Rating: 
Summary: Read the others first...
Review: I looked forward to this book after reading his other two, but it just didn't keep me interested. It started to get better after the 1/2 way point, but until then, the jumping around to set the situation didn't allow for the smooth flow of the story.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thriller that Really Thrills!!
Review: I loved Christopher Reich's first two novels -- NUMBERED ACCOUNT and THE RUNNER -- but his new one's my favorite. The plot is intricate and exciting and it moves at warp speed. This is a stay-up-all-night-and-then-pass-it-along-to-your-best-friend thriller that satisfies on every level. Congratulations on another great book, Mr. Reich. I can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: A bundle of joy.
Review: It begins with a plot that you would expect any second-grade LA movie to have. There's you have a knock-out Russian blond with a 9mm. Later there's this FSB with "support of international terrorosm with the goal of distabilizing the country's enemies." What? Do you know something we don't? Ok, the part about a lonely millionaire, with tempter control checks on his mind, being in a tough jam was well phrased and gave off an aura of "being there", so that alone could make it a worthy read if your wish is to gain additional detest for money. Overall, with 200 pages left, reading it feels like pasta with parmesan and no tomato sauce. It may leave parts of you enligtened, but won't quench your thirst.
Rating:
Summary: A bundle of joy.
Review: It begins with a plot that you would expect any second-grade LA movie to have. There's you have a knock-out Russian blond with a 9mm. Later there's this FSB with "support of international terrorosm with the goal of distabilizing the country's enemies." What? Do you know something we don't? Ok, the part about a lonely millionaire, with tempter control checks on his mind, being in a tough jam was well phrased and gave off an aura of "being there", so that alone could make it a worthy read if your wish is to gain additional detest for money. Overall, with 200 pages left, reading it feels like pasta with parmesan and no tomato sauce. It may leave parts of you enligtened, but won't quench your thirst.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book of the Summer!
Review: Jett Gavallan is a corporate warrior on a very dangerous mission: he must save his best friend from the grasp of a Russian mobster while somehow salvaging a huge business deal that might just keep his business afloat. Careening from San Francisco to Moscow to Florida and New York, "The First Billion" is one of the most suspenseful and satisfying books I've read this year, at once a nail biting page turner and an instructive meditation on the risks of international business. I'd place the style somewhere between Ludlum and LeCarre, but Reich has a snappy panache that is all his own. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting financial thriller
Review: John "Jett" Gavallan knows his Black Jet Securities Company has been in trouble since the bottom fell out of the dot.com world. Borrowing from his days as a fighter pilot, Jett takes a major chance on a Russian firm Mercury Broadband that he plans to go public via the New York Stock Exchange. However, an online highly regarded financial analyst, Private Eye-PO, warns people that Mercury Broadband is a bad investment stunning Jett with the revelations. Jett's assistant Grafton Byrnes travels incognito to Moscow to uncover the truth while Jett tries to locate Private Eye-PO. Soon Jett heads to Russia to confront Kirov, the CEO of Mercury Broadband, who may be part of the Russian Mafia. Though not quite on a par with NUMBERED ACCOUNT, THE FIRST BILLION is an interesting financial thriller that is at its best when Jett struggles between ethics and the deal of a lifetime. The latter half of the story line turns into an international chase tale with body counts outgrowing monetary accounts and Jett acting more like John Wayne. Still readers will find this adventure exhilarating but would have preferred that Christopher Reich keep the hero continuing his work on the bottom line of a ledger sheet rather than body bags. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: One of the best writers of financial thrillers
Review: Reading books by Christopher Reich is becoming a habit. His first book, NUMBERED ACCOUNT was nominated for an Edgar Award. This is actually a very rare feat for a thriller novel. THE RUNNER also is a very well written thriller and now Christopher Reich returns to the world of high finance with another well received and highly publicized novel.
