Rating: 
Summary: Some good, lots of bad
Review: There were some good things about this book -- the detail about the Swiss finance, and some of the scenes in Zurich. And the plot had some good points as well. But Reich was never to make me care about the protagonist. Why should we care for him? When has he ever done anything good to make me care about him? What are his strengths, what are his weaknesses? The Harvard MBA is so one-dimensional (wouldn't it be nice, for a change, to have a charcter who didn't go to Harvard -- say Stanford, Chicago, or Wharton, to name a few). For example, he breaks up with his fiancee -- and then she takes him back, and he's returning to her. There should have been some heart to this. Didn't he have any guilt about sleeping with Silvia Schon? This flaw is demonstrative of the core problem with the book -- too much detail, too many intricate plots, without concern for how people think and feel. And -- it was too long. Not just that there were too many subplots, etc., but Reich needs to have a better sense about the length of book that is emotionally satisfying to a reader. Some books can be longer, because characters grow, or because they take over a long period of time. But a suspense type of book, based on plot instead of character, especially one that takes place over a short period of time, simply needs to be shorter. Also, speaking of time: the technique of Friday, or whatever, on top of the chapters, should have been more specific. An actual time of day should have been given. And -- minor point -- how could he be returning to the States only the day after the end of the main events? It's hard to believe that the Swiss authorities wouldn't want him to hang around -- wouldn't demand that he hang around. The implication was that he was leaving for good, too -- and leaving a country, moving, requires a little more effort. Finally, if you know German, the choice of names will drive you crazy.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic from Start to Finish!
Review: I haven't read a book this good for ages. It took me back to the early Ludlum. Great characters and neat settings. Maybe a little too long, but so what, the payoff was great! Exciting!!
Rating: 
Summary: Drab and awful
Review: If characters are going to be 'tough' shouldn't they at least be sassy and tough? If the style is meant to be factual and gritty, shouldn't the characters talk just a little bit like people do in real life? Shouldn't a writer of a full-length novel be capable of evocative, inventive language SOMEWHERE? Reich obviously doesn't think so, and the result is a very plodding, dull read indeed. After 200 pages I was on my knees with dismay and frustration. Please, editors, raise the standards of writing you demand or someone somewhere will sue you for mental torture...
Rating: 
Summary: could have been better
Review: At the beginning the story is riveting, however during the second half of the book, there are many twists not too credible at all, "the hero is like superman" figthing thugs, which makes the end somewhat disappointing
Rating:
Summary: Astonishingly awful writing
Review: I bough this in haste, expecting a considered, perhaps rather clever financial thriller. What I found was the kind of mind-numbingly atrocious writing I thought had long since died out. I'm amazed the publishers let Mr Reich get away with it. It only shows what idiots they must think thriller buyers are....
Rating: 
Summary: True to its Reviews
Review: I find the value of one liners plastered on book covers to be a dime-a-dozen, especially with NYT Bestsellers. However, I found Numbered Account to be worth its weight in words. I quickly became addicted and found myself unable to put it down. Thanks Mr. Reich for restoring my faith in one line reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Unintentionally funny prose, but not bad overall
Review: The cruelest way to review this novel would simply be to quote from its first half, which contains such howlers (listed by category) as: 1. Purple prose: "And her body took him to realms he had never before discovered." (P. 127.) "She danced with the fury of a caged panther, and when the music demanded that she 'walk this way,' her responding strut fired a bolt of hormonal lightning through his loins. Watching her remove the leather brassiere that supported her generous breasts, his mouth turned dry as the Gobi." (P. 321.) 2. Needless rhetorical questions: "No one had pushed him into the path of the tram. Then why could he still feel the imprint of another person's palm scalding his lower back?" (P. 3.) "They regarded themselves as the chosen ones, and in fact, they were. Financial centurions for the new millennium. [¶] Why then did he hate them so?" (P. 49.) 3. Clichéed or clumsy writing: "The morning fog, which during winter loitered on the Swiss plateau like an unwelcome houseguest, had at 11:45 a.m. Friday not yet lifted." (P. 163.) "And then he knew. Power. Vision. Scope." (P. 263.) "She looked into the mirror a long time. Trust. Dedication. Effort." (P. 276.) "[I]t was not long before his mind wandered back to the dilemma that pressed on his heart like a sharpened dagger." (Pp. 222-23.) Still, if you can overlook these examples and other bad writing, a rather predictable plot, and the stock characters, the novel is entertaining enough. And it contains one quite funny scene, in which a villain desperate to obtain a Swiss passport from a corrupt official is nevertheless subjected to the indignity of a series of officious questions. If you need to put your mind on autopilot for a 14-hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney, "Numbered Account," at 753 easily read pages, will fill the bill.
Rating:
Summary: Does This Tale Really Require Suspension of Belief?
Review: While we would like to assume that Swiss Bankers are honest, dignified folk, they have not fared well in the past year's news. Thus I had little difficulty in getting wrapped up in Mr. Reich's interesting plot. This novel involves high finance, yet the details of the banking world never encroach on the thriller aspect of the book. Do drug dealers have influence in the banking world? Why not? Our politicians are easily bought by reprehensible lobbying groups. I assume there are greedy, unsavory people in all walks of life. Can a former Marine lieutenant take on an enormously wealthy Mid-Eastern heroin exporter? You betcha he can. Read the book, and find out the details.
Rating:
Summary: Great summer read!
Review: This book caught my attention from page one. It was fast paced with many plot twists and turns. And I loved the ending. Great first novel and I'll look for more by Mr. Reich!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a page turner...
Review: I picked this book up in the airport, and was thrilled to find that it was both fun to read and somewhat intellectually stimulating. If you think banking is at all interesting, then this is a great story for you. It certainly prompts one to think about the extensive corruption in the world of finance! I admire the author's pacing and character development -- he has an excellent sense of timing and all of the people in this book are compellingly composed. But toward the end, I felt like Reich sold out or just hurried too much toward the climax. The plot took one too many turns, and ended up being implausible and overly complicated. This was a disappointment, but the book was still a great escape and a worthwhile read. Great for a plane trip!
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