This is a First Book and It Shows

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	• The Amber Room: A Novel Steve Berry Ballantine Books, 2007 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 103 reviews view larger image
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This is a First Book and It Shows

This book is a decent attempt at a first novel. I think Mr. Berry has probably done a lot of writing as an attorney and decided why not give commerical writing a try? It's not such an obvious craft though.
The story is not bad. It's follows the same pattern as countless others bestsellers, and I don't have too much of an issue with it. I've spent time in Russia, and found that aspect of the book to be accurate. Overall, I think Mr. Berry did a pretty good job researching the book. There is one chase scene in a European town that was very suspenseful and well-written.
The most glaring flaw in the book is the horrible cast of characters. These are a bunch of losers, who are unlikable, unbelievable, and frequently a combination of both. An abrasive judge (who alienates her husband by her bossy attitude) as the "heroine" isn't exactly the kind of person I see myself bonding with. The husband, inexplicably, loves her despite her general meanness. The "nasty" killers are comically nasty. It's really too bad. The book would have been pretty enjoyable if I didn't have to roll my eyes every couple of pages or so at the ridiculous dialogue between "Mr. Evil" and "Mrs. Beautiful Evil Witch".
The other major thing that irked me are the utterly gratuitous sex scenes. I can't help but think Mr. Berry's editor suggested he spice up the book, and Mr. Berry went back and pasted a couple of these in to sell a few more. The scenes are really cheaply written, even disgusting, I think, and add absolutely nothing except a bad taste in the mouth.
To conclude: it's perfectly acceptable airport reading.

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pretty good book

I knew very little about the Amber Room before reading this book and found the story interesting. It kind of dragged along but the history parts were interesting. As a 1st novel I think it was pretty good and looking forward to reading his next book about the Romanov's as I do know something about them For more back ground visit the authors web site. Has pictures and more back ground on the Amber Room and on the Romanov's. All in all not a bad book.

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Fast paced, authentic info.....

Just finished The Amber Room and enjoyed it very much. Liked the plot and thought it moved along at a good pace. Also enjoyed the authentic info that Berry included in his novel. Would highly recommend the book and I'm looking forward to his next one.

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reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

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