Eleven Numbers: A Short Story

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 13,516 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 02-05-2025


About this item

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.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Fluffyluggage
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, and absolutely not what I expected!!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
    This short story is an Amazon original, and i absolutely loved it. It's surprising, with several twists and turns i didn't see coming, which for me always make the best books! If I can see it a mile away, it's not as good as when I'm floored, and this one will leave you floored. This book brings into question a lot of things: what will you do for your country, and what will your country do for you, just for starters. It also makes you think about loyalty--who, what, why, where, when all come to mind, safety, honor, and a lot of things we just all take for granted. It's centered around math and math as a security "agent," but you don't even have to like math to love the book. I'm not as fond of math as I am the security aspect of it, which i enjoyed in the story, but it just goes so much deeper than that! Well-written, fast-paced, and psychologically wicked!! Absolutely a must-read. I'll for sure read it again.
  • F.K.
    4.0 out of 5 stars An attention grabbing short story
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2025
    I normally don't go after short stories, but I am happy I chose this one. The fact that it was about Math intrigued me. And I was not disappointed. It is an interesting story involving politics & a little math! The writing is crisp and the math part is not that difficult to grasp. Overall an enjoyable read.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Plot twist!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2025
    Lee Childs is a new author for me. I really enjoyed this story because I t was inventive, engaging and with a math whiz as a main character who was not at all nerdy.
  • Tony Holtum
    4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining quick read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2025
    This book kept my attention. It was easy reading and I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t mind if it was a bit longer, but you get what you get. Solid read.
  • Huney23
    4.0 out of 5 stars short and sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2025
    Short but sweet national security novel. Only 4 stars because the book started out strong in the details and buildup, but the second half fell a little short in believability and lacked the finer details found in the beginning. However it was a good read that was short and quick.
  • LR
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clever plot that occasionally surprises
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2025
    How very delightful. What starts as a highly dangerous assignment is eventually revealed to have been a flat-out ridiculous assignment. And the moment when our hero quietly flicks an internal switch, stops being compliant, and takes matters into his own hands is brilliant. I am perplexed by the reviewers who worry that readers won't understand the math. There is NO complex math in this story; there is only the masterful implication of complex math, to which we are never actually subjected. If you've ever tried to remember a password too many times and been locked out of a site, you'll get it. I suppose the tiny bit of music terminology might go over some heads, but you can read right past it.
  • Melissa T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars short but intense
    Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2025
    This short story by Lee Child was very interesting, kept me turning the pages.
    Mathematician Nathan Tyler is caught up in caught up in a government covert operation all because he refused to opt of the Math Convention in Russia.

    His government tells me they need him to go to the conference and meet up with a Russian mathematician, and find a set of numbers that will disable the nuclear codes to the Russian arsenals. He agrees. Ends up in a Russian prison, talking to the Russian mathematician, and then getting home by well placed Russian paranoia.

    Well placed light heartedness kept this intense story flowing smoothly. Five Stars.
  • R. M.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
    Very solid very readable a lot of fun and a great read for a short story just wish it was a little longer.

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