Christopher Reich
Author of Rules of Deception
About the Author
Christopher Reich was born in Tokyo, Japan on November 12, 1961. He graduated with honors in history from Georgetown University. After spending some time as a stockbroker, he went to the University of Texas at Austin business school. After graduating, he became an employee at the Union Bank of show more Switzerland and his experiences there prepared him for when he wrote Numbered Account, a fiction novel involving shady finances and murder. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Christopher Reich
Matterhorn (Mac Dekker) 3 copies
Tender at the Bone 1 copy
Conta numerada 1 copy
Crown Jewel Simon Riske, 2 1 copy
O Leão Branco 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Reich, Christopher
- Birthdate
- 1961-11-12
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Georgetown University (History)
University of Texas (MBA) - Occupations
- Banquier
Ecrivain - Organizations
- Union Bank of Switzerland
Giorgio Beverly Hills Timepieces - Short biography
- I was born in Tokyo, Japan on November 12, 1961. No, my father wasn’t with the military. In fact, he’s Swiss, and was in Japan running a travel agency that sent Japanese tourists to America. You know that old stereotype of the Asian tourist with the camera glued to their eyes. Now you know who’s responsible! Willy Wolfgang Reich.
We moved back to the States in 1965 and settled in Los Angeles. I attended Carl Curtis School before moving over to Harvard School for Boys (now Harvard-Westlake), where I graduated in 1979. Some people say you learn more in high school than in college. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I definitely learned as much. A few of my teachers, among them Dr. John Johnson, Father John Gill, and Jerome Margolis, made a lasting impact on my life and I’m grateful to them.
A highlight of my high school years was a summer spent at Outward Bound East Africa located on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I was fifteen and you can pretty much imagine how exciting it was to attend a camp in Kenya. At least, it was exciting until we discovered that every morning we had to run a mile and then jump into a frigid pool and swim a length before being “allowed” to begin our daily chores. - Nationality
- Switzerland
USA - Birthplace
- Tokyo, Japon
- Map Location
- Switzerland
Members
Reviews
My Take on The Take? Lots of Action, but Without the Adrenaline
A “freelance, industrial spy.” That’s how Reich describes his protagonist, Simon Riske, in the synopsis. I wondered because when Riske isn’t running his sports car restoration garage, he’s using skills he honed during his criminal youth to perform ‘odd jobs’ for banks, insurance companies, and even the British Secret Service. It’s an interesting career path – one that places him in the quagmire of long-term show more vendettas, shifting alliances, and political secrets on an international scale that are the plot of The Take.
The book has all the action you could want. Assassinations from afar and face-to-face, some with quick and painless deaths, others not. There are knife fights and gun battles. Even a high-speed game of chicken. But as much as those events suggest gut-wrenching tension, they don’t necessarily produce it. Some of the incidents are implied, occurring between chapters rather than in one. Some are in prolonged flashbacks that add greatly to character development, but that can slow the pace. Other events are handled clinically, with the victim dispatched almost before the scene begins. Not that I’m seeking gory details, but a chance to see the characters sweat, hear their hearts pounding would have added to the story. It’s also a book that when you finish, sit back, and ponder, it will feel a bit contrived. When incredible skills are needed, Riske and his friends have them. But in the next scene, they will do something inexplicably foolish. Even the foundation of the story, why this all happens, feels a bit artificial in retrospect.
But what’s not lacking is suspense produced by an intricately interwoven plot. By the finale, there are five opposing forces, each with their own objectives and motivations. And who will end up on top and how they will prevail kept me guessing to the very end…even into the Epilogue.
Overall, The Take is loaded with action, some of which feels too clinical or contrived to get your adrenaline flowing. But for suspense born of a complex, evolving story with multiple competing factions, it’s loaded. You’ll just need to stay on your mental toes to keep up. show less
A “freelance, industrial spy.” That’s how Reich describes his protagonist, Simon Riske, in the synopsis. I wondered because when Riske isn’t running his sports car restoration garage, he’s using skills he honed during his criminal youth to perform ‘odd jobs’ for banks, insurance companies, and even the British Secret Service. It’s an interesting career path – one that places him in the quagmire of long-term show more vendettas, shifting alliances, and political secrets on an international scale that are the plot of The Take.
The book has all the action you could want. Assassinations from afar and face-to-face, some with quick and painless deaths, others not. There are knife fights and gun battles. Even a high-speed game of chicken. But as much as those events suggest gut-wrenching tension, they don’t necessarily produce it. Some of the incidents are implied, occurring between chapters rather than in one. Some are in prolonged flashbacks that add greatly to character development, but that can slow the pace. Other events are handled clinically, with the victim dispatched almost before the scene begins. Not that I’m seeking gory details, but a chance to see the characters sweat, hear their hearts pounding would have added to the story. It’s also a book that when you finish, sit back, and ponder, it will feel a bit contrived. When incredible skills are needed, Riske and his friends have them. But in the next scene, they will do something inexplicably foolish. Even the foundation of the story, why this all happens, feels a bit artificial in retrospect.
But what’s not lacking is suspense produced by an intricately interwoven plot. By the finale, there are five opposing forces, each with their own objectives and motivations. And who will end up on top and how they will prevail kept me guessing to the very end…even into the Epilogue.
