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Summary: A riveting piece of old England
Review: 'A Conspiracy of Paper' is a brilliant accomplishment in more ways than one. David Liss has simultaneously and skillfully created a convoluted mystery, an interestingly fleshed-out hero, a spectacularly entertaining work of fiction, and a wonderful evocation of a piece of history. Liss' writing style, while nicely reminiscent of the styles of period authors, never bogs down in flowery language or overblown descriptions. He has a neat sense of plot and a great eye for detail...not to mention his skill in incorporating genuine historical facts into his fictional narrative. Like some other reviewers, I have only a limited interest in the workings of the stock market. But with his boisterous and thrilling exploration of 18th-century "stock-jobbing," the South Sea Company, English social mores and customs, the life and role of English Jews, and the mean streets of London, Liss has whetted my appetite for financial intrigue. 'A Conspiracy of Paper' is a mystery well worth reading...for more than the whodunit.
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Summary: southsea.co.uk
Review: Benjamin Weaver, the Lion of Judah, has turned from pugilist to private detective just in time to investigate the death of his father and of aristocrat Balfour. Both were involved in the stock exchange and in the contest between the Bank of England and the South Sea Company for the right to issue government bonds. In the early decades of the eighteenth century stock trading was new to England, and those who took part in it suspect. It was convenient to blame one's dealer's cupidity rather than one's own when a stock gamble failed. Benjamin's investigative method is simple: he demands the truth of a villain, and when he discovers he has been deceived, he registers his disappointment and then - demands the truth of another villain. Eventually words are not enough and he uses fists and weapons to insist on answers. This does not improve the average of veracity among the replies. Really this is one of those novels built around the author's enthusiasm for his research, rather than the desire to tell an entertaining story. Yet the author does have a story to tell. More historical than thriller this complicated tale nevertheless reveals at its sententious pace an understanding of the early days of trading in stock and how it first gained the popular fascination it continues to enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: First-rate historical fiction, first-rate mystery
Review: In this novel, David Liss performs a masterful job of taking the reader back to 18th century England. The characters and setting came alive and truly seemed to be the product of a different time and place. The intricately-plotted mystery was well-told with momentum building throughout. I have only a little interest in financial markets, yet I found Liss's explanations of the nascent British stock market fascinating. I also found this book just as compelling for its portrait of the role of Jews in 18th century England as well as the nature of crime and punishment during this period. This book is well worth reading on many levels.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, fun fun!
Review: What a super first novel! This novel has it all: Pugilists, English anti-semitism, thieves, murder mystery--and an easy-to-follow lesson in the origins of the stock market to boot! Very fun read, good summer book.
Rating:
Summary: Read It!
Review: If you enjoy historical fiction it doesn't get much better than this. Remarkable that this book represents the author's first effort. Well researched and with a very interesting plot, I eagerly await Liss's next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: Once I started to read this book, I could hardly put it down. Life in 18th century England was fascinating to read about, and the changes in thinking from the "value" to the "promise" of money was revelatory, something we don't think twice about today. Liss captures the spirit of the times, the attitudes toward politicians, and musicians, Jews and doctors, the way the law was purchased, and actual guilt or innocence was irrelevant to conviction. The main character of Weaver relates the story in first person, and is multi-faceted and even contradictory in many ways - i.e. the way he tries to circumvent his Jewish heritage and yet seems proud of it. He talks about things that are today considered "politically incorrect" with an acceptance that modern man would never allow. I came away I wanting to know a great deal more about him, hopefully in future books by Mr. Liss.
Rating:
Summary: Was an excellent product of historical fiction.
Review: Lately I have been interested in historical fiction and finding a good period piece is not as easy as one would think. The Alienist and River God are excellent books and hard to match. I believe that "A Compspiracy of Paper" is right on their heels. This was an ingenious and well written book with very colorful characters and I can only hope that Mr. Liss with be forthcoming with a new well-researched effort soon.
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Summary: The Best Novel I've Read in a Long Time (and I read a lot!)