John "Jett" Gavallan is the CEO of Black Jet Securities, a firm of investment bankers. He senses a lucrative deal with a Russian businessman, Konstantin Kirov. Mr. Kirov wants to bring his internet company, Mercury Broadband public. The profits for Jett's company could go into the hundreds of millions. Kirov, of course can earn many billions. After the proper due diligence, everything looks good until a mysterious net columnist begins pointing out hidden problems with the company that Jett is not aware of. Things turn ominous when Grafton Byrnes, a friend of Jett's goes to Russia to investigate the company and disappears. As Jett investigates, he realizes he and his company are definitely in trouble.
The world of high finance is where Christopher Reich feels most comfortable. He is was an international banker in Europe and utilized that knowledge in his first book, as well as, this current volume. What is especially impressive about Mr. Reich's work is that, in spite of the complexity of the topic he is discussing (in this case IPOs) he is never heavy-handed in his approach to the subject. The reader will not feel overwhelmed while being swept up into the action of the story. All of the stock thriller elements are here-- the hero with a military background adept at the use of firearms, the tough heroine to team up with him, a villain with grandiose ideas of world domination and exotic locales. The breakneck speed Reich eventually builds up to makes the very long book appear much shorter. Reich is quickly establishing himself as a superior writer of financial thrillers. A very entertaining work.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best writers of financial thrillers
Review: Reading books by Christopher Reich is becoming a habit. His first book, NUMBERED ACCOUNT was nominated for an Edgar Award. This is actually a very rare feat for a thriller novel. THE RUNNER also is a very well written thriller and now Christopher Reich returns to the world of high finance with another well received and highly publicized novel.
John "Jett" Gavallan is the CEO of Black Jet Securities, a firm of investment bankers. He senses a lucrative deal with a Russian businessman, Konstantin Kirov. Mr. Kirov wants to bring his internet company, Mercury Broadband public. The profits for Jett's company could go into the hundreds of millions. Kirov, of course can earn many billions. After the proper due diligence, everything looks good until a mysterious net columnist begins pointing out hidden problems with the company that Jett is not aware of. Things turn ominous when Grafton Byrnes, a friend of Jett's goes to Russia to investigate the company and disappears. As Jett investigates, he realizes he and his company are definitely in trouble.
The world of high finance is where Christopher Reich feels most comfortable. He is was an international banker in Europe and utilized that knowledge in his first book, as well as, this current volume. What is especially impressive about Mr. Reich's work is that, in spite of the complexity of the topic he is discussing (in this case IPOs) he is never heavy-handed in his approach to the subject. The reader will not feel overwhelmed while being swept up into the action of the story. All of the stock thriller elements are here-- the hero with a military background adept at the use of firearms, the tough heroine to team up with him, a villain with grandiose ideas of world domination and exotic locales. The breakneck speed Reich eventually builds up to makes the very long book appear much shorter. Reich is quickly establishing himself as a superior writer of financial thrillers. A very entertaining work.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 star unabridged audio
Review: See book description above. The unabridged version of this book was also good. The reader, James Daniel, narrated at a steady pace but in a sometime undramatic way. The story itself was strong and addicting. The subject seemed timely (IPO's and the stock market) and combined with international intrigue, it made a very satisfying and suspenseful story. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Worth A Billion! Fast Paced, Sexy, and Informative
Review: The First Billion is an outstanding novel. Reich maintains the perfect balance of realism and fantasy pitting a savvy American banker against an even savvier, and certainly more ruthless, Russian Oligarch. The story is very fast paced and adventurous. More importantly, it sheds a bright light on the sometimes questionable practices of Investment bankers bringing High Tech IPO's to market and the always questionable, but never less than fascinating tactics of Russia's oligarchs - the handful of conniving men who managed to wrest control of Russia's economy for themselves. Reich paints a detailed, vibrant picture of both these worlds. When the two clash, sparks fly! I really enjoyed this book. If you like Paul Erdman or Frederick Forsyth, you will definitely enjoy it, too. A triumph. Highly recommended.
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