Steve Berry, Скачать все книги 2 Количество книг

The Amber Room is one of the greatest treasures ever made by man: an entire room forged of exquisite amber, from its four massive walls to its finely crafted furniture. But it is also the subject of one of history’s most intriguing mysteries. Originally commissioned in 1701 by Frederick I of Prussia, the Room was later perfected Tsarskoe Selo, the Russian imperial city. In 1941, German troops invaded the Soviet Union, looting everything in their wake and seizing the Amber Room. When the Allies began the bombing of Germany in August 1944, the Room was hidden. And despite the best efforts of treasure hunters and art collectors from around the world, it has never been seen again.

Now, two powerful men have set their best operatives loose in pursuit, and the hunt has begun once more. . . .

Life is good for Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler. She loves her job, loves her kids, and remains civil to her ex-husband, Paul. But everything changes when her father, a man who survived the horrors of World War II, dies under strange circumstances—and leaves behind clues to a secret he kept his entire life . . . a secret about something called the Amber Room.

Desperate to know the truth about her father’s suspicious dealings, Rachel takes off for Germany, with Paul close behind. Shortly after arriving, they find themselves involved with a cast of shadowy characters who all claim to share their quest. But as they learn more about the history of the treasure they seek, Rachel and Paul realize they’re in way over their heads. Locked in a treacherous game with ruthless professional killers and embroiled in a treasure hunt of epic proportions, Rachel and Paul suddenly find themselves on a collision course with the forces of power, evil, and history itself.

A brilliant adventure and a scintillating tale of intrigue, deception, art, and murder,  is a classic tale of suspense—and the debut of a strong new voice in the world of the international thriller.

From the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

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.

Do you believe in miracles? You will when you discover The Third Secret... For fans of The Da Vinci Code comes a timely thriller that takes us from the echoing halls and papal politics of the Vatican to the wilds of Romania and a mysterious world of holy visitations and miracles. In the library of the Vatican, in its most secret vault, lies a box. A box that may only be opened by the Pope. And within this box once lay a scrap of paper that could shake the foundations of the church and faith itself - until in 1978 a junior cleric seized his chance and stole the paperů in July 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal, and entrusted them with three secrets. The world soon learned that the first described Hell, and the second foretold the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II. The third, not revealed until 2000, predicted an attempt on a Pope's life - which had indeed taken place 19 years earlier. Shock swept the globe: it didn't make sense - why keep this a secret for so long? And many around the world continued to wonder... Cut to the present day and the frail and elderly Pope Clement XV has become obsessed with accounts of visitations from Mary. He suspects that there was more to the Third Secret and assigns his trusted aide, Father Colin Michener, to discover the truth. Cardinal Valendrea, frontrunner to become the next Pope, knows for sure that there was more to the message than has been revealed, and he's ready to kill to prevent the full Third Secret from being made public. As the cardinals gather in conclave to decide the next Pope and Valendrea prepares for victory, only Michener can stop him, and his quest turns into a roller-coaster of a journey that could change Michener, the Church - and the world - forever. Based on true events, including the Fatima Secrets reported by three peasant children in Portugal, The Third Secret is a riveting thriller that melds fact, theology, tradition and fiction very much in The Da Vinci Code mould. And with the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of his successor fresh in the minds of readers, this is a timely and fascinating insight into the workings of the Vatican.