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Numbered Account is Christopher Reich’s first novel. The novel belongs to the genre of financial thriller, where the plot is centered upon and the suspense has more to do with the banks and other aspects of the modern day banking system.
The plot centers around three characters. A Middle East man who uses drug money to fight Israel and a corrupt Swiss bank whose main business in money laundering are portrayed as the two villains. Nick Neumann, the protagonist is an ex-Marine, more concerned at finding out why his father was murdered 17 years ago rather than advancing his career. Nick’s trail leads him into swirling conspiracies that includes a saga of episodes including hostile corporate takeovers, financiers without a moral conscience, heroin shipments, and nuclear devices until he encounters the two villains and face off, with Nick gaining a partial victory in the end.
Numbered Account is a pretty ordinary novel. The progress of the plot becomes clearly obvious at the onset and the characterization runs thin. The introduction has little connection with the rest of the book, and Reich fails to sustain the reader’s interest through the middle portions of the novel. The ending is well done though. Reich also makes attempt to infuse humor, but this too stands out and is not very well integrated with the plot.