A Spectacle of Corruption

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining novel
Review: About 3 or 4 times a year I am able to find a novel that has me captivated and actually looking forward to retiring for the evening, when I may lay in my bed and sup Pellegrino whislt returning to the novel that has captured my attention.....

Okay, enough of that nonsense.... this book is really very good. I was a bit lazy while reading A Conspiracy of Paper so I don't remember all the details, but I'm able to pick back up 4 years later quite nicely. Benjamin Weaver is a good protagonist, and Liss spins a great and intelligent tale.

Liss as an author reminds me of Ken Follett. And I mean that as a sincere compliment. The "Pillars of the Earth" Ken Follett. The best of Ken Follett.

As far as Liss' three major novels go, I'd rank them thusly...

1. Coffee Trader - my favorite book of his
2. A Spectacle of Corruption - Ben Weaver is better this time round
3. A Conspiracy of Paper - Partly my fault but I just couldn't get into it as much as others.

Bottom line, this book is well worth your time, you'll really enjoy it!

Rating:
Summary: An riveting historical mystery
Review: David Liss, author of the Edgar award winning, A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER, has once again penned a compelling yet authentic mystery that takes place in 18th century London. Benjamin Weaver is a private investigator who finds himself convicted of murder and sentenced to be hung after a man is discovered dead at the site of a bar fight. Weaver was investigating a threatening letter sent to a priest when he was apparently at the wrong place and time. He is, of course, innocent yet is sent to the gallows by a corrupt judge. As he is heading to the prison, a mysterious woman passes a lockpick to him and Weaver manages to escape. Given that he is sentenced to hang, he must discover who framed him and why in order to clear his name. His search for answers leads him into the convoluted web of British parliamentary politics in which the election is termed 'the spectacle of corruption'. He must use every ounce of his cunning to discover the truth and save his own life.
With the SPECTACLE OF CORRUPTION, David Liss has managed to create a complex yet compelling historical mystery. Characters are realistic creations but the problem is there are so many minor ones that, at times, it may be hard to keep track of who is who. However, the main characters are original and memorable. The plot with a bit too much complexity tends to meander and there's a certain lack of focus. Weaver appears to travel around and around in circles trying to get answers. This is not a fast read in any sense of the word. However it is all encompassing and so well written that the casual reader would find the time well worth spent.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as his Conspiracy of Paper
Review: Don't get me wrong -- this is a very good book -- better than 95 percent of what's published as popular fiction. But it's not up to the standards set by "A Conspiracy of Paper", the first book in this series. Spectacle is an exciting book, but there are various loose-ends that are never tied up, and the some of the characters' behaviors seem contrived.

Well worth a read, but if you had to choose one Liss book for your stay on a desert island, I recommend Conspiracy, not Spectable.