Review: This novel is one of the most impressive debuts I have ever seen. "A Conspiracy of Paper" is a brilliant historical novel that doesn't just slap history onto the mold of a mystery plot, but instead uses a lot of the standard ideas found in mysteries to think about the nature of solving crimes. But this novel is neither ponderous or overly intellectual. It is pure fun! How does that happen? Well, the protagonist, Benjamin Weaver, is absolutely compelling, and he easily guides the reader through places and ideas that are alien, making them fascinating, amusing, frightening or suspenseful. This book is much more thoughtful in its use of historical material (the stock market, prejudice, class difference, etc.) than any other historical mystery I've ever read. And most important, the conspiracy plot works amazingly well. This is a book I could just not put down because I needed to know who had done what and why. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that this is one of those novels where there are lots of shady characters and most of them are up to some kind of no good, but it is almost never the kind of no good the reader suspects. If you like historical novels, if you like mystery novels, if you like novels that are better than 95% of the stuff that's out there, then "Conspiracy of Paper" is for you.
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Summary: A Conspiracy of Critics...
Review: I really thought I'd like this book. I'd seen reviews favorably comparing it to Caleb Carr's excellent "The Alienist" & I was interested in learning more about the subject matter, which I was somewhat familiar with. I am sorry to say the hype was all smoke & no fire. In "A Conspiracy of Paper" David Liss takes a very interesting & timely subject (the first major stock panic in history) as the basis for a murder mystery. Other authors have used the South Sea Bubble as a plot device to good effect (Karleen Koen's "Through a Glass Darkly" most prominently) but Liss bases his entire plot on it. This would work in the hands of a better writer such as Caleb Carr or the late lamented Patrick O'Brian. "A Conspiracy of Paper" is a first novel, & it shows in the lack of depth in the characterisations. The protagonist, Benjamin Weaver, is given a past that includes time spent as a pugilist, a highwayman, a common thief, & as the story opens, a "thief-taker". However, it is hard to reconcile some of his past exploits with character traits the author saddles him with. Liss falls victim to one of the main problems a historical novelist faces: his heroes (& heroines) seem to be "re-enactors" rather than actual figures of their century. Too many viewpoints & habits are those of our century rather than the 17th. His heroine is spunky, fiery, independant; hardly attributes common to a Jewish lady of the upper trades class of the period. Other anachronisms come to glaring light as the reader works his way through the book. For instance, Benjamin Weaver sends a note to a laundry maid in a house he wishes to break into. A note? To a laundry maid? In a period where many middle class women did not learn to read, it is difficult not to wonder that a lowly laundry maid would read & respond to a note! There are other such glaring mistakes of period which are all the more puzzling due to the fact the author is a doctorol candidate studying this period. It can only be assumed social mores do not comprise the bulk of his thesis! In sum, "A Conspiracy of Paper" will be enjoyed by the type of reader who asks little of their books. If you enjoy Jackie Collins, John Grisham, Tom Clancy et al, you will probably enjoy this book too. However if you read historical fiction written by such authors as Mary Renault, Caleb Carr or Patrick O'Brian, I am positive you will be as disappointed as I was with "A Conspiracy of Paper".
Rating:
Summary: Workmanlike historical fiction - mediocre mystery
Review: Liss takes great pains to recreate the world of 18th century London, and although his work of reconstruction cannot begin to compare to, say, the Quincunx, still it is competent. Unfortunately, the book was held back by the complete lack of imagination in the shaping of its protagonist. Benjamin Weaver is a character instantly recognizable from virtually every detective novel or tv series ever produced. He has only one tone and that is of strident self-righteouness as he insists of telling every criminal or businessman (treated as synonymous in this book) exactly what he thinks of them whether it serves his purpose or not. If even today most sensible people try to disguise their true feeling when dealing with others, particularly when they are trying to get something out of them, how much more so would it have been true in 18th century England, particular of a lower middle class Jew dealing with the wealthy British elite? Further, just where do master criminals sit their victims down at the end of a caper and explain to them in elaborate detail just how they deceived them as the archvillian does here? The answer is, only in run of the mill, mediocre detective novels and television serials, which is basically what this book is, albeit set nearly 300 years ago. In short, while Conspiracy represents workmanlike historical fiction, it is at best a mediocre mystery.
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