A Spectacle of Corruption

Rating:
Summary: "No man can afford to remain neutral"
Review: In his previous two novels David Liss dealt with themes revolving around finance in a historical setting. "A Conspiracy of Paper" tells the story of Ben Weaver and his search for his father's murderer. Ben soon finds that the reason behind the crime is connected to a scam in the financial markets. But Weaver's real family name is Lienzo, and in "The Coffee Trader" Liss goes back in time to narrate the story of Miguel Lienzo, on of Ben's predecessors who amassed his fortune through the trade of futures in the Dutch market. In this novel we find again the character of Ben Weaver, with the focus of the novel changing to a political setting.

Ben is accused of killing Walter Yate, crime of which he is innocent, but he finds himself going to trial anyway. It is almost funny that someone who killed others in the course of his business before and who escaped the consequences unscathed, finds himself in the "hot seat" when he truly is not guilty. Those that have read the previous book featuring Weaver will surely remember Jonathan Wild, one of the most colorful and intriguing characters in that novel. Wild is a notorious criminal and a sort of "godfather" who has people stealing for him and then he charges the owners of the goods for their return. Wild is also Ben's adversary, since they practice similar businesses, with Ben taking the honest route. That is why when Wild is called as a witness in Weaver's trial, we are expecting to see a clear case of perjury and Ben hanging as a result. But beware, Liss likes to surprise his readers!

The trial presents some very interesting aspects, dealing with witnesses that lie and recant in the spot, a judge that is focused on seeing Ben convicted and a jury that allows to be badgered into a verdict. This is how Ben ends up in death row and his only way out is to escape prison after a lovely lady he has never seen in his life provides him the means to do so. Now, he is determined to find the real culprit and to clean his name. In order to achieve that, he has to embark in a very dangerous adventure that will situate him against some clever adversaries that know how to play the game of politics.

There are two aspects that have been present throughout all three books by Liss. One of them is showing how unfair the treatment of Jews was in the different time periods and places selected as settings for the stories. In this case, in the eighteenth century in England, we find evidence of such treatment on various occasions. The most blatant one is during sentencing, when the judge tells Ben: "I can see no reason for leniency, not when there are so many Jews in this city". The other aspect is the importance of family, which of course is not disconnected from the first one at all, since the Jewish religion pays the utmost attention to family. In the present novel, we find Ben suffering over Miriam's decision of rejecting his marriage proposal and marry another man instead. Miriam is the widow of Ben's cousin, and not only did she marry a Tory candidate, but she had to convert to the Protestant religion in order to do so. As a result, she is not allowed to communicate with Ben anymore.

This novel is a novel with interesting characters, a well-developed plot and detailed and realistic descriptions of the settings in which the story unravels. This allows the reader that is not familiar with this historic period to get a very good idea about how life was at the time and also understand the motivation behind the different political parties. What makes this book even more remarkable is the fact that the talents displayed by Liss do not stop there, since the author shows a clear knack for suspense and mystery. All these points make this a very hard novel to ignore.


Rating:
Summary: "We Know no Spectacle so Ridiculous as the British Public
Review: in one of its periodical fits of morality." Lord Macaulay.

For England the year 1722 was not one in which the public engaged in a fit of morality. No, 1722 was a year filled with plots to overthrow the Hanoverian King George in order to restore the Stuarts to the throne. It was a year in which the panic caused by the collapse of the South Sea Bubble came to a head. It was, finally, a year in which a general election was held in which the Tories, thought to be sympathetic to the Stuarts, did battle with the Whigs, sympathetic to King George. Many thought a Tory victory would lead to a restoration of the Stuarts. Much was at stake. 1722 was a year of spectacles but it was a year in which an exceedingly dirty and violent election campaign turned the year into a spectacle not of morality but of corruption.

David Liss tosses Benjamin Weaver, the protagonist of his well-received Conspiracy of Paper, into the middle of this political maelstrom. Weaver is a retired boxing champion and well known throughout London. However, he is Jewish, and as such his boxing fame cannot provide him with an entry point in English life generally. He is not permitted the right to vote and he would not be welcomed into most clubs or at most social functions. He works as a thieftaker (he finds stolen property and returns it to its owner for a fee) and a private investigator of sorts.

Weaver is hired to find out who has been sending threatening letters to an Anglican priest who has been speaking out on behalf of oppressed dock workers. Almost immediately upon commencing his investigation Weavers is arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a dockworker. It is a murder Weaver did not commit. It is clear from the start of the trial that the fix is in but as he is carried off to Newgate prison to await execution a mysterious woman slips Weaver the tools from which he manages to escape. A wanted man, Weaver assumes a new identity while trying desperately to unravel the events that triggered his being framed for murder.

It seems that Weaver's investigation on behalf of the priest has placed him in the crosshairs of both the Whigs and the Tories in the middle of the 1722 election campaign. Nothing is as it seems. Weaver cannot vote and does not therefore have an interest in politics. This makes it even harder for him to analyze his situation. His old adversary and fellow thieftaker Jonathan Wild plays a major role yet Weaver cannot understand why Wild might actually reach out to help him in his endeavors. The love of his life, Miriam, also plays a major role. She has, since Conspiracy of Paper, married a British aristocrat and converted to Christianity. Her husband is running for parliament. He may be a friend and ally but Weaver cannot be sure.

Spectacle of Corruption made for a very enjoyable read. It is difficult for anyone writing historical or political fiction to provide enough background material so that any reader can enjoy the full flavor of the book. Liss does an excellent job of setting the table without turning the novel into a text book. There may be parts where the complexities of the political system take a while to explain. However, those explanations help the reader actually understand what Weaver is up against. More importantly, Liss keeps the story line going and does a good job keeping the excitement level up, even when the pace slows down a bit. I think Liss has done a decent job fleshing out the personalities of his principal characters. There seems to be more depth to the characters than existed in Conspiracy of Paper. This bodes well for an eventual third volume.

All in all a book worth reading.