Lee Childs brings a great cold war rivalry storyline and mixes in suspense and great narrative to create a fast paced and engrossing story from start to end.

Mathematics can be dangerous...who knew?

Nathan Wade could not be further from an international spy; he's a professor of mathematics at an average university, the quintessential nobody, No one is more surprised than he is when he gets a phone call one day summoning him to an off-the-record meeting with the US President, Turns out that Nathan's professional specialty could help the US government obtain important information they can use to mitigate the Russian nuclear threat. He is asked to travel to Russia for a mathematics conference and while there meet and chat with a Russian counterpart....easy, right? Nothing is ever easy as others would have you believe, though even when powerful people swear that they will have your back. Is Nathan getting involved in something from which he will never get out?
Most people know author Lee Child from his Jack Reacher series. In this short story Nathan Wade may be no Jack Reacher, but he's smart and logical, And that just might be enough for him to match wits with people who lie for a living. A fun and twisty read for those who love a well-crafted story about ordinary people dropped into the world of espionage. My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for allowing me an early peek at this engaging read in exchange for my honest review.

The book was engaging from the start. The main character was interesting. The ending was not as expected. I enjoyed the short story. I would have enjoyed a longer version more. I felt it was so short and could have been made into a better version. Lee Childs is one of my favorite authors. If you only have time for a book snack… you will enjoy this. A good read for busy person, while waiting in the car rider line or if you are waiting in line for an appointment. Do yourself a favor and read Lee Childs books, they will not disappoint.

Excellent short story with a very interesting plot and smart characters. The storytelling is no-nonsense, like the Reacher series, and it's highly entertaining.

Thankyou Netgalley for this quick read!
First book of Lee Child, wasn't that captivating as i thought but great for a quick read! if you're in slump or behind your goal, give this one a try.
Felt bit confusing while recalling all the names though but you'll get the idea.

A mathematician finds himself in a bit of a mess, when traveling to a math conference in Russia. The story moves swiftly, plotted well and ends satisfactorily.
The story is a nice think piece that allows the reader to ponder who and maybe what it means to be good/bad and important/unimportant. Sometimes even a “nobody” can become somebody to someone important.

Definitely would recommend the read. I enjoyed this little journey while sipping overpriced Espresso. Something to get the blood flowing, the mind going and maybe even a decent palate cleanser between my usual fantasy adventures.

I’ve actually read this as an ebook sponsored by #NetGalley

A good 40-minute read by an Author I wait for new publications. The story is about an obscure mathematical concept and its use in a political arena. The ending does not quite live up to the buildup but after thought seems inevitable. I look forward to the next publication.

It was a fine short thriller.
For me, it was a bit too fast-paced and all worked out too well in the end, I think it would have benefitted from being longer and keeping the reader on their toes for a while.
My main draw to the story initially was that it was about a mathematician, but as a mathematician myself I could tell that it wasn't written by someone familiar with higher mathematics, which was disappointing.

Loved it. It's short and a quick read. As usual, Mr. Child's concise use of language conveys layers of meaning. This one leaves you thinking. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity.

I wish this book was written as a full novel because it’s that good. There are so many topics and scenes that can be explored and extended in here but even as a short story, it hit all the right notes and it’s addictive, twisted and a must read one.

Truly a unique tale packed into a short story. Interesting and fun! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

This is a fun little espionage story. An American mathematician is whisked away to an undisclosed location to help the US in a secret mission. It's written in the typical Lee Child fashion with dialog consisting of short sentences that characters spit out like bursts of gunfire. The writing style makes me miss the Jack Reacher books of old when it was Lee Child writing them before his brother Andrew took over the franchise. This short story has a nice little twist and a very satisfying ending. Reading this was a fun way to spend half an hour.

Thanks again Netgalley!

I'm a #1 fan of Lee Child. I love the writing style, the build up.. The way the story unfolds.

This is the second short story I've ever read by Lee, the other one was cleaning gold with karin slaughter. I'm not spoiling anything, because the story is so short.. If you say to much it'll spoil. So I'll just say what I like and what I miss with this one.

The writing style is ace, it really reads like a charm, the way the story unfolds is a bit too quick for my liking, but then again, it's a short story so there isn't much "time" to have it a bit more detailed. The build up, that's the thing I was missing, somewhere in the middle I would've liked to see a moment where all unravels not all the way to the end. It's a bit anti climatic (?)

Still, 4 stars because it's Lee, well deserved.

A well-done spyish thriller from Lee Child that was a quick and enjoyable read and while I don't claim to know anything about mathematics, I didn't feel remotely lost stepping into that world.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

A US mathematician is recruited by the US government to go to Russia to meet a Russian mathematician. How he gets there and his mission is really well thought out. Of course there are always some bumps along the way. A good story, I would have read more!

This is very short, definitely more short story than novella. A lot of it is spent on the mathematics professor getting to Washington and the meeting rather than the actual assignment. Still a great read, I just think with so little time, it is better spent on the Russia part of the story.

If you are used to Jack Reacher, this one is far less action filled. It is hard to really review it without any spoilers, but it has some good twists and one you don’t want to put down, and at 33 pages, you can easily finish it in one sitting. Not sure I would have chosen the same ending as the professor though, even if it is the safer option.

This was a super interesting short read! It held my attention the entire time. The entire story has to do with numbers and mathematics. And of course a plot twist I did not see coming 🤯
A great read!

True Lee Child genius - short, to the point, and filled with tension, intrigue, and surprises. Good read and educational too!

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this short story.

4.5 "masterful, accomplished, exciting" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Amazon Original Stories for an ecopy. This is being released today on Feb. 1, 2025. I am providing an honest review.

I have not read Child before but was somewhat curious. This popped up on Netgalley and I nabbed it.
I was very impressed at the simplicity of the prose, the elegance of the storyline and the subdued excitement. Wonderful and clever twists ! This is simply masterful popular fiction at its best and yes I have added the first in the Jack Reacher series.

Believe it or not Mathematics and Moscow and State Secrets are a thrilling combination !!

Math professor Nathan Tyler becomes an unwitting pawn in a covert plot involving the Russian nuclear arsenal. Only he and two other mathematicians, one in the USA and the other in Russia, understand Kindansky numbers, a group of eleven numbers with unique properties that will allow access to the Kremlin’s secrets. Tyler is sent as a sort of math secret agent to a math conference in Russia. This does not go well and Tyler has to rely on his street sense rather than mathematical gifts for survival.

Math was never my strong suit and even if it were, I would have had trouble understanding the baffling mathematical concepts in Eleven Numbers. That isn’t necessary. The puzzle in Eleven Numbers is the plot, a cat and mouse game that is entertaining and almost impossible to solve. 5 stars.

Thank you to MetGalley, Amazon Original Stories and Lee Child for this ARC..