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| The Amber Room | 
| Author: Steve Berry
Creator: Scott Brick
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.90
You Save: $10.05 (50%)
New (14) from $9.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  99 reviews
Sales Rank: 810180
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.2 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0739354078
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780739354070
ASIN: 0739354078
Publication Date: November 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: SHIPS FROM SUNNY FLORIDA
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 94 more reviews...
 Well woven but lacking any surprises. July 7, 2008
During WWII, Hitler's propaganda machine is hard at work to create a world museum in which to showcase Nazi philosophy. Beyond the masterpieces like paintings and statues, lies a lesser known piece of art work--the Amber Room--first hatched in Germany, but eventually realized in Russia. Considered as an eighth wonder of the world, the rarity and the jewel grade, as well as the master craftsmanship of molding individual amber pieces into intricate shapes and designs, is beyond valuable. It is the stuff that fantasies are built upon, and the greed of those who will pay whatever price to have it. From governments who want the prestige and history, to private collectors who just want a piece of history that's solely their own, to regular folk who just want to find why it's so important, all these come together to seek something that maybe as illusive as the mystery of the Room itself.
Therein lies several perspectives.
--Karol Borya (Karl Bates): 1945, Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Austria. Under the orders of Hitler's second in command, Goring, Karol is unwittingly thrust into the game of finder's keepers, a haunt that is eventually inherited by his daughter when he dies unexpectedly in his Atlanta home, three decades later.
--Rachel Cutler nee Bates (Borya): As a superior court Judge in Atlanta, her reputation as a cold but effective enforcer of the law is legendary. Just ask her stolid ex-husband, a too-easy going probate lawyer, who not only shares joint custody of their two children and more or less has remained a constant in Rachel's life, but pathetically pines after her, who continually eats him for lunch.
--Christin Knoll: A mid-forties German, is an Acquisitor, who's boss is Franz Fillner, a media mogul, along with his daughter Monika, are part of a secret organization that steals stolen artwork from around the world. His deep interest clashes deeply with another member, Ernst Loring, initiating a small battle between their underlings.
--Suzanne Danzer: the successor to her father's role as Acquisitor, also belongs to Ernst Loring, a wealthy Eastern European small-arms manufacturer, whose ties with the Amber Room goes much deeper than any expected. As well as his penchant to remove anything and anyone near his path.
--Wayland McKoy: a treasure hunter with substantial backing, is digging into the Harz Mountains for WWII loot that will hopefully make him rich. But beneath the grubby grime of greed, lies more than what he appears and turns out to be more friend than foe, just in time.
The history of the Amber Room--an actual reality--was fascinating and well done, with a note at the end, telling specifically what was real, what wasn't. The revealing of its history and the obsessiveness that inspired so many people from real historical figures like Hitler to Goring, to the fictional ones like Borya and McK, gave a vital and the only thrilling element to this otherwise, boring and lifeless book.
All but Karol Borya and Wayland McKoy lacked any depth or any emotional tugging, even though Berry tried. Not even all the globe-trotting and bang 'em up were interesting. And he spent an awful good deal of time trying to show he knew his history. Mainly, he just doesn't spend enough time on the psychological element of the characters so it comes off rather awkward and lacking any sparks. And it was rather flat, a bit cliche at times and stiff. Berry follows extremely predictable stereotypes, which tended to distract rather than enhance. The opposites attract relationship between Rachel and Paul is not only uneventful but at times, contradictory and annoying. There were several times when the characters, with all their smarts, didn't do the obvious right thing or were easily led astray and believed anything that was said. In the end, you won't feel for any of these characters, they're just 2-D animations.
The meticulousness and close examination of making sure everything fit just perfectly bled any creativity in the structure and characterizations that might have been there. Does this make the book bad? No, not at all and I did enjoy the story. But it was just...very ordinary, very standard. The mystery of the organization and the people's involvement itself were not all that spectacular, and didn't live up to the hype at all. The unveiling of the less known Amber Room itself was the only element with any emotion and held my attention. And that alone, was worth a one-time read. Everything else...very forgettable.
