Rating: 
Summary: Very good book
Review: "Numbered Account" is a very good book: the plot is interesting and the more you go on with it, the faster you want to turn pages. Although the beginning may be a bit slow, Reich makes his best when he describes the Swiss bank system, and it is almost as if you could hear the steps of someone entering one of these huge Swiss banks that look like ancient temples with their own codes and laws. The characters have enough depth and it is absolutely intriguing to enter the world of the private banking in Switzerland. The country is well described, while the emotional conflict of the main character is nicely outlined. It is evident that the author has a great knowledge of Switzerland, its banking system, and he has great skill because he managed to mix a potential boring theme like banking with a pacing personal war of Nicholas Neumann, the main character. Definitely a book that is worth to be bought and read.
Rating: 
Summary: don't waste your money
Review: I started reading this book 4 times, the beginning had no umph. Then, I decided this book would not beat me, I was wrong. The plot started to pick up after the first 170 pages. My hopes were high at this piont. Then the ending, ... a was of waste of. The writing is very wordy. The book is simply too long. This lenghthy book would have best been serverd as one of those short readers digest storied that one keeps in the bathroom.
Rating: 
Summary: It was better when it came out the FIRST time as The FIRM...
Review: I was really excited when my wife purchased 'Numbered Account' for me for Christmas a year ago...but as I picked it up and began what was a slow read from the very beginning throughout, I couldn't help but wonder, 'Where had I read THIS before?' Well I finally figured it out when I picked up a copy of a John Grisham novel that had fallen off my book shelf...there it WAS! 'The Firm' has been re-packaged here in the form of a European Bank firm with shady deals instead of a bunch of mob-run Attorney's. There was very little to like about this novel even though I really WANTED to. For those who found this to a completely original story either haven't read 'The Firm' or have completely shut out that story in order to absorb what little THIS story had to offer--which is very little, if you ask me. When it comes to originality, I expect a LOT, but when the story has been re-written with different names and different locations I get a bit upset. But even after all that I can STILL forgive IF at least the story is ENTERTAINING...which 'Numbered Account' just plain ISN'T. I was thinking that as long as Reich was going to practically steal another novel, at LEAST he could have made the one he WAS writing exciting...but on that level this novel plummets like a lead balloon. Wish there was more I could say that could be more positive, but as I searched my memory of this book, I found absolutely nothing.
Rating:
Summary: Numbered Account is worth a read.
Review: What a good book. I love it when I guess and I guess wrongly. Oh well. It's not such a complicated plot, but enough of one to hold my attention and make it worth reading. It reminds me of The Firm, but the setting in the Swiss banking industry and the attention to that setting makes it interesting throughout. Great book for a first attempt.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent debut - a new Paul Erdman?
Review: Christopher Reich has proven himself with his first book. He has produced an excellent story with a great plot which takes place in the old Swiss Banking Community. I can't wait to see what else this guy has in store for us.
Rating:
Summary: It's really just "The Firm" all over again
Review: This is the second book I've read by Reich, and I really can't say much for him as a writer.He doesn't do anything, as far as I can tell, that isn't done better by others; in fact, frankly, in my opinion, he manages to make Grisham look like a literary stylist. Reich is often doing clunky things. An example here is naming a man Kaiser--and then taking care to describe his distinguishing characteristic as a left arm shortened during a difficult birth. Golly! The very same defect that distinguished Kaiser Wilhelm! Is Reich trying to *tell* us something, perhaps? That the gentleman in question is a secret scion of the House of Hohenzollern, planning his family's return to power? That perhaps he *is* the Kaiser, by now 140 years old? Or is this just something Reich read and forgot he read, and it's being served up by his subconscious, to the printed page? I'm still wondering. Aside from that, this book is basically "The Firm," stretched out to 700+ pages. If you've already read Grisham, you needn't bother with this. For an admittedly improbable thriller about deadly intrigue and Euro-finance that at least serves up some excitement, read Ludlum's "The Holcroft Covenant." For an interesting, though very dated, thriller about international finance and the Arab world, read Paul Erdman's "The Crash of '79" (unfortunately out of print, but available from some Z-shops). For a gripping story about a young professional who goes to work for a prestigious firm and finds it sold out to criminal corruption, with deadly consequences, read...well, "The Firm." Amazing that Reich hasn't heard of it.
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: This book has eveything. Excellent plot twists and characters. I couldn't put this one down. An awesome read.
Rating:
Summary: Editor needed
Review: I wish I had read all the reviews before buying this book - which I did after enjoying The Runner. I am on page 128 now and don't think I will waste further time. But can a fan of the book explain to me how Nick, on page 100, was able to retrieve Senn's file from a portfolio manager's secretary when he is alone in the bank with the chief hall porter, page 99? Careless errors like this cause me to lose respect for the author and his ability to present a convincing and credible plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Speaking American with a Swiss Accent
Review: A well written and compelling book which captured and held my attention. While much seems believable the language used by the Swiss is not. Are we readers to understand that the characters are conversing in Swiss-German? If so, then why do they use expressions which are typically American? This is especially glaring in the conversations between Peter and Nicholas. Even if they are supposed to be conversing in English, Peter's frequent use of American slang rings false. A Swiss educated in England might speak English fluently but would not have the command of American slang which Peter seems to possess. I lived in Berne, Switzerland for almost three years and met many articulate Swiss who spoke faultless English but none used the slang Peter uses. Sterling's dialogue was the most believable. Also there was a certain cardboard quality in the way the Swiss were depicted. With the exception of Peter the Swiss characters were unfairly stereotyped. A more even handed depiction of the Swiss would have merited a 4 star accolade in my estimation.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty formularised American hero stuff
Review: Pretty formularised American hero stuff: ex-marine leaves good job as a lawyer to go on a search for his father's murderers. Being set in a Swiss bank is original but it is not too exciting and towards the end the story becomes too unbelievable.
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