Rating:  Summary: Suspense and intelligent writing - a winning combination Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is rare to find a book that is both exciting and maintains a superior level of writing. I've read enough poorly written books in the mystery/thriller genre lately, that this book was a real breath of fresh air. I am fortunate enough to have been to Zurich and the descriptions in this book brought me right back. I am looking forward to Mr. Reich's next book. As far as I am concerned this was a great read. "Magnificent, really".
Rating:  Summary: Thought that I was reading "The Firm". Review: I'm surprised no one has made the comparison between "Numbered Account" and "The Firm". There ware too many plot similarities in the first half of the book for me to believe that this was Reich's original story idea.
Rating:  Summary: Tedious, predictable writing in a fairly fresh setting Review: Yep. It takes an effort to pick up this book after you put it down the day before. You know that the mysterious multi-millionnaire is the Arab heroin czar (FBI agent tells Nick that, for all the suspense), and you just know that he killed Nick's father before you even know his name. You know that he will get what he deserves - and, after you understand the sensibility of the author, you know that he will be killed by Nick himself. The plot is way too predictable, too boggled down, too cartoonish. And yes - the writing is simply bad, the situations are cliche, and half the book reads like a bad B-grade Hollywood action flick. Oh, yes, Nick Neumann has all the depth of a robocop or of any Schwarzenegger character and the rest of the people in this book are even blander than him. So, why would you want to buy it? I guess there are not enough good financial thrillers on the bestseller lists, and when I get too tired to re-read Den of Thieves, I look for something fresh in the undoubtedly fascinating area of high finance. Buy it if you want just ANY kind of book with a setting in international finance - and I am interested in all of it - but avoid it like plague if you are looking simply for a good read. And hey, authors! finance is a thousand times more interesting field than stupid lawyer work, so give us more of that!
Rating:  Summary: Ditto the reader from Philadelphia! Review: I agree with the reader from Philly: Reich is a better writer than Grisham or Baldacci. And I disagree with many of the other readers who thought this book slow and dull and lacking in characterization. I will remember Nick Neumann and Peter Spracher much longer than any of Grisham's characters (I'm hard-pressed to think of even one). Where Reich needs to improve is, I think, in writing the action scenes. The fight scene between Nick and the villain up in the mountains was brief and without the kind of detail given to other parts of the book (e.g. the ins & outs of private banking). On the whole, the book easily held my interest and I'm looking forward to Reich's next effort.
Rating:  Summary: One of the best books I have read in a long time. Review: I had the hardest time putting this book down. The plot and sub-plots really kept me on my toes waiting for what would happen next.
Rating:  Summary: Do not waste your time Review: I thought John Grisham had the market cornered on zero character development and unrealistic plots, but Reich not-so-pleasantly surprised me. The characters are all cookie cutter, the dialouge is laughable, the plot silly. After 350 pages, I didn't know anything more than page 1, and I sure didn't care. Do yourself a favor and go find Michael Connelly's new book and save yourself from this sophomoric tale.
Rating:  Summary: Well written and an in depth storyline. Review: Reich's tale weaves through a variety of well thought out characters. Plausible story line kept me turning the pages. I would highly recommend this book to those readers who enjoy a good suspense tale. Plot twists throughout kept me guessing.
Rating:  Summary: Terrible Review: I'm an avid reader who enjoys good thrillers. Therefore, based on its many strong reviews, I looked forward to reading this book. To my surprise, though, it totally sucked. The plot is terribly boring, the character development is non-existent, the subplots are worse than the main plot, and the ending is pathetic. Contrary to what anyone may claim, this book is nothing like The Day After Tomorrow. Simply put, Numbered Account is the worst book I have read in the past several years. My advice: Don't waste your precious time or money on this one.
Rating:  Summary: Dull and unbelieveable Review: Christopher Reich obviously has a good agent. In fact he thanks his agent and two other editors at his agent's office in his acknowledgements at the end of the book. They, and not his writing, have gotten his book noticed. After a fairly good 3 page prologue this book becomes one of the most tedious, boring, books I've read in a year. The basic setup is so lame I just never cared about the resolution. There are whole regressions into the main character's past that bring the book to a dead halt. The characterizations are cardboard thin, I didn't believe any of the relationships. Comparisons with The Day After Tomorrow are way off base. The Day After Tomorrwow may stretch credibility but at least it's not dull. I'm sorry I read this book. It will be a long time before I read another book by this author.
Rating:  Summary: Decent payoff Review: A few too many characters and subplots complicate this story. It's one of those books where you find yourself going back 2-3 pages each night to re-read where you left off and refresh your memory. The book is long - 700+ pages - but that's not the problem. One of the key subplots - which becomes huge and I won't give anything else away - strains credibility. And the villians were a bit stereotyped.On the other hand, I enjoyed learning so much about Swiss Banking and the charms of Zurich. All in all, a marginal recommendation.
|