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The Amber Room: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Steve Berry
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (160 customer reviews)

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More from Steve Berry
From the lost library in Alexandria to the origins of papal succession, Steve Berry is known for adding elements of history to his bestselling thrillers. Visit Amazon's Steve Berry Page.

Book Description

November 27, 2007
The Amber Room is one of the greatest treasures ever made by man: an entire room forged of exquisite amber, from its four massive walls to its finely crafted furniture. But it is also the subject of one of history’s most intriguing mysteries. Originally commissioned in 1701 by Frederick I of Prussia, the Room was later perfected Tsarskoe Selo, the Russian imperial city. In 1941, German troops invaded the Soviet Union, looting everything in their wake and seizing the Amber Room. When the Allies began the bombing of Germany in August 1944, the Room was hidden. And despite the best efforts of treasure hunters and art collectors from around the world, it has never been seen again.

Now, two powerful men have set their best operatives loose in pursuit, and the hunt has begun once more. . . .

Life is good for Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler. She loves her job, loves her kids, and remains civil to her ex-husband, Paul. But everything changes when her father, a man who survived the horrors of World War II, dies under strange circumstances—and leaves behind clues to a secret he kept his entire life . . . a secret about something called the Amber Room.

Desperate to know the truth about her father’s suspicious dealings, Rachel takes off for Germany, with Paul close behind. Shortly after arriving, they find themselves involved with a cast of shadowy characters who all claim to share their quest. But as they learn more about the history of the treasure they seek, Rachel and Paul realize they’re in way over their heads. Locked in a treacherous game with ruthless professional killers and embroiled in a treasure hunt of epic proportions, Rachel and Paul suddenly find themselves on a collision course with the forces of power, evil, and history itself.

A brilliant adventure and a scintillating tale of intrigue, deception, art, and murder, The Amber Room is a classic tale of suspense—and the debut of a strong new voice in the world of the international thriller.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First-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 naivet‚ 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.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Give this man credit: whereas most lawyers who decide to write a novel stay fairly close to home, Berry, a Georgia trial attorney, wanders far off the beaten path. Although his debut novel features a trial judge as its central character and opens with a pretty typical courtroom scene, it soon steps outside the courtroom--way outside. When Judge Rachel Cutler's father dies under suspicious circumstances, he leaves his daughter tantalizing clues to a decades-old secret: the Amber Room, an exquisite treasure that, so the legend goes, was appropriated by the Nazis when they invaded the Soviet Union. Now, to find out why her father died, and who's responsible, Rachel (with her ex-husband, Paul) heads off to Germany, where she hopes to find the truth about the Amber Room. Based loosely, very loosely, on certain historical events, the novel is plotted cleverly and written with style and substance. A welcome change from the usual legal-thriller fare from wanna-be Turows. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (November 27, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0345504380
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345504388
  • Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (160 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of The King's Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor's Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. His books have been translated into 40 languages with 15,000,000 printed copies in 51 countries.

History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It's his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners and their popular writers' workshops. To date, nearly 2,000 students have attended those workshops. In 2012 their work was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve the first spokesman for National Preservation Week. He was also appointed by the Smithsonian Board of Regents to serve on the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board to help promote and support the libraries in their mission to provide information in all forms to scientists, curators, scholars, students and the public at large. He was named Georgia Author of the Year (2005) and has received the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award and the 2013 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award.

Steve was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers--a group of more than 2,000 thriller writers from around the world--and served three years as its co-president.

For more information, visit www.steveberry.org.

Customer Reviews

Far too many gratuitous (not to mention annoying) sex scenes, far too little plot development. Joely Macheel  |  28 reviewers made a similar statement
This book was a very fast paced, and enjoyable read. John Tozzi  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
This book got me hooked on Steve Berry. Stacy N. Hawks  |  20 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
108 of 113 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining... December 11, 2004
By Jen
Format:Hardcover
I'm a bit puzzled at all of the negative reviews of this book. It kept my interest and it's entertaining for what it is. The Nazi round up of art is an interesting topic, and I'm glad to see it touched upon in fiction. I'd never heard of the amber room, and I learned enough to make me search out more information. Granted, the writing is not exactly Dickens, but when I want to read Great Literature, I read the Greats.

People have a tendency to want to group novels rather than to take each story on its own merits. I've seen this book compared to "The DaVinci Code". I recognize the comparison, since its a mystery/thriller set in the art world, but that's where the similarities end. If you liked "The DaVinci Code," you might like this book, but if you're someone who has the need to compare everything and rank preferences, I can't say which is "better".

If I were required to complain about something, it might be that the bad guys (as in many stories) are more interesting than the good guys. I really didn't care too much about what happened to the protagonists, but I did find myself intrigued by the cat and mouse game played by the acquisitors. The concept of a group of Europeans sending operatives all over the world to obtain treasures that have already been stolen is intriguing. I'd like to see it explored further. Maybe in a future Berry book.
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Weaving real history into a fiction thriller... July 11, 2006
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Steve Berry weaves a fictional thriller around the true saga of the famous Russian Amber Room, and provides a real treat for his readers.

