THE AMBER ROOM by Steve Berry
After reading Dan Brown's THE DAVINCI CODE I thought I was burned out on thrillers involving the art world. For this reason I held off on getting into Steve Berry's novel THE AMBER ROOM. When I finally did pick it up I found it to be an exciting thriller, full of interesting locations, and strong characters to boot. I am glad I got around to reading it and I hope you read it too.
The book has two lawyers as its heroes. Paul and Rachel Cutler have more than the love of law in common. They are the parents of two children, and they are divorced. Paul is an expert at Probate Law and Rachel is a Judge. They both live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Paul and Rachel are still close because of the kids, and also because down deep they still have affection for each other. The marriage didn't work because Rachel thought Paul was too passive, and Paul thought Rachel was too bossy and headstrong. They were both right and they were both wrong.
After Rachel's father dies, he leaves some papers for her which concern an art treasure known as "The Amber Room." Rachel sees the alleged disappearance of this treasure as a reason to go to Europe and investigate it. Paul tries to talk her out of it, but off she goes.
Once in Europe, Rachel gets involved in more than her share of danger and intrigue. She becomes the prey of a ruthless killer who is trying to find the Amber Room himself. There is also a competing killer who is working for an art procurer. She wants to kill her competitor and anyone else who stands in her way.
Reading this book is like watching an Alfred Hitchcock film. Hitchcock always had innocent people involved in terrifying situations. That is exactly what happens to Rachel and Paul. They get in over their heads and are staring at death over and over again.
Sometimes it seems that Paul and Rachel are just too lucky in their escapes from danger, but just when the situation begins to get ludicrous, Berry reigns it all in. He manages to keep the plot believable and exciting.
Steve Berry is amazingly gifted in his writing skills. This is his first novel and it reads like something you would have gotten from an old pro such as Robert Ludlum. If he improves with his next novel, it should be amazing.
Take it from me, THE AMBER ROOM is a fast-paced, exciting, romantic story. You will fly through the pages as you try to keep up with Rachel and Paul's astounding adventures.
THE AMBER ROOM is published by Ballantine Books. It contains 389 pages and sells for $24.95.