Weaving real history into a fiction thriller...

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	• The Amber Room: A Novel Steve Berry Ballantine Books, 2007 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 100 reviews view larger image
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Worthwhile Read

Enjoy Steve Berry's style and imagine the popularity of Dan Brown's work has only added Berry as his books carry a similar feel to Brown's. I enjoyed the suspense this novel provided - the factual storylines behind the Amber Room are certainly intriguing - Berry does a nice job of weaving a compelling story around the mystery of the room. I particularly enjoyed the historical insights (which really help the reader get into the piece).

Weaving real history into a fiction thriller...

Steve Berry weaves a fictional thriller around the true saga of the famous Russian Amber Room, and provides a real treat for his readers.

Originally in the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, the Amber Room was a true wonder. The wall panels were made of amber, pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. During World War II, German soldiers made off with the panels and the decorative items inside (also made of amber). They have never been discovered, and their disappearance remains one of the great mysteries of the war.

Rachael Cutler is a judge in Atlanta, Georgia and her father, Karol Borya, was originally part of a Soviet group trying to find the Amber Room and other antiquities stolen by the Nazi's during the war. When her father dies under suspicious circumstances, he leaves her clues about the location of the Amber Room. Unfortunately, two unsavory characters are also involved in the search. Suzanne Danzer and Christian Knoll are "Acquisitors" who work for entrepreneurs who belong to a group called Retrievers of Lost Antiquities. The nine men who make up this group accumulate stolen treasures (with the help of their Acquisitors) for their private collections. Rachael and her ex-husband, Paul, take off for Germany to follow leads left by Borya. Unfortunately, Knoll and Danzer are following close behind, leaving many dead bodies in their wake. How this story plays out will have you quickly turning pages.

I like stories with Russian themes and also, books that weave true events into the story. Berry gives the reader both in The Amber Room. The history of the Amber Room is a fascinating one, as is the story of amber itself. Berry also gives us some history on the plundering of art by the Nazi's throughout Europe. With any thriller, you have to expect some liberties with the true story, as well as some incredulity. Berry gives us some of both, although I'm not sure I like the revisionist history at the end. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed The Amber Room and thought it was even better than The Romanov Prophecy.

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Suspend Your Disbelief Awhile

This book has a lot to recommend it: action and suspense, a plethora of interesting characters, and a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a great work of art in the waning years of World War II. I've always had a soft spot for fiction centered around great art & literature; in this case, the amber room, a Russian treasure commissioned by the tsars and composed of a room of panels made of--no shock here--amber. Even better when it's a piece of art I know little about so I feel like I'm learning something as I read. This one fit the bill.

My only complaint is that a book like this forces me to suspend my disbelief a little farther than my usual wont. Murders spread across America and Europe with the police almost completely kept in the dark, when they show any interest at all. An estranged couple stumbling upon a great mystery and outwitting amoral professional killers multiple times. It boggles the mind. I don't mind stetching myself a bit. Secret societies and the innocent everyman taking on the rich & careless make for great reading. But an author does have to be careful, I think, on how much he asks of his reader.

Still, why complain? There's plenty of fun to be had here. If this is not a perfect book, it is a good one and a solid addition to its genre.

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Good Pseudo-Historical Thriller

Good thriller from Steve Berry, with a plot surrounding the search for the Amber Room.

Now, looking at some of the rveviews, just remember this is a thriller. A lot of people get killed. You need to suspend your belief that a lot of murders can go on without being detected. Secret societies exist with extra-governmental help, etc etc.

Now given that, I found that The Amber Room kept my interest throughout. The plothas a lot of action throughout quite a few twists and turns and I found the historical Amber Room story provided a great framework for the plot.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

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