Rating: 
Summary: Can't recommend this book
Review: This book is soulless, and I was left with an empty feeling inside after reading it. It wasn't engrossing or enlightening, it didn't make me happy or sad, it didn't make me think or (except unintentionally) laugh. The characters were so badly drawn that one could get no sense of them, other than that they were all unpleasant to spend time with. As far as learning about the innards of international banking, I think I learned that clients call in and use a secret code to transfer funds and that lots of space is used to store old records. To be fair, I wasn't making an effort after a while. I was numbed after reading what to me seemed like a jumble of haphazardly chosen words rather than a thoughtful story, and I often had to make a conscious effort to continue reading. The only benefit I derived from reading Numbered Account was a tax deduction, by donating it to my public library.
Rating: 
Summary: An exciting, highly unique glimpse into Swiss banking.
Review: Reich shows remarkable style and cleverness in his first book. His portrayals of men in the sanctum sanctorum of Swiss banking and finance are most believable and compelling. His ability to tie-in Swiss banking with U.S. Marine counterterrorist operations, Harvard Business School, Wall Street and the Hezbollah show delectable promise. Noone should be likened to Le Carre after one book, however, Reich demonstrates a talent that could well deserve these comparisons very soon. If I was Nick Neumann and Reich was an initial stock offering I'd be loading up on this one!
Rating: 
Summary: COMPELLING -- EXCITING --- BUT NO ROMANCE!
Review: Greedy people don't have much depth, they are too self-absorbed. Reich did great with that! The book also tells us who has the real money in the world and this was the realistic part for me while I was reading it. Where it fell short was the LACK of good love-making scenes. There was NO strong woman love interest to hold it all together, so I couldn't give it a 10! Get someone to help you with love-making scenes on the next one Christopher and it will then be complete in my mind. Carole Hemingway
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing First Novel
Review: What an amazing piece of work for a first novel. I suppose we could compare Mr. Reich with Faulkner or Hemingway but I fail to see the purpose. Mr. Reich has written a suspenseful and well crafted thriller. For those who feel that every book must carry a lifechanging lesson or prose so beautiful it makes one weep than more than likely this is not the book for you. However, for those of us who enjoy a good romp while being thrilled and educated, you don't want to miss this one!! Let's not forget this is a first novel...I can hardly wait for 2,3,4 and so on!! Maybe THEN I will compare Mr. Reich to LeCarre and Grisham! In the meantime, my hat is off to Mr. Reich.
Rating:
Summary: Good idea drawn out too long, the ending is horrible
Review: As many reviewers seem to already have stated, this book takes a great idea, knowledge of locality and exciting possibilities of intrique and murder and draws them out for 400+ pages. The problem is that your suspicions of what happened and who is to blaim after about 20 pages turn out absolutely correct at the end. I enjoyed reading the book and thought it drew you in wuite well. I always expected it to get better and have some big surprise, though. This did not happen. For length, suspense and plot the story gets no mroe than a 3. Still, the development of the characters, originality of the story and the idea behind it, raise the book to a worthy 7. Still, if I am going to buy a book for $ 20 bucks or mroe, I would like it to be a 9 at the very least. SKip it or get it from the library
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, But Don't Rush To Read It
Review: Numbered Account is a pretty good first effort by Christopher Reich, but he leaves definite room for improvement. The story moves along at a quick pace and holds your interest, although the plot is fairly predictable and the characters do not have much depth. Do not spend your money to buy this book in hardcover . You can definitely wait for it to come out in paperback; or better still, get it from the library
Rating:
Summary: Angry at myself
Review: I agree with a previous reviewer that this book must have slipped past the editor, or perhaps Delacorte wanted to rush this book to print in order to cash in on the recent headlines about Swiss banks. The characters are stick figures; I didn't like or dislike the hero and I didn't like or dislike the villains. I just didn't care. It read as if Mr. Reich said to himself, "Okay, he does this, and then she does that, and then this happens, and then that happens...". There was no fleshing out of the characters and no meaningful descriptions of the people or places, as if the author had a list of adjectives and adverbs on his desk, and used them randomly throughout the book. I felt cheated, and angry at myself for falling for the early hype on this book.
Rating:
Summary: Decent, but hardly a "thriller"
Review: This book has some interesting aspects, particularly how the inner sanctum of a Swiss bank works. On the other hand, it really was cliche cliche cliche, and the plot really was a one-note Sally. Nick's past as a Marine hardly qualifies as a subplot; more a diversion. The love interest seems forced, loose ends are not tied up, and diologue is sometimes wooden. But overall it's a decent read.If it seems like I'm damning the book with faint praise--you're right.
Rating:
Summary: Why Does Anyone Buy This Trash?
Review: I'm bewildered. How does a first-time author receive so much money for such a book? Don't we have higher standards? This book has nothing going for it in terms of interesting characters, plot, structure, or language. It boggles the mind that American readers settle for such books; thrillers, mysteries, literature, romance, I don't care what the genre is. It is riddled with familiar words and sentences, as if this person read very few books in his lifetime (certainly not literature), but perhaps other thrillers to try and understand a certain formula, and this one came out heartless, certainly without an ounce of tenderness, and very, very forced. Is there anything truly compelling about it? Perhaps the information about the Swiss banking industry. Perhaps. After reading such a book, do you think about the characters long afterward? Are they three-dimensional? Aren't you tired, by the end of this book, of reading cliched sentences about the scenery, weather, and people's physiques? Have you tried John Le Carre? Robert Stone? Try his new book. Its characters are compelling; the place, Israel, is fascinating. He paints a picture like an artist. That is good writing. And it's thrilling. I'm only sorry I paid hard-earned money for Numbered Account. I'm sorry I spent time on it. Do yourself a favor and try Martin Amis, Don DeLillo, Louise Erdrich, Flannery O'Connor, even A.M. Homes. At least you'll be reading interesting language, no cliches in any of those sentences. Try Hemingway. Faulkner. These are brilliant minds. These are people who create art and compelling characters. Their plots probe the human mind and heart. Why should we have to read books like Numbered Account, looking for a thrill, when the thrill can be in the language, the rhythm, pacing, structure, and pure art? Why are American readers so seemingly hungry for such trash? Pull yourselves up by the boot straps and get back to some good writing. Please.
Rating:
Summary: Not very Gripping
Review: It was an acceptable read. However, the topics the book touched upon; international banking, nuclear sabatage, Middle east undercover, are all topics that could make for an outstanding intrique. This book did not fully develop where it could have gone.
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