The First Billion

Rating:
Summary: BET THIS WILL BE A MOVIE SOON
Review: High tech, high finance, and international high crime. The First Billion is a nailbiting thriller, no questions asked.

Characters alone should be enough to get this book in your hands at the first possible opportunity -- a Russian ISP seeking Western financing; an ambitious investment banker from San Francisco risking his entire company on this Russian firm's IPO; a sharpshooting DrudgeReport type online muckraker posting some skinny about why this Russian firm is a scam; an FBI agent in somewhat over his head in the shifting sands of international finance; Swiss bankers violating a number of banking laws and selling customers' secrets...

Plus, an intriguing love story between two protagonists where one conceals an important secret.

Fabulous story here, the stuff that John Grisham novels are made of. If one were to have a minor gripe, it would be that Reich gets a little carried away with a lot of unnecessary description of the environment, background etc...which really doesnt amount to much in terms of the plot. Yet, if you are a good skimmer, this should hardly be a problem.

Highly recommended action + spy thriller with a liberal dose of financial and tech trivia thrown in, which also makes for an intriguingly real look into the dark side of both the industries.

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: 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.