Overall, The Take is loaded with action, some of which feels too clinical or contrived to get your adrenaline flowing. But for suspense born of a complex, evolving story with multiple competing factions, it’s loaded. You’ll just need to stay on your mental toes to keep up. show less
Fast paced espionage thriller kept me engaged.
A romantic Paris getaway turns into an espionage nightmare when retired CIA agent Mac Dekker’s lover, Ava Attal, a former Mossad operative, vanishes mid proposal. Of course he is forced to plunge back into the spy world to find her and avert a massive terror plot hatched by a prince of Qatar.
Lots of action and a frantic race through some of the most beloved landmarks in Paris as Mac tries to find Ava and thwart the disruption of a unique peace show more accord. These spies are quite clever and handy with weapons as they hack into computers and interrogate those who have information. I liked both Mac and Ava, but as always, some of the ancillary characters fall dead by the wayside the closer the good guys get to their objective. I liked the detail about the city and the luxury that the truly rich prince enjoyed. The love story between Mac and Ava is secondary to their high stakes pursuit to preclude a terrible disaster. Seems like the spy world is a cold hearted world and we may see another installment featuring these characters given the conclusion. The writing is excellent.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Paul Michael, had a fantastic voice and excellent command of French with the accent to match. His fluency, flow, and rhythm enhanced the story along with his.dramatic flair. Listening made the novel so much more of an immersive experience. show less
A romantic Paris getaway turns into an espionage nightmare when retired CIA agent Mac Dekker’s lover, Ava Attal, a former Mossad operative, vanishes mid proposal. Of course he is forced to plunge back into the spy world to find her and avert a massive terror plot hatched by a prince of Qatar.
Lots of action and a frantic race through some of the most beloved landmarks in Paris as Mac tries to find Ava and thwart the disruption of a unique peace show more accord. These spies are quite clever and handy with weapons as they hack into computers and interrogate those who have information. I liked both Mac and Ava, but as always, some of the ancillary characters fall dead by the wayside the closer the good guys get to their objective. I liked the detail about the city and the luxury that the truly rich prince enjoyed. The love story between Mac and Ava is secondary to their high stakes pursuit to preclude a terrible disaster. Seems like the spy world is a cold hearted world and we may see another installment featuring these characters given the conclusion. The writing is excellent.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Paul Michael, had a fantastic voice and excellent command of French with the accent to match. His fluency, flow, and rhythm enhanced the story along with his.dramatic flair. Listening made the novel so much more of an immersive experience. show less
DATE: June 2008
TITLE: Rules of Deception
AUTHOR: Christopher Reich
PUBLISHER: Doubleday
COPYRIGHT: July 2008
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Christopher Reich absolutely has a winner with this book. Rules of Deception has it all. With a full and varied cast of characters, current political climates in different parts of the world, and enough action it keeps you up all night trying to figure out the roles of everyone. No one should be turned off in the beginning by the large number of players in this world show more wide tale. They all very quickly melt together and have you picking up speed through each phase of this very complex adventure.
Not only does Mr. Reich weave a great plot of espionage in the 21st century and all very believable, I am hoping that the ending purposely left room for Dr. Ransom and his lovely Emma to come back in a sequel. I took this book on vacation and it did not last two full days. show less
TITLE: Rules of Deception
AUTHOR: Christopher Reich
PUBLISHER: Doubleday
COPYRIGHT: July 2008
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Christopher Reich absolutely has a winner with this book. Rules of Deception has it all. With a full and varied cast of characters, current political climates in different parts of the world, and enough action it keeps you up all night trying to figure out the roles of everyone. No one should be turned off in the beginning by the large number of players in this world show more wide tale. They all very quickly melt together and have you picking up speed through each phase of this very complex adventure.
Not only does Mr. Reich weave a great plot of espionage in the 21st century and all very believable, I am hoping that the ending purposely left room for Dr. Ransom and his lovely Emma to come back in a sequel. I took this book on vacation and it did not last two full days. show less
Growing up during the Cold War I had heard a number of times that the best thing the US could have done at the end of World War II would have been for the US Army to march on past Berlin and go all the way to Moscow, defeating both our wartime enemy and our ally-cum-adversary all in one fell swoop. Fleshing out this hypothetical possibility is the motif for Christopher Reich’s post-war thriller, The Runner.
Reich creates characters, some directly from history and others as fictional show more composites, and situations both real and hypothetical, and weaves them together in a compelling story. The key characters are a Nazi villain, a reluctant American hero and a woman with multiple forces pulling at her. There are many lesser characters, whose loyalties and motives are rarely as they first appear. The action is fast and seldom predictable. As a needed diversion from my usual reading, which is nearly all non-fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. show less
Reich creates characters, some directly from history and others as fictional show more composites, and situations both real and hypothetical, and weaves them together in a compelling story. The key characters are a Nazi villain, a reluctant American hero and a woman with multiple forces pulling at her. There are many lesser characters, whose loyalties and motives are rarely as they first appear. The action is fast and seldom predictable. As a needed diversion from my usual reading, which is nearly all non-fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. show less
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