Originally in the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, the Amber Room was a true wonder. The wall panels were made of amber, pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. During World War II, German soldiers made off with the panels and the decorative items inside (also made of amber). They have never been discovered, and their disappearance remains one of the great mysteries of the war.

Rachael Cutler is a judge in Atlanta, Georgia and her father, Karol Borya, was originally part of a Soviet group trying to find the Amber Room and other antiquities stolen by the Nazi's during the war. When her father dies under suspicious circumstances, he leaves her clues about the location of the Amber Room. Unfortunately, two unsavory characters are also involved in the search. Suzanne Danzer and Christian Knoll are "Acquisitors" who work for entrepreneurs who belong to a group called Retrievers of Lost Antiquities. The nine men who make up this group accumulate stolen treasures (with the help of their Acquisitors) for their private collections. Rachael and her ex-husband, Paul, take off for Germany to follow leads left by Borya. Unfortunately, Knoll and Danzer are following close behind, leaving many dead bodies in their wake. How this story plays out will have you quickly turning pages.

I like stories with Russian themes and also, books that weave true events into the story. Berry gives the reader both in The Amber Room. The history of the Amber Room is a fascinating one, as is the story of amber itself. Berry also gives us some history on the plundering of art by the Nazi's throughout Europe. With any thriller, you have to expect some liberties with the true story, as well as some incredulity. Berry gives us some of both, although I'm not sure I like the revisionist history at the end. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed The Amber Room and thought it was even better than The Romanov Prophecy.
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44 of 49 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Idea, Unbelievably Bad Execution September 7, 2005
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Like many, I was (and remain) intrigued by the mystery of the Amber Room, but even that premise could not get me through this tedious, poorly-written "thriller." My disappointment has nothing to do with comparisons with the DaVinci Code. This book stinks entirely on its own merits.

First, and foremost, let's start with the characters. Either Steve Berry has never met a woman, or he's never met a woman he liked. In his book, they're all ball-breaking bitches. The only difference between the "heroine" and the villianess is which side of the law they happen to be on. Also, the heroine acts in ways which are unbelieveably stupid. For example, she suspects foul play in the death of her father and believes the Amber Room has something to do with it. In the next minute, she tells a total stranger everything he could ever want to know about the Amber Room, and worse yet, goes off with this total stranger in the middle of Europe to an abandoned mine in the mountains without telling anyone her whereabouts? And this woman is a Judge?!?! Ooookay. The husband does almost the same thing, showing every single letter related to the Amber Room to some random woman he's known for about 5 minutes. I hope this lawyer never practices anywhere near me!

And the villians? The villians are a shade or two slightly more interesting than the main protagonists, but their actions are too stupid to be believed. They want to find the Amber Room, right? They find the only two living people in the world who might know its whereabouts and what do they do almost immediately? That's right, kill them! Of course! That makes perfect sense. Or, you know, they might've maybe held them and tortured them for information. Just a little suggestion.

The plot is what it is, but even Green Eggs and Ham had more twists than this one did. And to add insult to injury, the writing style was just so unimaginative, dry, and choppy, with paragraph after paragraph of tedious descriptions of surroundings.

If it's been awhile since you've seen the back of your brain, give the Amber Room a read, because surely you will be rolling your eyes very far back into your head every other page or so.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars The Amber room
Exciting packed with adventure...One of the best books I read this year. Reminded me of Clive Cutler novels that start out in days long past and relate two present events
A... Read more
Published 14 days ago by pat reardon
3.0 out of 5 stars I am glad I read it -but...
I liked the historical background which was very interesting but the plot was a bit too contrived. It stretched credulity.
Published 24 days ago by Carole Martine
1.0 out of 5 stars About 100 F-Bombs
Luckily I read 4 of Berry's other novels before I picked up the Amber Room. But I was floored by how many f-words are in the book. It is clearly a "Rated R" book. Read more
Published 28 days ago by K. Holland
5.0 out of 5 stars Wopnderful
Steve Berry is the best. He takes events or stories from current or the past and gets you involved and interested. Always has a "can't put this down" quality.
Published 1 month ago by aMorgaszon
4.0 out of 5 stars My Fav
This one is in my top three favourites of all of his books. I liked the blending of history and action. It would be a good place to start if you hadn't read one of his. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Aaron Knight
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice summer read
I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book, but found it exceptionally full of gratuitous violence, and the plot line telegraphed the "surprise" ending. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ann Marie Moriarty
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but...
I started reading Berry when he first started writing and have always been pleasantly surprised by his ability to find obscure bits of history to weave into his story lines. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Birdy
4.0 out of 5 stars A fine way to spend a few hours if you're into search-for-treasure...
The Amber Room is a much like the kind of tale I write - an international thriller with an everyman protagonist (in this case, an everyman and everywoman) who gets by with whatever... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lance Charnes
5.0 out of 5 stars amber room
an intriguing novel full of espionage wealth and power and how obsessed collectors can get with there collections and the lengths people will go to get what they want
Published 2 months ago by William Orr
5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical read
Historical fiction is a neat way to read a good story, and learn about what happened in times past. There really was an Amber room, and what happened to. It makes a great mystery.
Published 2 months ago by Melinda T. Witt
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