I liked this better than the DaVinci Code. The author actually develops the villians characters, in this case, art dealers dealing in invaluable stolen art objects from WWII. The amber room is exactly a room entirely made of amber built by Russia's Frederick the Great. All sort so intrigue follows the death of one of the amber room's hunters. It was a fun summer read.

This book had such a promising subject for a mystery and the
author obviously researched amber and the amber room's history well.
Then he threw it away in a mediocre novel with a truly unlikable
heroine and her semi-wimpy ex-husband. I think it would have been
much much better if he had written about Rachel's Father and his
partner's attempt to find the treasure.
There are so many implausible events starting with Rachel's
decision to flit off to Europe and and leave her two young children as well as a contentious race for her judges seat. Maybe with her
judgement she should lose the race anyway. What Mother flies to Europe and doesn't call to check on her children and let whoever is taking care
of them know how she can be reached? Then on the spur of the moment her husband,Paul, takes off after her.Then,why was Christian ready to
kill her in the cave, but after she witnesses a killing he
lets her and her husband go with just a warning. They continue
running around Europe after almost being killed without a thought
of the kids back home. There were just so many incidents when I
was thinking "this just would not happen".
This all may seem petty, but to me these unrealistic details
spoil the story for me especially when the author did such a fine
job of researching the amber room and amber itself.
I listened to this on an audio book and I really wanted to
listen to the interview with the author, but it was already a
week overdue and I had to turn in in.

It was okay but it moved slowly and ended very fast with no explanations to several questions and from the start you will keep asking yourself why the couple 's marriage didn't work and I didn't get something satisfying out of that relationship.

If you like treasure hunts, this is a good book for that. Apparently the Amber Room is a real thing and a lot of the historical references in the story are accurate. The author notes at the end, which ones were modified to fit the story.

It's a little slower paced than say the Da Vinci Code, but in a way I liked it because it also focuses a little more on the relationships and was more realistic as to how people would react if they were living an "ordinary" life and suddenly ended up on a very extraordinary quest. It's always been a minor peeve of mine, in these stories where if it revolves around someone inexperienced, somehow they're able to magically develop the skills needed to get by.

The ending act was a bit anticlimactic for me but to say anymore would be a spoiler.

Definitely worth a read, but have to admit, this isn't a book I feel the need to own for future re-reads. I'll have to check out more of Steve Berry's works.

I picked this up because I enjoyed The Romanov Prophecy.

This book did not live up to its potential. The real history of the Amber Room is fascinating, how could it not make good fiction? But the trick with these books (you know the ones I mean, variations on The Da Vinci Code) is to make the implausible seem plausible. This book didn't do it for me. The characters weren't particularly realistic, even a few historical figures who actually existed in real-life. The female characters were particularly unbelievable (dream on, guys). The plot didn't make as much sense, the history didn't have as much depth, and the ending was not as satisfying. I should have quit with The Romanov Prophecy.

This was my first Steve Berry book and I've been a fan of his since. It's a historical, fictional action novel that made me want to get in the business of hunting for antiques, too. If you like adventure, you'll love this book.

David Lucero, author of 'Who's Minding the Store?' and THE SANDMAN

I read 88 pages and kept drifting off. The chapters were all like four pages long and I still struggled to finish one. So I skipped to the end to see if there was a good payoff, and just my luck, found the scene where Rachel was about to get assaulted. This one's not for me.

http://sosaysthewhale.wordpress.com/2...

I've mentioned time and time again that I adore Berry. I think he's simply fantastic. His books are always so interesting and the pacing is perfect.

That said, this book took me over a month to finish. I have no idea what happened. It wasn't bad, but there was something about it that stopped me from plowing through it in a weekend.

Berry always does such in-depth research and The Amber Room is no different. There were times when I was reading where I'd have to stop and head to the Internet to read more about a specific person/place or look at images. I love that about his novels; I'm always continuing the research long after the book has ended.

