The Amber Room: A Novel of Suspense by Steve Berry (MOBI)

Description

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.

User’s Reviews

Review Praise for The Amber Room“Sexy, illuminating, and confident. The Amber Room is my kind of thriller—a globe-trotting treasure hunt packed with exotic locales, sumptuous art, and ruthless villains. Steve Berry writes with the self-assured style of a veteran.”—DAN BROWN Author of The Da Vinci Code“Magnificently engrossing, with wonderful characters and a plot that speeds, twists, and turns. Pure intrigue, pure fun.”—CLIVE CUSSLER“The Amber Room is a riveting cat-and-mouse game set within the world of international art thieves, assassins, and age-old rivalries. From the opening shocker set in a Nazi concentration camp to the chilling battle within a mountain-top castle, Steve Berry carries the reader on a harrowing journey into a past best left undiscovered. Not to be missed!”—JAMES ROLLINS Author of Amazonia and Ice Hunt“Steve Berry has written a tremendous first novel. He weaves vivid details into a lightning quick read.”—STEPHEN FREY Author of Silent Partner“Vivid, fast-moving, beautifully imagined, convincing!”—DAVID POYER Author of Black Storm and Fire on the WatersFrom the Hardcover edition. 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 alternate kindle_edition edition. 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 PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review ‘Sexy, illuminating, and confident… my kind of thriller – a globe-trotting treasure hunt packed with exotic locales, sumptuous art, and ruthless villains’ — Dan Brown ‘Magnificently engrossing, with wonderful characters and a plot that speeds, twists, and turns. Pure intrigue. Pure fun.’ — Clive Cussler ‘Captivating, well-plotted… Combines the pace and style of Brown’s DA VINCI CODE and the densely plotted espionage of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels’ — Florida Times-Union ‘A riveting cat-and-mouse game set within the world of international art thieves, assassins, and age-old rivalries’ — James Rollins, author of SANDSTORM and ICE HUNT ‘Writes with the self-assured style of a veteran’ — Dan Brown on Steve Berry ‘Steve Berry is a writer on the rise.’ — David Morrell, author of NIGHTSCAPE and CREEPERS –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. ONE Atlanta, Georgia Tuesday, May 6, the present, 10:35 a.m.Judge Rachel Cutler glanced over the top of her tortoiseshell glasses. The lawyer had said it again, and this time she wasn’t going to let the comment drop. “Excuse me, counselor.”“I said the defendant moves for a mistrial.”“No. Before that. What did you say?”“I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ ”“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not a sir.”“Quite correct, Your Honor. I apologize.”“You’ve done that four times this morning. I made a note each time.”The lawyer shrugged. “It seems such a trivial matter. Why would Your Honor take the time to note my simple slip of the tongue?”The impertinent bastard even smiled. She sat erect in her chair and glared down at him. But she immediately realized what T. Marcus Nettles was doing. So she said nothing.“My client is on trial for aggravated assault, Judge. Yet the court seems more concerned with how I address you than with the issue of police misconduct.”She glanced over at the jury, then at the other counsel table. The Fulton County assistant district attorney sat impassive, apparently pleased that her opponent was digging his own grave. Obviously, the young lawyer didn’t grasp what Nettles was attempting. But she did. “You’re absolutely right, counselor. It is a trivial matter. Proceed.”She sat back in her chair and noticed the momentary look of annoyance on Nettles’s face. An expression that a hunter might give when his shot missed the mark.“What of my motion for mistrial?” Nettles asked.“Denied. Move on. Continue with your summation.”Rachel watched the jury foreman as he stood and pronounced a guilty verdict. Deliberations had taken only twenty minutes.“Your Honor,” Nettles said, coming to his feet. “I move for a presentence investigation prior to sentencing.”“Denied.”“I move that sentencing be delayed.”“Denied.”Nettles seemed to sense the mistake he’d made earlier. “I move for the court to recuse itself.”“On what grounds?”“Bias.”“To whom or what?”“To myself and my client.”“Explain.”“The court has shown prejudice.”“How?”