Promotional Information

An ingenious thriller from New York Times megaselling author Steve Berry, published in the UK for the first time following the success of THE TEMPLAR LEGACY and THE THIRD SECRET

About the Author

Steve Berry lives on the coast in Georgia, USA, with his wife and daughter. He is a lawyer who has traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and Russia. His first two novels, THE AMBER ROOM and THE ROMANOV PROPHECY, were US bestsellers; his next two, THE THIRD SECRET and THE TEMPLAR LEGACY,were instantNew York Times" bestsellers. His books have been translated into over 30 languages.

Reviews

'Sexy, illuminating, and confident... my kind of thriller - a globe-trotting treasure hunt packed with exotic locales, sumptuous art, and ruthless villains' -- Dan Brown 'Magnificently engrossing, with wonderful characters and a plot that speeds, twists, and turns. Pure intrigue. Pure fun.' -- Clive Cussler 'Captivating, well-plotted... Combines the pace and style of Brown's DA VINCI CODE and the densely plotted espionage of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon novels' -- Florida Times-Union 'A riveting cat-and-mouse game set within the world of international art thieves, assassins, and age-old rivalries' -- James Rollins, author of SANDSTORM and ICE HUNT 'Writes with the self-assured style of a veteran' -- Dan Brown on Steve Berry 'Steve Berry is a writer on the rise.' -- David Morrell, author of NIGHTSCAPE and CREEPERS

First-time novelist Berry weighs in with a hefty thriller that's long on interesting research but short on thrills. Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler and ex-husband Paul are divorced but still care for each other. Rachel's father, Karol Borya, knows secrets about the famed Amber Room, a massive set of intricately carved panels crafted from the precious substance and looted by Nazis during WWII from Russia's Catherine Palace. The disappearance of the panels, which together formed a room, remains one of the world's greatest unsolved art mysteries. Borya's secret gets him killed as two European industrialists/art collectors go head to head in a deadly race to find the fabled room. Searching for Borya's killer, Rachel and Paul bumble their way to Europe, where their naivet? triggers more deaths. Berry has obviously done his homework, and he seems determined to find a place for every fact he's unearthed. The plot slows for descriptions of various art pieces, lectures and long internal monologues in which characters examine their innermost feelings and motives in minute detail, while also packing in plenty of sex and an abundance of brutal killings. A final confrontation between all the principals ends in a looming Bavarian castle where Rachel is raped. All the right elements are in place, but the book is far too long and not as exciting as the ingredients suggest. Readers may end up wishing Berry had written a nonfiction account of the fascinating story of the Amber Room and skipped the fictional mayhem. Agent, Pam Ahearn. (Sept.) Forecast: The Amber Room has been in the news again lately (a long New Yorker piece on its history ran earlier this year), because the panels are presently being re-created for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg this year. The attention may spark interest in Berry's debut, but less-than-stellar word of mouth may cause sales to peak early. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.