Decent Thriller March 28, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
While imprisoned in a concentration camp during World War II, Karol Borya first hears reference to the Amber Room, which went missing in 1945. He searched for it as a treasure hunter for Russia's Extraordinary Commission, but by the time the old man is murdered at the age of 83, his only interest in the missing Russian treasure is a few newspaper articles. Borya's daughter Rachel is prodded to ignore his advice to stay away from the Amber Room when his "accidental" death seems suspicious, so she is soon on her way to Germany to interview an old friend of his. Little does Rachel know that she's got two rival professional killers on her tail, and she isn't much safer when she is joined unexpectedly by her ex-husband Paul. Together, they unravel the secrets of the long missing Amber Room, while dodging danger from their adversaries every step of the way. Though the protagonists were far too trusting and clueless and the bad guys were far too invincible, somehow everything fell into place and everyone got what they deserved in the end.
This was a fairly well written novel with many different points of view to liven up the story. My only complaints are that a lawyer and a judge were far too naive and trusting, particularly of people they've just met, despite suspecting that Rachel's father may have been murdered. The bad guys, on the other hand, were extremely sophisticated and savvy, not to mention well-funded, and none of them was terribly unusual for a villain. The plot was also not terribly original, and everything wrapped up almost too neatly in the end, but the action does keep moving, and places are described in a way that transported me there. In all, this was a satisfying thriller playing on a real-life unsolved mystery. The Amber Room is worth the read.
 the amber room March 16, 2008
very sloppy research and problems with the story further spoil a weak plot. skip this one and read his later books which are slightly improved.
 Bending history February 28, 2008
A satisfying read. I like the historical detail and the careful bending of the truth to accomplish the final end.
Interesting history, far fetched fiction January 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoy Russian history a lot, so when a friend lent me this book, I was eager to read it despite it not being a genre I generally read. I'm not even sure what to call it. Fiction Thriller? It's very much in the vein of The DaVinci code. I don't know if that book's popularity has created its own sub-genre yet or not.
I thought Berry's prose was pretty tight. It was a fast read with a spare style that I quite enjoyed. I will say that it was obviously written by a man. And I don't mean that in any sort of derogatory way. It's just that I generally read women authors and stylistically (in the stuff I've read), the gender divide in prose is pretty pronounced. At one point, he used the term "inviting crotch" to describe a woman's appeal. That did make me cringe. But I'm also not too fond of "velvet swords" either.
I thought the history of the Amber Room was handled very well within the plot of the book. It felt as though Berry really went out of his way to include a good deal of historical fact and as someone who enjoys Russian history, I liked that. As a reader, I enjoyed that Berry managed to convey the information without having his characters turn into talking heads.
The fictional story itself was okay. Not great. Not awful, just okay, though it did really wane toward the end of the book. And let me clarify that by wane, I mean in interest. I felt the book went from having some pretty compelling, realistic characters to being off the charts absurd action.
The book ostensibly centers around the Cutler family, Rachel and Paul (divorced), their children and both of their deceased (and possibly murdered) parents. Truth be told, the Cutlers don't get the majority of the plot time. There is a lot of plot involving this secret society of European billionaire art collectors and their staff.
All of the connections between the characters were messy. It seemed there was a push-pull between every set of characters. I'm not sure if that was realistic, or just sloppy. Most of the characters were working on their own agendas. I found it interesting that while the male characters could quite cheerfully smile and laugh with each other and then turn around and stab one another in the back, none of them ever seemed to take it personally. The female characters were every bit as self-involved and murderous, but the readers were often privy to them thinking of each other as bitches and whores. That didn't particularly impress me.
The historical perspective on the Amber Room was well done. All in all, it was a decent read even if I did roll an eye or two toward the end.
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