Book Reviews of The Amber Room

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.
BOOKLIST REVIEW

Very fun and not annoying as Dan Brown's DaVinci Code! Treasure hunters, assassins, secrets, intrigue, Nazi/Russian amber... and a divorced couple caught in the middle. Very fast read, interesting facts of lost European treasures.

I was very excited to start this book, but it didn't last long. I was expecing a fast paced thriller, a treasure hunt type book. I didn't get it. It started very slow, and never really picked up. I couldn't get into any of the characters, good or bad, and therefore had no one to cheer on. And the writing was so flat it was like being lectured. I applaud the author for the amount of research he did for this novel, but the story itself never seemed to move out of 2nd gear. I'd heard many good things about this book, but none of them made themselves apparent to me.

REALLY GOOD! I UNDERSTAND WHY HE IS ON THE BEST SELLERS LIST. THE PLOT TWISTS AND TURNS AND I HAD TO KEEP GOING BACK TO REVIEW- WE HAVE A REMEMBRENCE OF SURVIVORS OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN BIRMINGHAM RIGHT NOW AND WOW- THIS BOOK WAS RIGHT ON!

***** :}

This a wonderful book, by Steve Berry,an author so admired by his peers that the top banner is taken over by a review from Dan Brown. This book is exciting and wonderful from page 1 through to the end. Cleverly plotted and written with both style and substance. An absolute jewel of a book.

I love all of Steve Berry's books. All contain a puzzler dealing with history which makes for fascinating reading. This one revolves around the room made of amber which was supposed secreted away during war.

Good read. I'll will read more of his books.

Good historical fiction, fun read!

This was an excellent book. If you are a fan of books like The DaVinci Code,thsi book is for you. The plot centers around the search for the Amber Room, lost shortly after WW II. I enjoyed this book as much or more than The Romanov Prophecy, also by Berry.

What a great treasure hunt type book. Fun and exciting, with enough twists to keep me guessing.

I enjoyed the interaction between the ex-spouses.

Very good! Loved the characters, the action was non-stick, the story-line was based on fact--all good. The relationships were so real, and the two "hitmen" were both sexy as all get out. Good read, I recommend it.

While it was a good read, it did not hold my attention like other Steve Berry books.

The history and mystery of the Amber Room is fascinating and Berry draws all the best from its lore to add weight to his narrative. The settings are detailed and interesting. The villains are more complex than your standard bad guys. The plot clips along at a near cinematic speed. Diverting and entertaining with a decent quality of writing that while it doesn't approach "great" literature, it's engaging enough that you won't care.

Great book- very "Da Vinci Code"ish.

Pretty good book.

Forged of the exquisite gem, the Amber Room is one of the greatest treasures ever made by man..and the subject of one of history's most intriguing mysteries. German troops invading the Soviet Union siezed the Room in 1941. When the Allies started their bombing, the Room was hidden, and it has never been seen since. But now the hunt has begun once more...

Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler loves her job and her kids and remains civil to her ex-husband, Paul. But everything changes when her father dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind clues to a secreat about something called the Amber Room. Desperate for the truth, Rachel takes off for Germany, with 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.

Great thriller that keeps you hooked on reading to the end...and holding your breath in places.

Awesome!

REALLY GOOD! I UNDERSTAND WHY HE IS ON THE BEST SELLERS LIST. THE PLOT TWISTS AND TURNS AND I HAD TO KEEP GOING BACK TO REVIEW- WE HAVE A REMEMBRENCE OF SURVIVORS OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN BIRMINGHAM RIGHT NOW AND WOW- THIS BOOK WAS RIGHT ON!

***** :}

I enjoyed this book. Some aspects of the plot failed to jell for me like the running off and leaving your children to chase after something that might be the answer. The collector's club, sure, why not but entire groups of people maintaining the secrets of these collectors, not so much. I will try another Steve Berry and see where it takes me.

Fun book to read, if a bit predictable. I actually had read his latest book first, The Templar Legacy, which is what made em want to read this. While Templar Legacy is definitely better, this is still a decent book.

Blends history and adventure. Not as good as the Da Vinci Code, but entertaining.

