A Conspiracy of Paper

Rating:
Summary: Light & entertaining but forgettable history/mystery
Review: Like most people who've read "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss, I'm a big fan of historical fiction, mystery, and the growing niche of books that blend the two genres, but this one won't want recount the plot (since you probably have a good idea of what it's about) but here are a few things I liked and disliked about the book:

I enjoyed reading about Jewish characters in 1700s England. Honestly I'd never considered that there was any significant Jewish community in London at that time, and it was interesting to learn about some of the restrictions on their way of life (not allowed to own property, treated as 2nd class citizens, etc.) and to read about the protagonist Ben Weaver's struggle to fit into traditional British society and to reconcile that with his Jewish roots. It was also interesting, at least in theory, to read about early stock market scandals, particularly since more sophisticated market scams (Enron, ImClone, etc.) have been big news over the last few years.

That said, as a mystery "A Conspiracy of Paper" is pretty ho-hum. Liss barely scratches the surface of London's stock exchange, instead painting the conspiracy in the broadest of strokes. "A Conspiracy of Paper" is guilty of one of my biggest book pet peeves: The mystery isn't properly foreshadowed or woven into the plot, so it comes off somewhat coincidental and left this reader flat. Weaver's true enemy really could have been a half dozen other characters in the book, all of whom would have been at least as credible as the villain. And, I found Ben Weaver to be a pretty simple, bland and generic protagonist for this kind of books. A skilled "thief-taker" (i.e. bounty hunter), boxer, good looking, fairly successful, etc.

For a quick read or summertime beach book, you could do a lot worse than "A Conspiracy of Paper," but in all it was a pretty routine and by-the-numbers mystery dressed up in Judaism and 1700s London garb.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical and financial history
Review: As an avid reader of historical fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Liss does a fine job of interweaving a murder mystery with a cultural identity "crisis." His exploration of the protagonist's submerged feelings about his father and his Jewish heritage is compelling and does not belabor the main mystery plot of the novel. His characters are well-developed and engaging. I can't wait to dig into "Coffee Trader." Many kudos from a sleep-deprived reader!

Rating:
Summary: Historical Tough Guy Fiction
Review: Despite its somewhat awkward title, "Conspiracy of Paper" is a first rate work of historical fiction with enough action to please any mystery fan. Author David Liss paints a vivid portrait of early 18th century London as seen through the eyes of his protagonist, Jewish "theif-taker" Benjamin Weaver. Weaver is actually a forerunner to the modern private eye, and is as quick with his wits as he is with his tounge.

As the book opens, Weaver is hired to investigate the apparently accidental death of his own estranged father. He delves, reluctantly at first, into a world of double-dealing and high finance, in which paper "currency" is fast replacing barter and gold as the principle means of exchange. Liss is a master at creating the proper atmosphere, and he painstakingly includes the necessary detail to give his story authenticty. The end result is a book that is satisfying both as a mystery and a work of history.

Rating:
Summary: A captivating historical novel
Review: "A Conspiracy of Paper", a first novel from an obviously talented new author, is a very enjoyable book set in 18th century London. It is probably the best historical novel I've read, and richly deserves the awards it's already garnered.

The hero, Ben Weaver, begins to investigate the death of his long-estranged father. Soon enough he finds himself in way over his head, embroiled in the financial intrigue that would ultimately become the South Sea Bubble, causing the ruin of many of London's finest gentlemen.

The style of writing is wonderful, part first person, part narrative, and heavy into the vernacular of early 18th century England. Near the end of the story, this becomes one of those "must stay up until I finish it" books.

A thoroughly enjoyable book. I highly recommend it to those who love the genre.

Rating:
Summary: ultimately disappointing
Review: On one level, this book is great fun - Liss's world has gone mad for speculative profits, and the established order of wealth and power is under threat from new groups pushing in and upwards; the parallels to today's economy are telegraphed loudly and it's enjoyable to read about the beginnings of the financial world we all live in today. Liss has done his homework (he's a history grad student, after all) and the details of 18th century life are admirably realized.

And yet - as a mystery the plot is inexorably bogged down by the endless explanations of how the financial markets work, and of the rivalry between the Bank of England and the S.Sea company.

Moreover, Liss's characters are clearly devices. Neither the hero's dissolute surgeon friend nor his rebellious love interest ever emerge as anything more than schematic figures - you feel they are cut and pasted from some catalogue of stock 18th c. figures. The same is true for nearly every character other than the powerful hero, who, although he is made to seem myopic at times, we never really fear for.

In brief, an A+ for history, a C as novel - you'll never find yourself breathlessly turning the pages of this one!

