Borrower of the Night

This is a detective story set in Germany, involving a lost work of art and several unsolved crimes related to the possession of it, some in the 20th century and some in the 16th.

The heroine and amateur detective is a young American woman with the slightly unlikely name of Vicky Bliss, a historian who comes to Germany on holiday to pursue a personal quest for the 16th-century artwork.

Peters weaves quite an interesting tale of past and present intrigue; the German setting and historical background add colour to the tale.

Characterization is not really bad, but it's a weak point. The American characters are rather bland; the German characters are more varied but not completely convincing. When I finally discovered the identity of the 20th-century villain, I wasn't satisfied: his or her activities (I won't reveal the secret) seemed to have been somewhat out of character.

This book is followed by sequels describing the further adventures of Vicky Bliss in different countries. In general I think the sequels are better than the first book; at least the characterization improves somewhat. The Vicky Bliss books remain a minor sideline compared with the Amelia Peabody books by the same author, but the latter are mostly set in Egypt and Vicky Bliss gives her the chance to explore European settings.

Vicky Bliss herself makes quite a pleasant and sympathetic heroine, but to me she remains slightly unconvincing and unreal, an invented character who never quite takes on a life of her own.

I really like Elizabeth Peters and have read all of the Amelia Peabody books. I was craving some adventure-comedy-suspense so I picked this series up and was pleased with my decision. It is cleverly written and the voice of the protagonist, Vicky Bliss, is well-developed. She's funny and smart, but also short-sighted and vain, much like Amelia Peabody. It helped that I had been to Rothenburg in my travels and had some serious wanderlust reading it... anyone who has never been should look at the pictures beforehand. I will say this one reflects the time it was written and takes place (the 1970s) with its battle-of-the-sexes and women's liberation themes, but I kind of liked that as I am too young to have witnessed that period of time myself. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of history, suspense, and outlandish adventure and feel compelled to keep reading the series.