Quick read. If you like books like Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, you will probably like this one.

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.

Highly entertaining. I couldn't put it down! If you like action/drama, you'll love Steve Berry!

Very well written. Kept me on the edge of my seat

Fast read!!! Another great book by this author!!!

This book was recommended by a friend and I did enjoy it. There have been some specials on public TV recently about stolen art from WWII and having read this book made that more interesting for me to watch.

Very different and exciting. Keeps your attention-can't put it down. If you like challenging mysteries this is the book for you.

3 stars - a lot of interesting background on Nazi art thefts. the characters were not as fully developed as I would have liked, especially the 2 main characters(husband and ex-wife) and the tertiary character(documentarian/treasure hunter). But all in all, an interesting story to read at the beach

good book ,if you liked the Da vinci code pick this up.

Steve Berry's plots usually have an interesting twist or two but not my favorite author. A reliable back-up though when I have nothing else on the 'shelf' to read.

Another great Steve Berry read. He had my husband talking for days about this one. If you love Steve Berry's writing, this is definitely a must read.

Fast moving adventure of greed, power and history.

Good book for history buffs. Full of historical data and plot twists and turns.

I have read all of Steve Berry's books. I love them. He is a real find! Can't wait for his next one.

Didn't read it; my wife donated it to the cause.

Atlanta judge Pachel Cutler loves her job abd her kids, but everything changes when her father dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind clues to a secret about something called the Amber Room. The Amber Room is one of the greatest treasures ever made by man anad the subject of one of history's most intriguing mmysteries.

Forged of the exquisite gem, the Amber Room is one of the greatest treasures ever made by man- and the subject of one of historys most intriguing mysteries. German troops invading the Soviet Union seized the room in 1941, when the Allies started their bombing the room was hidden, and it has never been seen. But now the hunt has begun once more...

This is the second book of Steve Berry's that I have read. The first one, Templar Legecy was great and this one is even better.

This revelatory and startling book solves a 60-year mystery about the eighth wonder of the world--an ambitious and valuable work of art that was stolen by the Nazis from the palace in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1942.

I thought this was a great read. The story caught my interest and didn't let up until the end.

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.

great story if you love stories about missing treasures you will love this one steve berry is the new king of adventure

If you like historical thrillers, you'll like this book. Steve Berry writes well, but is not quite as literate or gripping a writer as Dan Brown. All in all, still a good read.

An excellent first time novel. Fast moving and thrilling from cover to cover.
Keeps you reading just to find out what happens next.

This is Steve Berry's first book and it shows. It's a good read, but not as good as his later books.

Fast paced and fun, although of his books I preferred "The Romanov Prophecy".

A REAL PAGE TURNER UP MOST OF THE NIGHT TO FINISH IT !

Another great book by Steve Berry. Gets your attention and keeps it. Definitely a writer to watch for!

Forged of the exquisite gem, the Amber Room is one of the greatest treasures ever made by man--and the subject of one of history's most intriguing mysteries. German troops invading the Soviet Union seized the Room in 1941. When the Allies started their bombing, the Room was hidden, and it has never been seen since. But now the hunt has begun once more.

For me the enjoyment of this novel came from the way it walks the line between reality and imagination. Mr. Berry meticulously researched this novel and employed what he learned to good effect. Characterization is also handled well, with both protagonists and antagonists well written. Most of the action is at least somewhat plausible, with perhaps the exception of the very end, which belongs more to a ‘Die Hard’ movie than a well executed novel. While reading this novel, treat yourself to web sites with pictures of both the actual pre-WWII room and the new reconstruction. http://www.amberroom.org/

This is not a hard cover...it is a paperback. If you like Dan Brown you should like this guy.

Great book, couldn't put it down. Mystery, romance, thriller, all in one.

really enjoyable historically-based thriller.

Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler loves her job and kids, and remains civil to her ex-husband, Paul. But everything changes when her father dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind clues to a secret about something called the Amber Room. Rachel takes off for Germany with Paul close behind. Locked into a treacherous game with professional killers they are in over their heads. Plotted cleverly and written with style and substance. A good thriller.

Fascinating thriller with an historical view to World War II.

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