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The Amber Room (2003)

by Steve Berry

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,343536,538 (3.5)83
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:“A winner . . . combines the pace and style of Brown’s Da Vinci Code and the densely plotted espionage of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels.”—The Florida Times-Union
Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler loves her job and her kids, but her life takes a dark turn when her father dies under strange circumstances, leaving behind clues to a secret about one of the greatest treasures ever made by man. Forged of the exquisite gem, the Amber Room inexplicably disappeared sometime during World War II. Determined to solve its mysteries, Rachel takes off for Germany with her ex-husband, Paul, close behind. Before long, they’re in over their heads. Locked into a treacherous game with professional killers, Rachel and Paul find themselves on a collision course with the forces of greed, power, and history itself.
Praise for The Amber Room
“Compelling . . . adventure-filled . . . a fast-moving, globe-hopping tale.”San Francisco Chronicle

“Magnificently engrossing . . . pure intrigue, pure fun.”—Clive Cussler

“Thrilling . . . fast-paced, highly entertaining.”Baton Rouge Advocate.
… (more)
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    Map of Bones by James Rollins (Anonymous user)
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English (51)  Spanish (2)  All languages (53)
Showing 1-5 of 51 (next | show all)
(2003)A so-so thriller that finds a judge & her lawyer husband getting involved in an international ring of thefts of stolen art objects that goes back to the Nazis. Seemed to be a little contrived in coming up with a ?thriller? scenario. It was a little hard to keep interest when I couldn't believe that there was a reason to think that the situation demanded such a sense of tenseness.Publishers WeeklyFirst-time novelist Berry weighs in with a hefty thriller that's long on interesting research but short on thrills. Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler and ex-husband Paul are divorced but still care for each other. Rachel's father, Karol Borya, knows secrets about the famed Amber Room, a massive set of intricately carved panels crafted from the precious substance and looted by Nazis during WWII from Russia's Catherine Palace. The disappearance of the panels, which together formed a room, remains one of the world's greatest unsolved art mysteries. Borya's secret gets him killed as two European industrialists/art collectors go head to head in a deadly race to find the fabled room. Searching for Borya's killer, Rachel and Paul bumble their way to Europe, where their naivetƒ triggers more deaths. Berry has obviously done his homework, and he seems determined to find a place for every fact he's unearthed. The plot slows for descriptions of various art pieces, lectures and long internal monologues in which characters examine their innermost feelings and motives in minute detail, while also packing in plenty of sex and an abundance of brutal killings. A final confrontation between all the principals ends in a looming Bavarian castle where Rachel is raped. All the right elements are in place, but the book is far too long and not as exciting as the ingredients suggest. Readers may end up wishing Berry had written a nonfiction account of the fascinating story of the Amber Room and skipped the fictional mayhem.
  derailer | Jan 25, 2024 |
Best part about this was that I'd never heard of the Amber room and it was very cool to go look it up and find out it?s a true bit of folk lore. ( )
  Kim.Sasso | Aug 27, 2023 |
Looked for some time to find this book as over the years have become a Steve Berry fan and a real sucker for historical based adventures/thrillers. When I did find it was thrilled as it was a Signed first edition in fine condition. Enough of that foolishness.

This is the first book published by Steve Berry so was not sure what to expect. The reviews on Good Reads were all over the place from a very strong I Hated It to oh my god it was fabulous!! And all points in between. One thing I have learned about books of this nature 'modern day adventures based upon historical events or items', people either love them to hate them. Me, I really enjoy them as anything history related I find very fascinating (sucker for history).

Being his first book wasn't sure what to expect. Well (spoiler) there was no Cotton Malone no Cassiopeia. Then what did I expect! I didn't know. Was expecting the usually smooth writing with an intriguing story line about some arcane historical item or event (or both) that leads the reader on an interesting adventure with a little obscure history thrown in to keep it as real as possible. Well the writing was not quite as good as his later works but the story plot was very interesting. The characters were not as well fleshed out as in his later writings and, it really irritated me, there were so many bone headed stupid decisions made by the principal characters. The level of stupidity exhibited by the two main characters almost spoiled the book. I realize that for the story to work they had to have no comprehension of what a really bad situation they were in. Most 10 year olds could have thought circles around them; yes, bazaar decisions were key to the story flow. Really irritating. Ignoring that one point it was a good story. The pace was not smooth and the dialogue so so, neither really got in the way of making it an enjoyable story.

Again, I am really happy I finally found this book and it is a good bench mark to see how Steve Berry has grown and matured as both a writer and story teller. While there were points of some disappointment with the book (probably due to comparing it to his later work - human nature at work) overall I found it a solid fun book and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys there history based adventures. ( )
  can44okie | Aug 28, 2020 |
I think this is Steve Berry's first book (I've read some of his newer ones). It is not a compelling read, it starts slowly and drags a good bit. The premise is interesting. The ending not a surprise at all. ( )
  JohnKaess | Jul 23, 2020 |
Good mystery about Nazi-stolen art and people who are still searching for it. ( )
  Terrie2018 | Feb 21, 2020 |
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Epigraph
For whatever cause a country is ravaged, we ought to spare those edifices which do honor to human society, and do not contribute to increase an enemy's strength-such as temples, tombs, public buildings, and all works of remarkable beauty. . . . It is declaring one's self to be an enemy of mankind, thus wantonly to deprive them of these wonders of art.
-Emmerich De Vattel, The Law of Nations, 1758
I have studied in detail the state of the historic monuments in Peterhof, Tsarskoe, and Pavlovsk, and in all three towns I have witnessed monstrous outrages against the integrity of these monuments. Moreover, the damage caused-a full inventory of which would be extremely difficult to give because it is so extensive-bears the marks of premeditation.
-Testimony of Iosif Orbeli, director of the Hermitage, before the Nurnberg tribunal, February 22, 1946
Dedication
For my father, who unknowingly kindled the fire decades ago, and for my mother, who taught me the discipline to sustain the blaze
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The prisoners called him ears because he was the only Russian in Hut 8 who understood German.
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Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:“A winner . . . combines the pace and style of Brown’s Da Vinci Code and the densely plotted espionage of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels.”—The Florida Times-Union
Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler loves her job and her kids, but her life takes a dark turn when her father dies under strange circumstances, leaving behind clues to a secret about one of the greatest treasures ever made by man. Forged of the exquisite gem, the Amber Room inexplicably disappeared sometime during World War II. Determined to solve its mysteries, Rachel takes off for Germany with her ex-husband, Paul, close behind. Before long, they’re in over their heads. Locked into a treacherous game with professional killers, Rachel and Paul find themselves on a collision course with the forces of greed, power, and history itself.
Praise for The Amber Room
“Compelling . . . adventure-filled . . . a fast-moving, globe-hopping tale.”San Francisco Chronicle

“Magnificently engrossing . . . pure intrigue, pure fun.”—Clive Cussler

“Thrilling . . . fast-paced, highly entertaining.”Baton Rouge Advocate.

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