An account is the hero?

In the world of action heroes, a few things come to mind, namely brawn, striking good looks and a certain disregard for personal safety. These traditional heroes have careers in fields where the aforementioned attributes come in handy on a day-to-day basis.\nHowever, Christopher Reich -- the author of "The First Billion" fame -- eschews the traditional hero in exchange for one of a different stripe. In "The Devil's Banker," Reich creates hero and forensic accountant Adam Chapel. Chapel dodges personal demons, exploding briefcases and duplicitous colleagues to maneuver through the world of terrorism finance, chasing bad guys with bank balances. He is assisted by a mysterious MI6 agent with her own secrets to hide. Who is on which side is unclear until the end of the novel.\nChapel is charged with chasing down the bad guys not on the street, but through their financial dealings. He was once earning $850,000 a year as a partner at a Big Four accounting firm, but patriotism called after Sept. 11, and now he works for the U.S. government tracking down the bad guys. And the case he is on will require all of his skills to catch the terrorist as soon as possible.\nAn explosion in a Parisian apartment kills four of Chapel's colleagues, and he vows to catch the mastermind behind their deaths. What he discovers through the web of numbered accounts is a threat against the United States with no specific date or time -- just enough information to make it genuine. Chapel pursues his query through a series of numbered bank accounts, with the web of accounts linking Brazil to Germany and then to Saudi Arabia. \nWhat unfolds is a daring plot to cleanse Saudi Arabia of its leadership -- corrupt in the minds of the terrorists. Using funds gained on the European capital markets, the terrorists seek to destroy the Saudi royal family, pin the blame on a disillusioned Israeli scientist and seize leadership of Saudi Arabia -- an ambitious plan, to be sure, and one that Chapel is determined to stop.\nThe intrigue whips around the globe at a breakneck pace, with the terrorists operating a business in Brazil, training camps in Saudi Arabia and financial firms in Paris. It can be dizzying how quickly Reich switches tracks, but it adds to the frenetic pace of the story. I won't give away exactly how it ends, but it is a satisfying -- if a tad predictable -- finish.\n"The Devil's Banker" is an enjoyable, quick read akin to the law thrillers of John Grisham. Though not terribly deep material, it is a fast-paced story with gripping plot twists. The characters are relatively believable, and Reich throws in enough surprises to keep the story fresh. Nobel Prize winning it is not, but when you need a quick read for the beach, reach for this.\n"The Devil's Banker" is published by Bantam Dell. The hardcover edition has a list price of $25.95 and the soft cover edition -- available August 3 -- has a list price of $7.99. Both are available on www.amazon.com.