The Devil's Banker (Hardcover)

It is refreshing therefore, to find in Christopher Reich's new thriller the current conventions being turned on their collective heads. From the lead protagonists, where the stereotypical male & female roles are reversed so that the man is gunshy and bookish and the woman tough and resourceful, to the 'bad-guys', who are motivated not by a desire to destroy western civilisation but to rebuild their own, this book delights in rewriting the rules.

And it does it very well. For a story that relies on tracing bank accounts & money transfers rather than guns or people to drive it the narrative cracks along at a good pace. It is well researched, the major characters are well drawn and whilst it contains enough twists and turns to keep you entertained it never becomes so convoluted as to confuse you. It is a taught, original thriller which will keep the reader gripped from start to finish.

Of course it isn't perfect mind you. Squeezing all the action into a relatively short period of time whilst at the same time having characters jumping around Europe, South America and USA does make you question how far you could travel in the time available. And whilst the major characters are well drawn and complex some of the minor figures are little more than cardboard cutouts, their to move the story along.

Compared to Reich's previous books it is up there with Numbered Account and comes close to The First Billion, but it lacks the taught, linnear feel of The Runner that made the latter book so enjoyable.

Still, if nothing else it is good to read a book from this genre where, just for once, it is not the American hero who saves the day and the girl but the otherway round.

Another annoying aspect of these stories is that they trade on the very real tragedy that was September 11. Continually reusing the concept of, “preventing another 9-11”, is beginning to read like tabloid news and opportunistic talk shows that skim their subject matter off the lowest depths. Mr. Reich even borrows the real life name of a Prime Minister’s daughter that is both obvious and heavy handed. A writer that feels the need to be so patronizing to his readers should take a moment before structuring his next work.

I have enjoyed his previous three books to varying degrees but, “The Devil’s Banker”, sets a new level for this writer’s work that I hope he does not revisit.

So basically, this is not a boring book, but don't expect any originality either.