The Amber Room by Steve Berry

              When my mother saw Expedition Unknown was going to have an episode about the Amber Room, she asked me to let her know when it was going to be on so she wouldn’t miss it.  Expedition Unknown is not a show she usually watches, but with her love of Russian history and art in general, this was an episode she wanted to see.  I must say I was quite interested as well, beyond the fact that I enjoy the show no matter what the topic.  My interest in Russian history and art in general was definitely inherited from my mother.  Mix in World War II and you have me hooked.  This is why when my mother asked me if I had ever read Steve Berry’s The Amber Room I figured it was a book I should pick up.  I had read one or two of Mr. Berry’s books before so I already knew his writing, but I had never read The Amber Room.  How I missed that one, I’m not sure.  Knowing me, I probably thought it was part of a series, which would have made me hesitant to pick it up without having read any books before it.  Fortunately for me, the book is not part of a series, so when I picked it up from the library I could enjoy it all on its own.     

                Karol Borya is an old man.  Years ago he worked for the Soviets in search of the Amber Room.  A room decorated completely with amber, it was taken apart by the Nazis during the Second World War and shipped out of Russia.  When the war ended, the amber panels could not be found.  Borya was sent to find them.  He was unsuccessful and later moved to the United States leaving the whereabouts of the Amber Room a mystery.

At least that is what Borya wants everyone to think.

While he cannot claim to have actually found the Amber Room, Borya did discover something; something he has kept secret for many years.  The only mention of his secret is found in letters to a man named Danya Chapaev.  They worked together while trying to find the Amber Room, and Borya kept some of the letters they wrote to each other in a safe deposit box.  Only after Borya’s sudden and suspicious death does anyone else see these letters.  They are accompanied by a letter from Borya to his daughter, Judge Rachel Cutler, insisting she never have anything to do with the Amber Room.  Rachel, however, does not heed her father’s last request.  Instead she is determined to find answers about her father’s death and flies to Germany to find the long missing Chapaev.  She believes he may hold the key as to what her father’s death is really about.

                While in Germany, Rachel teams up with a man named Christian Knoll.  After saving Rachel from getting hit by a taxi, he claims to be someone simply interested in the Amber Room.  Since he saved her life, Rachel trusts him, not realizing Knoll is the man who killed her father.  Knoll has been sent on a mission by his employer to find the Amber Room and bring it back to him.  It does not matter what it takes to get it.  Nothing is out of bounds; not even murder.

                Back in the United States, Rachel’s ex-husband, Paul Cutler, receives a visit from an unknown woman.  The woman lets Paul know Rachel is being pursued by a dangerous man.  Concerned for Rachel’s safety, Paul books a flight to Germany.  He hopes he can find Rachel before it’s too late, but what he doesn’t know is he has put Rachel, and himself, in even more danger than before.  The woman that came to visit Paul is really an adversary of Knoll’s.  She goes by many names, but her true name is Suzanne Danzer.  Her employer is uneasy about so many people looking into The Amber Room.  He has sent Suzanne to do anything in her power to stop it.

             As Paul flies to Germany, Rachel and Knoll continue to work together in their efforts to find Chapaev.  When they do, he directs them to a cave that has not been thoroughly investigated before.  Excited, Rachel and Knoll go to the cave, but they come up empty.  Realizing they have been tricked, Knoll decides to do away with his Mr. Nice Guy routine and attempts to rape and murder Rachel.  Fortunately for her, before Knoll can even touch her, there is a cave-in, an explosion set off by Suzanne.  Rachel manages to get pulled out alive and is taken to the hospital, but Knoll escapes, even more determined to get what he wants and not leave anyone standing.

                At the hospital is where Rachel and Paul meet up.  Rachel is injured from her experience but she is well enough to leave the hospital.  Paul thinks the right thing to do would be to go home, but Rachel wants to keep going.  Not wanting Rachel to go off investigating on her own, Paul agrees to go with her, making them an even bigger target for those who want the Amber Room for themselves.   

                I loved the adventure part of this book as well as all the historical bits.  All the sniping between the characters, especially with Rachel and Paul, I could have down without.  I understand they’re divorced, but some of the things that were said were really uncalled for.  It also wasn’t what I was interested in.  I wanted to know about the Amber Room and whether or not it was going to be found.  The answer to that may be surprising.

                Another thing I liked was all the other missing art that was talked about.  In so many ways this book was not just about the Amber Room.  It was about all the art that has disappeared and been missing for who knows how long.  Where are all these pieces?  Are they still lost somewhere, hidden in caves?  Or have they been repeatedly stolen by individuals wanting a piece of lost art?  I don’t know the answer to that, but pieces have suddenly been found in the oddest of places.  It may only be a matter of time before they all reappear.