Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Idea, Poorly executed
Review: ... There are many other books on the market addressing similar topics, virtually all are better than this book. Far too many gratuitous (not to mention annoying) sex scenes, far too little plot development. A huge disappointment.
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Summary: I was unlucky enough to be a European...
Review: ...and to have (re-)visited the Harz region ("Exotic locations"?) on a bussines trip a few weeks before I read the book. I am probably naive, but I don't understand Dan Brown's (and others') recommendation - it has made me decide not to waste my time on his "Da Vinci" and other books...
Rating: 
Summary: I liked the book
Review: Although this book got some less than flatering reviews, I really enjoyed it. I have been an avid reader of historic novels for years, and appreciated Steve Berry's charactor development, and interweaving of historic events. I understand Rachel Cutler, and I understand the relationship she had with her X-husband, and I found his other charactors endearing.Yes, there was a fair amount of violence and some sex, but whether you like it or not- it's part of the lives of these kinds of people. I did really enjoyed Berry's display of knowledge over what could have happened to the Amber Room, and I am looking forward to his next book The Romanov Prophecy!
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Summary: A New Grisham and Grippando!!
Review: An excellent combination of true history woven neatly together with exciting, fast moving action. Hard to put down. Don't miss this one. Can't wait for his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent First Effort
Review: Author Steve Berry has a lot of talent. His concept is good and the aura of the Amber Room itself is a compelling mystery. However his plot is filled with contrived characters and situations that hold few surprise and creat little momentum. Considering this is his first effort I would have thought his editor could have helped more with suggestions and cutting out the filler.Even so, I will look forward to his subsequent efforts.
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Summary: Disappointing Novel
Review: Berry's book is lengthy and tedious, with far too much historical enlightenment and not nearly enough character plot. The few central members of his cast become stale about a third of the way into the book, leaving the reader to question whether the rest of The Amber Room deserves the time and effort necessary to finish reading the novel. With two other books by the same title available for mass consumption, one might also question if redundancy is beginning to take hold.
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Summary: A suspenseful tale of history and murder.
Review: Divorced judge Rachel Cutler has her life in order; she loves her job, her children, and remains friends with her ex-husband. Everything seems perfect until the mysterious death of her father exposes secrets that will have her questioning all she thought she knew about him. A survivor of World War II, Karol Bora has lived with a secret all his life, now after his death the secrets of the past will come crashing into the future sending his daughter Rachel into a spiral of deception and intrigue. Desperate for the answers surrounding the death of her father, as well as the information he held on a secret called the Amber Room, Rachel takes off for Germany, with her ex-husband Paul closely behind her, and within minutes of her arrival becomes the target of an evil force hell bent on finding the treasure of the Amber Room. 'The Amber Room' is a well written, expertly paced, and highly original thriller. From the first page to the explosive climax readers will be held captive by action, suspense, great characters, and masterful plot twists. Steve Berry has written an excellent debut novel, one that should fly up the bestseller lists, and firmly place him among the elite authors of international intrigue. Nick Gonnella
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Summary: The New Dan Brown
Review: Expertly written and packed full if intriguing characters with a brilliant plot. This book will keep readers turning pages until the end. Art lovers will especially enjoy the wealth of art history. Berry is the new best writer since Dan Brown. I can't wait to read more from this "Five Star" writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very good
Review: First, a rule of thumb. Consider any recommendation from another author -- I don't care how much you like him -- as a negative. When a book is so desperate for positive press that it puts blurbs from other authors on the cover, I mark it down in my mind. Really good books will usually have a review from the NY Times, or another major publication. The second tier of review is smaller newspapers or professional review publications like Kirkus. Don't think you are going to get a Tom Clancey or Steven King novel because they are quoted positively. The book itself is not very good, in my opinion. The characters are shallow even by the standards of a suspense/thriller genre novel. They all have larger-than-life characteristics -- remorseless killers with special talents, etc. Think "Robert Ludlum" here and you won't be far wrong. If you are a big Ludlum fan, you will probably like "Amber Room". The plot is not bad, and the setting is pretty good. There is something else that really irritates me about The Amber Room, which is the two-paragraph specific descriptions of cities, hotels, restaurants, etc. I once heard this called the "Form 1040 School of Literature" -- authors do it to justify deducting their holidays from their income taxes. Sometimes, of course, a thorough description of a city can be both fascinating and important -- just think of John LeCarre's Berlin, or even Elmore Leonard's Miami/Detroit. But here, it is nothing but a couple of paragraphs awkwardly inserted into the narrative.
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Summary: Dan Brown recommends, but it is NO Da Vinci Code!
Review: I have to say I agree with the editorial review. I liked the idea of finding lost treasure, but by the end, I really didn't care anymore who did. The villains had interesting action (not only that, I found myself rooting for them), but I found their character development (Knoll especially) lacking. The plot depends on geography somewhat, and I wasn't able to get a grasp of it without pulling out a map. It is a decent debut for this new author, and I think I will check out any books he writes in the future, but having just finished reading The Da Vinci Code, and reading The Amber Room based on the recommendation of Dan Brown on the cover, I was dissappointed.
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