The First Billion: Amazon.co.uk: Christopher Reich: Books

Product Description

Christopher Reich electrified readers with Numbered Account and The Runner, his first two international thrillers. Now the New York Times bestselling author whose work has been called “gripping” (Chicago Tribune), “chilling” (The Denver Post), “wonderful” (The New York Times Book Review), ratchets up the stakes in an ingeniously plotted story of nerve-jangling intrigue and hot-wired suspense. Using today’s cutthroat global economy as a backdrop, The First Billion explodes into a breakneck tale of betrayal, revenge, and redemption...

John “Jett” Gavallan is a former fighter pilot, now the high-flying CEO of Black Jet Securities, an investment firm that earned its first billion before the techno dream crashed and burned. Poised for an offering crucial to his company’s survival, Gavallan is banking on the riskiest gamble of his dazzling career. In exactly six days, he will take Mercury Broadband, Russia’s leading media company, public on the New York Stock Exchange. But rumors of fraud have suddenly surfaced that could send the deal south. Gavallan makes a preemptive strike by dispatching his number-two man--fellow Desert Storm fighter pilot Grafton Byrnes--to Moscow to penetrate the shadowy Russian multinational. When Byrnes fails to return, Gavallan fears the worst. But
the truth is even more diabolical than he can imagine.

Plunging into a desperate search for his best friend, the renegade top gun is suddenly fighting a different kind of war, where there is no safe harbor and no one he can trust. Not Konstantin Kirov, the elusive head of Mercury Broadband who may not be what he seems. Not the bankers and traders Gavallan does business with every day. Not the exotic beauty who has told him all her deepest secrets--except one. Suddenly Jett finds himself trapped in a conspiracy that could shatter the delicate balance between nations--and plunge the global economy into chaos. Hunted by the F.B.I. and a band of elite killers, Jett races from Palm Beach to Zurich to Moscow in a desperate search for answers. But for this brave ex-commando haunted by visions of war, the truth comes at a terrible price. With Mercury rising and the hours ticking down, he is moving closer to a place where murder and revenge are the currency of choice...and where the first billion is the ultimate insider secret--and the deadliest obsession of all.

With breakneck plotting, stunning realism, and a sense of danger that keeps the heart racing, The First Billion is a knockout of a novel that will linger long after the final shocking twist is revealed.

About the Author

Christopher Reich worked for a major Swiss bank in Geneva and Zurich. In 1995 he decided to pursue writing full-time. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and children. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

An Exceptional Thriller 16 Oct 2002

By Helveticus

Format:Hardcover

Simply put, a great read. A story with brains, realism, and a never failing ability to make you keep turning the pages. Reich's style is a cross between LeCarre and Forsythe, but with a snappy delivery all his own. The story is torn from the headines, yet one never feels he's being taught - all the information flows organically from the text. And you can't put down the last 150 pages.

I'd read "The Runner" and loved it. Now, I'll get his first, too. Highly recommended.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Not enjoying this yawner 26 Jan 2007

By Hugh

Format:Paperback

It's unfortunate for the author that I am the only one reviewing his book but I found the book disappointing. Halfway though the book and not sure I will finish it, the style is heavy, the author going into much details in his descriptions whether he is describing the inner workings of the investment banking world and tech companies ( the reader is even served details about Cisco routers and switches used in the company at the centre of the story) the world of computer hacking and the architectural history of Russia. All the while you will be asking yourself when the action will really start. English is not my mother tongue and I found myself having to pick up the dictionary every chapter while this usually doesn't happen with other books. A lot of the stuff is just plain unrealistic, investment banking execs dress like advertising execs, the main's character's investment firm, an up- and -coming SF investment bank sports a name- Black Jet Securities- that would only suit a back- of- the alley daytrading firm, descriptions of one of the main protagonists, an investment newsletter writer taking on Black Jet are just plain silly. Then, last nail in the coffin: the author thought appropriate, perhaps with an aim to fight prejudice or distill a political agenda, to include HIV- stricken gay characters as friends and close advisors of the main protagonist in the story . It just doesn't fly, really not an enjoyable read

An exciting rollercoaster ride on the NY Stock Exchange 7 April 2010

By I. Mcintosh VINE™ VOICE

I bought this book after reading the Fantastic "The Patriots Club" by Christopher Reich, which I thoroughly recommend by the way. This book is based around an ex US Fighter Pilot called Jett who is CEO of a company called Black Jet Securities. In just a few days Jett will take Russia's leading media and Broadband company to the New York Stock Exchange. Billions are at stake but rumours from a underground website place the deal at risk when posts keep appearing that Mercury Broadband is a fraud. Jett secretly send his number two to Russia to check out these rumours but he disappears. Everything starts to snowball and soon Jett finds himself being hunted by Russian Mobsters and the FBI. Another great thriller from Reich who's research is very thorough making this a fantastic read.