Numbered Account is very good; especially considering it is a debut book. But, as we now know, Christopher Reich is an author with lots of 
talent, and he has since produced a number of great bestsellers. So, in hindsight, the quality of this book is not at all as surprising as it must have been when it was published.
The plot is interesting, rich and with more than sufficient drive to create excitement. It requires a little bit of a leap of faith to jump into it, but once you do, it is a smooth and fast ride. The beginning is a bit slow, but Reich is great when he describes the Swiss bank system, and is very intriguing to enter the world of the private banking in Switzerland.
The main character, Nick Neumann, has it all. He has a Harvard degree, a beautiful fiancée, and a star-making Wall Street career. But behind all of that is a man haunted by the brutal killing of his father seventeen years before.
Nick wants the truth and is willing to sacrifice his career, love, and future for a crack at untangling the mystery surrounding his father’s death. To do this, he takes a job at the prestigious United Swiss Bank, the venerable financial cornerstone of Geneva and his father’s former employer. Before he can begin his investigation, however, disturbing events come into play: One portfolio manager is dead, another had a “nervous breakdown,” and his training manager is jumping ship to cast accounts with their staunch enemy.
Nick is soon caught in a ruthless conspiracy that stretches around the world and far into his personal life. There is murder, revenge, and first-rate espionage as well as plenty of action, but even so Numbered Account is a thinking person’s thriller, a refreshing break from the old standbys.
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