“With that display this morning about my inadvertent use of sir.”“As I recall, counselor, I admitted it was a trivial matter.”“Yes, you did. But our conversation occurred with the jury present, and the damage was done.”“I don’t recall an objection or a motion for mistrial concerning the conversation.”Nettles said nothing. She looked over at the assistant DA. “What’s the State’s position?”“The State opposes the motion. The court has been fair.”She almost smiled. At least the young lawyer knew the right answer.“Motion to recuse denied.” She stared at the defendant, a young white male with scraggly hair and a pockmarked face. “The defendant shall rise.” He did. “Barry King, you’ve been found guilty of the crime of aggravated assault. This court hereby remands you to the Department of Corrections for a period of twenty years. The bailiff will take the defendant into custody.”She rose and stepped toward an oak-paneled door that led to her chambers. “Mr. Nettles, could I see you a moment?” The assistant DA headed toward her, too. “Alone.”Nettles left his client, who was being cuffed, and followed her into the office.“Close the door, please.” She unzipped her robe but did not remove it. She stepped behind her desk. “Nice try, counselor.”“Which one?”“Earlier, when you thought that jab about sir and ma’am would set me off. You were getting your butt chapped with that half-cocked defense, so you thought me losing my temper would get you a mistrial.”He shrugged. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”“What you have to do is show respect for the court and not call a female judge sir. Yet you kept on. Deliberately.”“You just sentenced my guy to twenty years without the benefit of a presentence hearing. If that isn’t prejudice, what is?”She sat down and did not offer the lawyer a seat. “I didn’t need a hearing. I sentenced King to aggravated battery two years ago. Six months in, six months’ probation. I remember. This time he took a baseball bat and fractured a man’s skull. He’s used up what little patience I have.”“You should have recused yourself. All that information clouded your judgment.”“Really? That presentence investigation you’re screaming for would have revealed all that, anyway. I simply saved you the trouble of waiting for the inevitable.”“You’re a fucking bitch.”“That’s going to cost you a hundred dollars. Payable now. Along with another hundred for the stunt in the courtroom.”“I’m entitled to a hearing before you find me in contempt.”“True. But you don’t want that. It’ll do nothing for that chauvinistic image you go out of your way to portray.”He said nothing, and she could feel the fire building. Nettles was a heavyset, jowled man with a reputation for tenacity, surely unaccustomed to taking orders from a woman.“And every time you show off that big ass of yours in my court, it’s going to cost you a hundred dollars.”He stepped toward the desk and withdrew a wad of money, peeling off two one-hundred-dollar bills, crisp new ones with the swollen Ben Franklin. He slapped both on the desk, then unfolded three more.“Fuck you.”One bill dropped.“Fuck you.”The second bill fell.“Fuck you.”The third Ben Franklin fluttered down.From the Hardcover edition. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ I enjoyed this Steve Berry book about the disappearance of the fabled Amber Room in the Catherine Palace in Russia. The Amber Room was made of thinly cut sheets of jewelry grade amber and it disappeared sometime around April in 1945, It was rumored that the Nazis dismantled it and drove the amber in 3 large transport trucks deep into an area of Germany that is filled with endless tunnels. There was a lot of Nazi history and many other unsolved art thefts that to this day have not been found. The mystery is further clouded by the fact that now almost all in the storyline were deceased so today there are only vahue clues as to where many of these art, gold and precious metal/jewelry was stashed. The two people who become involved are NOT professional treasure hunters and are soon in over their heads. Again, as in all Steve Berry mystery novels he continues to have a fact versus fiction section at the end. It took me a bit longer to get into the story, not because it was not interesting or intriguing, but because of the Nazi references I had resistance. Persevere, it’s an intriguing book and the actual Amber Room has not gotten as much attention here in the U.S. as in Europe.

