and appreciation, whatever you may think of her novels. She has been publishing books -- and not just novels -- for half a century, now, after having earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology at the age of 23. Smart? You bet! And her intelligence comes through, even in her silly, fun Vicky Bliss series. I have enjoyed all of her novels that I have listened to so far, many of them several times. Most people probably know her best for her Amelia Peabody series; and I think that Ms Mertz, herself, likes those novels the best of her vast œuvre. However, I have a special fondness for the Vicky Bliss series, perhaps because of its unabashed silliness and fun humor. And Barbara Rosenblat -- whom, I understand, is good friends with Barbara Mertz (Elizabeth Peters) -- may have been born to perform the novels of Elizabeth Peters ... or was Barbara Mertz born to write material for Barbara Rosenblat to perform? Either way, who could resist the pairing of these two geniuses? A consummate actor in any setting, Barbara Rosenblat shines here. She has the perfect German accent required in "Borrower of the Night," and the limitless range of voices needed to distinguish the characters from one another. She even does an excellent job with the mens' voices. But, for me, her performance of the minor character, Miss Burton, puts the frosting on this cake. Buy this audiobook, just for the fun of it.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good start for great series

The first book in the series is so much better when treated as just that - a first book - it introduces the cast and sets the stage for the entire series. Wonderful! I'm hoping Ms. Peters will give us one more book in the series. If you didn't care for this book, don't give up! You won't regret it. I never have. And Barbara Rosenblat is the absolute cat's pajamas! She knows how to bring the characters to life. Keep listening!

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Barbara Rosenblat - what a gift!

This is a great mystery - clean and funny with an entertaining heroine and hero. What makes this book come to life is the narrator. Barbara Rosenblat is simply amazing! Her intonations and different voices for each character make this book easy to follow and picture clearly in my head.

I have listened to Ms. Rosenblat narrate many books, and have come to the conclusion to listen to anything she narrates - because she will make it thoroughly entertaining!

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A fun read

This is another fun read by Elizabeth Peters. As usual, I found Ms. Peters' characters well developed, and the story moves along well enough. Ms. Rosenblatt is a wonderful narrator who infuses each character with personality and color, so that even in an audible version, one can see the story as it unfolds. If you are looking to escape and be entertained, this is a good choice. I will be reading the rest of the Vicky Bliss series after this.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Fun Romp

This is the first book in the Vicki Bliss series. She is an art historian, but looks like a pin-up. She wants to be respected for her brains, not her looks,and is determined to outperform all the men in her field, including her boyfriend, Tony. She heads to Europe to find a long missing art piece, and the fun starts! Secret passages, cryptic messages, perambulating suits of armor, and more make this a fun romp that will keep you giggling. And looking for the next book in the series!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Big disappointment

I am a Peabody fan as read by Barbara Rosenblat so I had great expectations for this one. Huge disappointment! The novel itself was a bit flimsy and filled with lame 80's battle of the sexes drivel. The narration was even worse. How can that be? She is perfection itself as Peabody? Perhaps it could have been better with a different narrator.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining but not the best

I have listened to every Amelia Peabody book and loved every one. Saddened to get to the end of the series, I was looking forward to trying out Peters' Vicky Bliss series. Unfortunately, I didn't find it to be very compelling.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Importance of the Reader

My wife and I listened to the 1st 6 books of the Amelia series and loved them. We decided to take a break and try the Vicky Bliss series. A huge disappointment. We hadn?t paid any attention to who the reader was until we started listening. Vicci was a whining, condescending irritant. We couldn?t make it beyond the 1st CD. How could the same author create polar opposite heroines? Back to Amelia. The smartest think I?ve done in awhile was listen to the sample of book 7. Alas, book 7 Amelia was as bad as Vicky. Barbara Rosenblat is the whining, condescending irritant. Susan O?Malley, the reader of books 1-6, is Amelia. I have no idea who Barbara Rosenblat was attempting to portray, but it was not the Amelia we had come to love. We?ll read the Amelia books beyond book 6, but it is very sad we won?t be able to listen while in the car. All the Amelia books read by Susan O?Malley are 5 Stars. The first CD of the first Vicky Bliss book read by Barbara Rosenblat is 0 Stars, or less if that?s possible. It really is sad Susan O?Malley reads none of the remaining Amelia books.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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 :)

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5 people found this helpful