Rating: 
Summary: A well done epic thriller
Review: The Amber Room is one of history's greatest treasures. It disappeared from the Soviet Union during W.W.II. It is worth a fortune and is actively being sought after by two collectors of stolen art, Ernest Loring and Franz Fellner. Through their loyal assassins and employees, Christian Knoll for Fellner and Suzanne Danzer for Loring, they dangerously battle each other for clues to the room's location. Their search takes them to Atlanta, Georgia where Karol Borya lives. Karol is said to know something about the location of the Amber Room. A secret he has kept from his daughter, Judge Rachel Cutler. When Karol dies suspiciously, Rachel travels to Europe to seek answers. Pursuing her is her ex-husband Paul who wants to protect her while Knoll and Danzer want to do her harm. Unknowingly, Rachel walks into a fatally dangerous situation.
THE AMBER ROOM is an epic thriller. It is very well done with all the elements that make it an excellent example of what is good in the sub genre. Characters are well developed but exaggerated as would be proper to make them larger than life. Exotic locales throughout Europe give the aire of elegance The villains are evil and will stop at nothing to possess the Amber Room. The problem with this debut effort is the sheer volume of the book. To call it merely lengthy would be an exaggeration. The book has weight- much of it excessive. The plot, though written with a rapid pacing, meanders. Mr. Berry, however, has written a superior thriller and with some tightening of his plot should prove to be a highly successful thriller writer. He is definitely one to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Topic, but boring plot
Review: The mystery surrounding the famed Amber Room is quite fascinating, but this book does not do it justice. While the author does provide much historical fact on the subject, his plot is lacking. For a much more enjoyable read with the Amber Room as the backdrop, try "The Amber Room" by T. Davis Bunn.
Rating:
Summary: A Tedious Read
Review: The subject matter is far more intesting than either the story or the characters. The writing tends to be pedantic and burdensome...many times the descriptive passages interrupt the flow and are distracting. Berry also uses the same phrases over and over...'half-timbered structures' and such. His history is also slightly inaccurate: Hitler was not born in Linz. I finished the book but found it difficult to do so, as none of the characters were interesting enough to care about. The protagonists are unlikable from the start and only become moreso as the story laboriously unfolds.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD GRIEF FOLKS, READ IT FOR WHAT IT IS
Review: There is much positive to be said of this work, and, as several reviewer's have pointed out, a few negatives also. This, for me was not one of those books I picked up expecting to be dazzled by the author's brilliant literary tallents. If I want to be bored out of my mind I will pick up some of James Joyce's work. I chose this one because I felt it would be a fun read, and it was. From a historical point, the author obviously did his home work. This was impressive. Yes, I agree with another reviewer's assessment that the author certainly has a problem with women and yet another, in that the few sex scenes were pretty poorly done and more than just a bit gratuitous, floating somewhere between silly and gross. On the other hand, this was a first novel, and I am sure his publisher wanted to get as much bang for the buck as they could...ergo, "lets throw in some sex."
The book did offer entertainment, held my interest, and I certainly did not regrete reading it. It was a good first try. I must admit to being a bit shocked at the apparent absolute venom injected into some of the reviews of this book. Hey, even at worse it was not all that bad. Perhaps it was because the author is a lawyer...hmmmm...just a thought. Anyway, I do recommend it as a pleasant way to drift through a weekend. Overall recommend. Just a note: Perhaps in future novels, the author could perhaps make at least one or two of his characters a bit more likeable. In this work, you really did not care if any or all of them made it alive through to the end, with the possible exception of the old man's cat.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful International Thriller
Review: This book has an intriguing story with engaging characters that kept me on edge until the end. Berry has researched this novel well and filled it with intrigue, sex, adventure, deception and murder. I highly recommend this book to your readers.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a First Book and It Shows
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Redundant and Flat
Review: This is a book that I should have gotten through in 2 days. Yet after 2 weeks I still can't seem to care enough to finish. The subject of the Amber Room is interesting. But the writing and plot are predictable, repetitive and sophomoric at times. The characters are one-dimensional, and there are some odd mistakes that his editor should have caught. (Once inside the closed cave door, how *did* the character manage to redrape the outside chains as to make the entrance still appear locked from the outside? Was the rushing river hundreds of meters or hundreds of feet below the 3 story church veranda? Depends on which page you're on.)
Yeah, petty, but I'd rather be scratching my head over am intriguing plot twist, but since there are none, I got bogged down in stuff like that.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: This is a wonderful first book by a new author. It is fast paced, exciting and I really liked the characters. I did feel as if the author wasn't through with the these characters though, I hope I'm right, I would like to see them in another adventure with their "new friend". (I won't say who, it will give some of the plot away)
Anyway, I think it is a really good first effort, and I look forward to Mr. Berry's other books.
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