Author: Dean Fetzer
Publisher: GunBoss Books
ISBN: 9780956158109
Genre: Fiction, Action, Suspense, Mystery
About the Book: (taken from Amazon.com)
"The Amber Room - a wondrous room made from panels of carved amber - a gift in the 18th Century to Peter the Great, Czar of Russia. Once part of a palace outside St Petersberg, this priceless treasure has been missing since the end of World War II. Removed from the palace by a Nazi art collection squad at the height of the war, the Amber Room was last seen in Königsbourg in late 1944 - it vanished without a trace. Now, someone knows where it has come to rest and will do anything to get it. Ninety years on and beautiful young women are being found dead with no evidence of why they died. Forensics has no clues and fewer answers. Haunted by a mysterious benefactress, Jaared Sen is hired by an old friend to find his missing niece. A Contractor for The Company, Jaared is the only one who can find her - and the Amber Room - before the killer strikes again."
My Thoughts:
The Amber Room's history has always fascinated me, so when I saw this novel, I knew I HAD to read it. I must say the beginning started out slow for me. There were a lot of characters introduced and the story jumped around. I was a bit confused, but as I plodded on, I found there were actually 2 story lines running side by side. When I figured that out, the placement of the characters came much more easily, and the whole thing became crystal clear. The way it written was really quite brilliant.
The story is full of mystery and suspense with a bit of sci-fi/fantasy to give it an interesting twist. It is action-packed and very exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. With the twists and turns, I didn't really figure it all out until close to the end.
One of the main characters, Contractor Jaared Sen, was my favorite. He is a blind investigator who is not only smart, good looking, and very well trained, but he has a sense of humor. He's one that will bend the rules if he has to, and then face the consequences later.
Mr. Fetzer did a brilliant job keeping me on edge throughout the story. I really hope the decides to keep Contractor Sen alive and working on more cases in the future, as I can't get enough of this detective!
Parental note: Book contains violence, some offensive language, and sexual situations.
About the Author: (taken from author's website)
Then, Dean wrote a pulp sci-fi novel with his best friend, which they completed by the age of eighteen. University got in the way, and the novel never saw the light of day.
Dean attended the University of Colorado, studying architecture. His work in technical theatre carried on, lighting and set design getting him involved in a number of theatrical and operatic productions in the Boulder and Denver area, as well as working with Consenting Adults Theatre Company in Washington D.C.
He came to the UK for an appearance in the famous Fringe Festival and never really left, living in Edinburgh for a time. After a brief time in Washington D.C., he returned to the UK and found himself working for a large telecoms company in London.
He and a friend started fancyapint.com in the 90's and left the telecoms company.
He now lives in East London with his wife Debra and their two cats, and travels as much as time will allow.
You can learn more about Dean by visiting his blog at: http://www.deanfetzer.com/letters-from-the-company/feed.html or his web page at http://www.deanfetzer.com. He can also be found on Twitter: http://twitter.com/deanfetzer
Author's photo taken from Wikamedia Commons - used with permission.
Book was supplied by author/publisher for me to honestly review.
