(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 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.

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. ( )

La Habitación de Ámbar es uno de los mayores tesoros creados por el hombre. Los alemanes se hicieron con ella en 1941. Cuando los Aliados comenzaron los bombardeos fue ocultada y se convirtió en un misterio que perdura hasta nuestros días. A la juez Rachel Cutler le encantan su trabajo y sus hijos, y mantiene una relación civilizada con su ex marido Paul. Todo cambia cuando su padre muere en misteriosas circunstancias, dejando pistas acerca de un secreto llamado "la Habitación de Ámbar". Desesperada por descubrir la verdad, Rachel viaja a Alemania seguida de cerca por Paul, donde los dos chocan contra las fuerzas de la avaricia, el poder y la misma Historia.

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. ( )

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. ( )