THE AMBER ROOM

A work of art cast in amber, not gold, differentiates Steve Berry's book from the typical Nazi treasure hunt novel. Just as important is narrator Scott Brick's performance, which makes the story a pleasure to hear. Brick's German and Russian accents sound authentic as they drip with sinister foreboding. Brick gets a further nod for correctly pronouncing "Belarus." Berry's plot revolves around the search for an entire room made of amber carved into wondrous shapes and forms. A divorced couple gets involved when the woman's father is murdered in an attempt to get information about the room, which he helped hide after WWII. Before you know it, the estranged couple is in Europe, tracking down a 65-year-old mystery. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]