One of Berry's downfalls is the sheer number of characters he includes in his books. I couldn't keep track of all the bad guys and a few times I'd wind up confused while reading. I had no idea who was who.

It upsets me to make such a lackluster review. Steve Berry is a really great author who has some excellent books. Unfortunately, this wasn't my favorite.

I really enjoyed this book. Berry's writing is clever and his characters are fascinating. Each person stood out with his or her own voice. When a group of people are involved in a mystery/thriller such as this, sometimes it's difficult to distinguish who is who. The author might not always give them defining qualities, however, differentiation was clear in "The Amber Room". None of the characters seemed too much alike. He took care to give each a personality-something I really liked. Also, the craftiness with which he weaves everything and everyone together is entertaining and believable. The ending was slightly dramatic (sneaking around a castle; running off to Russia) yet fitting.

The historical aspect of "The Amber Room" was new to me. I'd never heard of the room nor did I know anything about it. I found myself intrigued by the missing art and artifacts mentioned by Berry, which resulted in a great deal of Googling. My intrigue was fueled by my research of maps and unknown pieces. Despite all the murder and theft, the book was fun to read. This book makes me want to live in a castle and hunt for treasure. I look forward to the next novel.

Loved it! This caught my attention right from the get go and is definitely a trip through the past. What is not to like war history, mystery, conspiracy, a treasure hunt, priceless heirlooms and characters that are very well-developed. This is a trip through time with a lot of mystery and charm. There's also a lot of action and I felt like I learned a lot while listening to this engaging listen. Although meant for entertainment this is a fictional tale but was really well researched and brought in many truths to the story. The performance was amazing with all the European accent, male and female voices there was just a lot to love about this book. Pick it up and give it a try because who doesn't love a treasure hunt with a ton of conspiracy.

I understand it's still early, but we're five chapters in and nothing is happening. Plus reading other reviews put me off this one. This is likely where Steve Berry and I part ways. Happy trails, sir.

Bursztynowa Komnata, będąca jednym z najsłynniejszych zaginionych skarbów, idealnie nadaje się na punkt zaczepienia książki przygodowej. Tak też najwyraźniej pomyślał Steve Berry, który właśnie o niej napisał w swojej pierwszej wydanej książce. Jak wypada jego debiut? Solidnie. To wielowątkowa opowieść o poszukiwaniach tytułowego skarbu, w które angażują się, rozmyślnie lub przypadkowo, osoby o różnych historiach i zajęciach. Tytuł bazuje na legendach, które narosły wokół komnaty, plotek dotyczących jej losów, ale też wyobrażeń pisarza, by stworzyć pobudzający wyobraźnię misz-masz, który jest nad wyraz dobrze strawny. Czyta się „Bursztynową komnatę” szybko i z zaciekawieniem, choć momentami nie ułatwiają tego zbyt długie i przesadnie szczegółowe opisy scenerii czy dzieł sztuki. Trzeba jednak oddać Steve'owi Berry'emu, że z kart bije wkład pracy, który włożył w zbieranie informacji. Czasami po lekturze rozdziału wskakuje się do sieci, by doczytać o danym obrazie czy dziele wspomnianym przez autora.

Sama książka ma ciekawie napisaną fabułę, trzyma dobre tempo i potrafi zaskoczyć czytelnika. Brakuje jej jednak czegoś, by uznać za wiekopomne dzieło i skarb trzymany w prywatnej biblioteczce. Może to mało interesujący bohaterowie, którzy zdecydowanie ustępują miejsca tytułowej komnacie i sceneriom? Może niepotrzebne wątki erotyczne z wulgarnymi opisami intymnych relacji, które w gruncie rzeczy niewiele wnoszą? Może zbytnie rozmycie niektórych, całkiem intrygujących wątków jak ten o grupie bogatych kolekcjonerów? Z pewnością nie jest to tytuł idealny w każdym aspekcie. Wciąż jednak wart uwagi jako niezły wybór na leniwy wieczór z książką.