Eleven Numbers by Lee Child Review

An American mathematician’s assignment in Russia spirals into a high-stakes maze of shifting loyalties and intrigue in a propulsive short thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child.
 

Nathan Tyler is an unassuming professor at a middling American university with a rather obscure specialty in mathematics—in short, a nobody from nowhere. So why is the White House calling? Summoned to Washington, DC, for a top-secret briefing, Nathan discovers that he’s the key to a massive foreign intelligence breakthrough. Reading between the lines of a cryptic series of equations, he could open a door straight into the heart of the Kremlin and change the global balance of power forever. All he has to do is get to a meeting with the renowned Russian mathematician who created it. But when Nathan crashes headlong into a dangerous new game, the odds against him suddenly look a lot steeper.

The following review is based on a complimentary ARC provided by Amazon Original Stories via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eleven Numbers is a loosely government political/espionage themed thriller involving mathematics and system passwords. Mathematics professor Nathan Tyler is recruited by the US Government to gain access to Russia’s weaponry system protected by encryption designed by a famed (and fictional for the story) Russian mathematician. Consisting of two layers of passcodes, one that has eleven possible numerical options, Tyler is tasked with determining which is the key.

Best known for his long-running Jack Reacher series, Lee Child is a veteran of crime thrillers and this short story has good pacing and is engaging to read. As a mathematician and an unorthodox character for a crime thriller, Eleven Numbers obviously lacks the action compared to Child’s other works but makes up for it with unexpected twists and more dialogue-focused “action”. One prominent plot twist flips the whole story on its head and made me want to go back and re-read the 2nd half of the short story to check for earlier signs of the surprise.

While the the mathematics angle is unique, I personally felt like the overall premise was a bit contrived due to its focus on a fictional numerical pattern; thought it was a real pattern related to the artist Kandinsky but there’s no relation besides having closely spelled names. I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting the story would narrow down those eleven possibilities using some kind of mathematic theory or utilizing Tyler’s academic background, but the math is mostly just for narrative flavor rather than a major plot element (partly expected unless Child researched or consulted with mathematicians). The story also dragged a bit in the first half where the systems and fictional math patterns were being discussed, mainly because Kandinsky’s Numbers didn’t have a clear explanation or system (though understandably skirted due to this being a short story). After the more intense second half of the story, I also found the ending to be rather anticlimactic despite it perfectly suiting the Tyler characterizations.

Overall Eleven Numbers is a quick read that’s decently written and entertaining enough. The narrative content and mathematic theme isn’t particularly developed given the short story format and the ending almost leaves things hanging similar to a tv-show pilot episode. However if you are already familiar with Lee Child’s work, this will likely be great popcorn-style entertainment. Or for readers new to his work, it’s a preview for fully developed novels.