Seizing Amber

Rating:
Summary: A CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN MYSTERY THRILLER SET IN THE ART WORLD
Review: Absolutely, hands-down my favorite mystery thriller in years! Racing across continents through some tremendous cities -- New York, Florence, Paris, Moscow -- the CIA undertakes a covert effort to retrieve a fabulous old Russian work of art, The Amber Room. Lots of interested parties: the CIA, the Russian government, private collectors, and various others. Great characters -- an ex-CIA operative and thief who's trying to regain her role at the agency; a blackmailer unwillingly pulled into the chase; a NYC cop; the Russian-equivalent of the CIA chief, spies, collectors, greedy people, and more. Lots of great history and art woven throughout. Picked it up and couldn't put it down. Loved it as much or more than Sydney Sheldon, Thomas Harris and John Grisham!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting idea, painfully amateurish writing
Review: Hard to believe this is the author's first -- this book is up there with anything you'll read from the biggest names in the thriller business. Seizing Amber is a great read!

Rating:
Summary: Seizing Amber...a must read
Review: I found Seizing Amber a thoroughly enjoyable read. Chapter One easily captured my attention making it a very difficult book to put down. The story has lots of twists, turns, and quite a few surprises. His characters are very cool, some I'm sure (and hope!) we'll see again in future books. Seizing Amber, a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Well written, easy flow, yet complex twists
Review: Intelligent story based upon the search for amber panels missing from Russia since WW II.
Nice plot twists that involve CIA, Politburo, European aristocracy and others searching for the amber room. Along the way art dealers, ex KGB agents, and NYC cops get involved.
Descriptive writing carries the reader from NYC to Moscow to Europe effortlessy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and knocked it down to 4 stars only because I would have liked to have seen more extensive character development. However, the book was a great read, and I didn't set it down until I finished it.
Hope to see more soon from this talented author, and hope as he matures as a writer we will see more development of his characters.
Highly recommend this book and eagerly await his next work.

Rating:
Summary: twisty thriller
Review: just read this and loved it; plot has tremendous pace and lots of great twists and turns. i had heard of the amber room before so was very interested in reading this and thought it delivered everything i wanted. highly recommend this to all mystery/ espionage/caper fans!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Race to the Finish
Review: This is a surprisingly complex and interesting first novel. Search the web for the "Amber Room of Peter the Great" and you will discover an historic set of facts begging to be turned into a novel. Peter the Great created a magnificent room of Amber. It was priceless. The Nazis stole it and it completely disappeared.

Jonathan Harris weaves all the historic facts, believable and interesting personalities, and a sound rapid plot into a story that will capture your interest. A pro-democracy Russian vice President is trailing in the Presidential election against an authoritarian personality running as a communist. A sudden patriotic coup like returning the fabulous treasure of the Amber Room to the Motherland might be just the event that would give the pro-democracy candidate the emotional edge for the last week of the campaign.

The Americans want to help the pro-democracy candidate and one small piece of the Amber Room has come on the market. A secret agency is assigned the job of tracking down the room and getting it back to Russia before the election. Others either have or want the room and the race is on.

This simple outline does not do justice to the personalities involved, their involvement with each other, and the growth in complexity, interest, and believability as the plot unfolds. This is a very fine first novel and I look forward to Jonathan Harris' future works.