Rating:
Summary: Follow the Money
Review: Perhaps David Liss has started a new genre, the financial thriller. In the twists and turns of the tale of Benjamin Weaver, Liss allows the historical backdrop of London in 1719 and the impending scandal of the South Seas Company to dress an amazingly complex train of scandal and duplicity. Using an historical figure Jonathan Wild as the arch-villain as an 18th century Mafioso profiting from theft, prostitution and even "peaching" his own crooks to the gallows for profit when they've outlived their usefulness, Liss has a great cast of characters. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering of the Bank of England's Bloathwait vs. the South Seas Company's Adelman serves to keep each new discovery off-balance. The other remarkable accomplishment is the amazing amount of humor that Liss scatters through the tale with Weaver's observations of various loose characters. The supporting characters of his buddy Elias who performs surgery when not too drunk, Kate Cole the un-penitant prostitute and Sir Owen gives amazing possibilities for a budding screenwriter. As Weaver seeks to find the cause for his father's death, we are constantly caught off guard with each new bogus stock or less-than-random act of violence. Cousin Miriam adds a love interest and issues of feminism to the mix. Add to this the cultural backdrop of Weaver being a Jew in Christian England, and Liss weaves an incredibly rich and complex tale that keeps our interest as the pages burn from turning. The climactic scene in the theatre as Weaver unmasks the mysterious phantom of Martin Rochester is breath taking. Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Great historical and financial history
Review: As an avid reader of historical fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Liss does a fine job of interweaving a murder mystery with a cultural identity "crisis." His exploration of the protagonist's submerged feelings about his father and his Jewish heritage is compelling and does not belabor the main mystery plot of the novel. His characters are well-developed and engaging. I can't wait to dig into "Coffee Trader." Many kudos from a sleep-deprived reader!

Rating:
Summary: Historical Tough Guy Fiction
Review: Despite its somewhat awkward title, "Conspiracy of Paper" is a first rate work of historical fiction with enough action to please any mystery fan. Author David Liss paints a vivid portrait of early 18th century London as seen through the eyes of his protagonist, Jewish "theif-taker" Benjamin Weaver. Weaver is actually a forerunner to the modern private eye, and is as quick with his wits as he is with his tounge.

As the book opens, Weaver is hired to investigate the apparently accidental death of his own estranged father. He delves, reluctantly at first, into a world of double-dealing and high finance, in which paper "currency" is fast replacing barter and gold as the principle means of exchange. Liss is a master at creating the proper atmosphere, and he painstakingly includes the necessary detail to give his story authenticty. The end result is a book that is satisfying both as a mystery and a work of history.

Rating:
Summary: Convoluted confection...
Review: Having recently read the Girl with a Pearl Earring, I was looking for another period piece in which to immerse myself and came across this book. Mr. Liss, an academic steeped in the literature of early eighteenth century England, is well prepared to offer us a realistic view of London, beautifully written in the rather pompous manner of the period. As observed by other reviewers, as a mystery this is a slow and convoluted tale, requiring much patience of the reader. As a pastiche guiding one through a world that is hard for modern sensibilities to appreciate, the book is a delight. I happen to be a fan of both intrigue and of learning about other periods in human history. I trust that Mr. Liss has given us the unvarnished truth about the period. His vivid descriptions of characters, manners of dress, personal hygience, and the urban setting are excellent, giving us a taste of what it must have been like to be alive during those years. I doubt that many readers would wish to inhabit the world described by this lapsed Jewish pugilist turned detective. As much as I appreciate being introduced to the sordid conditions of Georgian London, I'm very happy to live in a world where human waste is NOT thrown out the window and onto the street. You get the idea!

I recommend the book to those readers with patience to follow a complex, slowly developing story who would appreciate an unromantic treatment of a bygone era in which wealth secures great privilege, even as destitution and crime flourish on the streets. One might argue that Mr. Liss offers us a morality tale of significance to our present circumstances with the comparisons that could be drawn to conditions of wealth, poverty and crime as they exist in the modern world, but I won't press the point. Readers who follow the tale to its tawdry end will draw their own conclusions on this matter.

Rating:
Summary: Novel Contradictions: Soulful Thriller about a Jewish Boxer
Review: Anyone how had traded the Talmudic world of Orthodox Jews for Wall Street (or Main Street) would find a soul mate in Liss's protagonist--a thoughtful, reflective Jew whose victories in the boxing ring detracted nothing from his sorrow over leaving his father's home and way of life. Conspiracy of Paper left me wanting, not for a better read, for it was splendid, but for a second chance to redeem myself in my own late father's eyes. While his novel is set in London long before electricity, cars or telephones, Liss's novel is timeless: A son seeking to mend the bridges he had severed during his rebelious youth, seeking to quiet the demons of regret by showing his father, who may be watching from above, that the break between them had not been a rejection of him or of Jewish heritage, but a young man's irresistable urge to conquer the world.