⭐ The Amber Room opened with a gripping scenario and ended with a cliff hanging finale. In between, it became ho-hum . There are several parallel stories, including an estranged couple that save each other. This is not Steve Berry at his best.

⭐ Well crafted, enjoyable. The characters were well-developed, the plot meticulously laid out.On just a few occasions, more information was provided than was needed. But I really appreciated the insights into the characters. They were easy-to-follow and easy to understand, despite the complexities of the plot.Much better than most thrillers. Much better than most of the latest books by Baldacci. And I like Baldacci.This is my second book by this author. Both were excellent. (The other was the Romanov prophecy.)I will read more.

⭐ Quite the page-turner, well researched and well-written story, including knowledgeable references to great works of art, art history, secret societies that stole art that had been stolen covering many centuries. This story concentrated on the “Amber Room”, a room constructed of amber walls during the late 1800s in Russia, and how many people sought to recover it after it had been stolen and hidden during World War II. A bit too much violence and gore for my tastes, but a gripping story nonetheless.

⭐ Interesting plot, but occasionally got bogged down in too much detail. Also, the profanity and sexual content was totally unwarranted and actually took away from story line. This was one of the authors earlier books; his later and more recent novels are much better

⭐ One of the best books I have read in awhile. Filled with good characters, a great story, tons of suspense, harrowing danger and lots of surprises. A fascinating intrigue about the fabled Amber Room stolen from St Catherine’s Palace by the Nazi’s. What makes it even more intriguing and filled with danger are the two art finders being paid by billionaire industrialists to find and steal stolen art.

⭐ In this, his debut novel, the author delivers a highly entertaining thriller that will keep the reader compulsively turning the pages. As with all of his books, history plays an important role in the theme of the book. This one focuses a lost treasure known as the “Amber Room”.I myself had no idea what the Amber Room was until I read this book. In 1716, the King of Prussia made a gift of the Amber Room to the then Tsar of Russia, Peter the Great. Apparently, they were panels of amber that were used to wall an entire room. Peter the Great kept the amber panels in storage, until about 1746, when his daughter, the Empress Elizabeth, decided to use the panels to wall a study in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. In 1755, Elizabeth moved the Amber Room from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to what would later be known as the Catherine Palace, where the amber panels were installed. The Amber Room was embellished with semi-precious stones and perfected, a masterpiece of Baroque artistry.It was there, at Catherine Palace, that the Amber Room remained until 1941, when the Nazis invaded Russia and reclaimed the Amber Room as theirs. The Nazi’s had a proclivity for acquiring great works of art from those whom they conquered. At Hitler’s express direction, the Amber Room was dismantled, panel by panel, and twenty tons of the precious amber panels were shipped to Germany by truck and rail. The amber panels were eventually installed in Konigsberg Castle, where they remained until early 1945. After Allied bombardment and the march of the Soviet army upon Konigsberg, the amber panels were once again removed, crated, and put on a truck convoy, where they were to have been taken to safety. To this day, its fate remains unknown, as the amber panels were never again seen.It is around this intriguing real life mystery that the author builds his story. Atlanta judge, Rachel Cutler, and her ex-husband, Paul, get swept away by international intrigue, when Karol Borya, her eighty three year old father dies unexpectedly, leaving behind some intriguing information about the Amber Room. Rachel decides to pick up the trail her father left and head off to Germany, unaware that her movements are being tracked by two competing, ruthless individuals, Suzanne Danzer and Christian Knoll, who are also looking to solve the mystery of the Amber Room. They each hold the position of Aquisitor, a person who works for an individual member of a consortium of nine wealthy individuals known as the Retrievers of Lost Antiquities. The Acquisitor is the one who recovers stolen art treasures on behalf of a member of this consortium for that individual’s private collection. They will stop at nothing to get that which they seek. Paul, sensing something is not quite right, joins Rachel in Germany. A dangerous cat and mouse game ensues, as they try to make sense of the hand that fate has dealt them.There are many twists and turns in this action packed thriller, and a lot of historical information is woven into the fabric of this intricately plotted novel. I was hooked once I read the gripping prologue that sets the tone for the book. I found that I simply could not stop turning the pages of this engrossing thriller. This is a plot driven book, so while it may fall a little short in the area of character development, it does not for one moment diminish the enjoyment that the reader will get from reading this immensely interesting work of fiction. It is simply an amazing debut novel. Those who enjoyed “The Da VInci Code” will, undoubtedly, enjoy this book, as well.

⭐ When Rachel’s dad suddenly dies stories about the Amber Room begin to materialize and she ignored his final letter telling her to stay away. Danger and bodies pile up as she embarks on a European trip to find out about her father’s passion. A great Berry adventure!

⭐ I had high hopes for this novel, given the caliber of Mr. Berry’s other novels. However, the number of illogical situations and conclusions were too high.1. What woman doesn’t know the difference between her husband and a stranger when making love?2. How can it be expected that a suspected murderer will tell you they are responsible for a death just because you want to know?3. How many billionares will invite three strangers, who accuse murder, to spend the night?4. Why would parents assume that their children’s uncle (who has no mention of special skills/employment/security system) could keep them safe from killers?Unfortunately, these are just a few of the many times the reader is requested to accept situations or conclusions that do not make sense. I give one star for the research of facts related to the Amber Room and one more for the basic plot with the sincere wish that more were appropriate.

⭐ I’m a fan of Berry and have read all of his books. This is the first one I’ve found truly disappointing. The plot is tissue thin and the characters weak. The bad guys are just silly and prone to gratuitous killing with no real menace to their characters. The lead good guys are annoying and don’t have the sense God gave a goose. I kept hoping one of the caves they explored would fall in on them. I hope the real Steve Berry comes back soon.

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