We start at the end of World War II when The Amber Knight is stolen, presumably by the Nazi’s, from looted treasures of Russia and Poland. We cut to the present day when a wealthy director of a museum trust, based in Gdansk, is offered the Amber Knight for the price of $50 million. Adam Salen would love to have the piece for the museum but then murdered bodies start turning up. Does the curse surrounding The Amber Knight hold true, that death awaits every unbeliever who looks upon the knight’s face, or is the presence of the mafia suddenly a cause for concern? It takes a while for the plot to get going and the characters to unfold but stick with it as once it gets going this is a pacey, action thriller to keep you hooked until the end.
This fast-paced action thriller is a multi-layered story that spans eight centuries, from medieval Germany and Prussia to present day Poland and USA. It is centred on the legend of the Amber Knight – a beloved relic that inspired generations until the Nazis stole it.
Created in 1232 during The Teutonic Crusade when the heroic knight, Helmut von Mau, dies in battle at Elblag. When the town is burned and the amber in the treasury melts and is poured into Helmut’s sarcophagus, covering his body and creating the Amber Knight.
Present day Gdansk. Adam Salen, director of a museum trust receives photographs of the Amber Knight which disappeared in 1945, and a demand for 15 million dollars. His assistant, Magda, believes that, given a corpse, amber and armour the knight could be recreated.
Adam and Magda want the knight for the museum, but when a mafia hit man is found dead on Adam’s doorstep and more corpses are discovered in woods near Hitler’s Wolf’s lair, it seems like there may be truth behind the myth that death awaits every unbeliever who looks upon Helmut’s face.
Katherine John is a pen name of the author Catrin Collier. She was born and brought up in Pontypridd and worked for a while in Europe and America before returning to her native Wales. She now lives on the GowerPeninsula near Swansea, with her family.
