Rating: 
Summary: A good summer beach-read
Review: I bought this book on my honeymoon and was surprised to find that it held my attention after I got back. It certainly wasn't the best mystery I have read, but I really was surprised at the end and I thought that the characters, while stereotyped, were well played.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of time
Review: I a gree with the nameless reader from Chicago. Plot moved too slowly characters were predictable and completely unsympathetic. The whole thing was a ludlum-esque overkill. Skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb
Review: Really enjoyed this book. Well crafted plot. Could not put it down
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better
Review: It is usual for debutant authors to write novels which are autobiographical in nature. This one started with that intent. Had it continued that way, the book might have been worth a good read. The author first decided that he wanted to write a book. Then he decided on a story. The other way round would have been much better and yields better results, normally. The book seems more a a result of some marketing thought. It is as if the author first thought of the target market that he wanted to serve. Then he went through the exercise of segmentation and positioning. Then he characterised the hero. He needed to work in a bank and the hero went through Harvard Business school. He needed to fight in the thriller sequences, therefore he was given a background in the army. In all, all the characters come out as being unidimensional. The shades of grey that they were assigned also fall flat. The nomenclature also deserves mention. The main protagonist is a hapless new man in the murky world of Swiss banking. So, why not name him Neumann? The Chairman of the bank he works at is the king like character. He is, not surprisingly called Kaiser. It seems that the characters were named keeping in mind the roles they were to execute in the book. In some parts of the book, the author wants to be Frederick Forsyth, in some other parts, he wants to be Arthur Hailey. The end result is that he ends being being not half as good as them. Had he tried to be original, the book might have been better. The book falls short in detailing and content. One must however grant that the author has a fair skill in keeping the narrative going. The book however is too long. I'm surprised at the fact that this book was on the NYT's bestseller list.
Rating:
Summary: A good idea turns sour in the wrong literary hands!
Review: Not everyone appreciates writers who take a plot and churn out several novels a year without regard to characterization and believability. There are still those of us who demand literary quality in what we read be it mystery, thriller, or drama. I purchased this book based on the blurb by the N.Y. Times. How they ever rated this book "gripping" defies the imagination. This book could have had the right elements in more skillful hands. The plot stumbles along, the characterization is thin, the lines the author gives his characters are "tacky" at best, and one finds it hard to pick up the book and continue where one left off without a feeling of drudgery. This book is definitely no "Day of Jackal" (by Frederick Forsythe)nor a "Red October" by Tom Clancy. Perhaps the author would do well and pick up a book by another first time author Donna Tartt's "A Secret History" and take a lesson in characterization, mood buildup etc. That particular book captures the reader so that he feels the characters very emotions and is lost in time with them. And such beautiful prose that you read and reread passages. It would be wise to do this before writing another "pulp- fiction". But, alas the ignorant mass market calls. Shame on the critics who have lowered (or sold) their standards to rave about books such as this one!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent capture of the world of high finance.
Review: This is a great book which captures the high speed of high finance and suspense of a major villian. I recommend this book to people who want a fast moving story that does not waste time on every boring little detail. It also teaches the reader a lot about the tradition and competitive nature of the banks of Switzerland.
Rating:
Summary: the international setting established a good atmosphere
Review: I enjoyed this book more than it probably deserved. For example, the character development lacked...many of the characters just seemed faceless. However, the storyline was quite good and the subject matter was intriguing.
Rating:
Summary: This book has it-- the aura of power and big money
Review: Numbered Account, while at times weak on characterization and a little too predictable, succeeds in enticing the reader as only an insider's tale can. From the moment the reader enters the inner workings of the secretive Swiss banking system, the hook is in. The spectacle of power, money and greed, while cliched, is also entrancing.
Rating:
Summary: I dug this book!
Review: Starts fast, keeps moving. I love the international setting and I learned alot. Plus some steamy sex. What more do you want? I'll buy this guy's next one too.
Rating:
Summary: Horrendously boring
Review: This is without a doubt one of the dullest books I have ever attempted to read. The characters are cardboard and plot moves like a glacier. I quit on it about three quarters of the way through, which I normally never do. Save your money.
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