Rating: 
Summary: A Missed Opportunity
Review: This book could have been something special. The main character is interesting and complex, the historical period is a fascinating one and the writing, though occasionally stiff, is fine. But the "mystery" at the heart of the book is dishearteningly pedestrian. There was such an opportunity here for an engrossing tale of greed, speculative fever and the world-changing new ideas of modern finance--the South Sea Bubble is an incredible story, in which a whole nation was possessed by a kind of madness--but Liss lets all that pass in favor of a humdrum forgery plot that ends--incredibly!--two years BEFORE the South Sea Bubble even happens. So the claim that this story in some way comments on the current stock market madness seems specious, just an afterthought designed to increase the book's salability. But the book doesn't deliver on what it promises. It's just a generic (and overlong) mystery that happens to take place at the birth of the modern stock market. And the unwinding of the central problem just involves the sleuth going from one person to the other, interviewing each until a name pops up that unlocks the secret. This isn't a bad book, but it's a keen disappointment when you consider the tour-de-force it could have been.
Rating: 
Summary: Watch For This Book When Awards Are Handed Out.
Review: I generally dislike comparing the work of one Author with that of another. But as this is the debut of Mr. David Liss, a reference point or two may be of help.If the writing of Mr. Charles Palliser is to your liking, or that of Mr. Iain Pears, or perhaps Ms. Tracy Chevalier, this book will earn its place on the same shelf. The book is excellent, and although its story occupies a time that is not unfamiliar, Mr. Liss has brought a style that is his own. His characters have depth; they do not imitate others drawn in another's book. The dialogue is well constructed, reads naturally, and together with the narration Mr. Liss and company lead you through a labyrinth of a plot, tempt you with false leads, and pull the carpet out just as you thought you were drawing together the threads. Not a chance, the Author anticipates the reader's moves, and misleads and deceives through a truly wonderful tale! History, twistery, truth, lies, or mystery? It is all here, brilliantly written by a Novelist that is destined for many great books that I look forward to. Outstanding!
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding characters; fascinating myster
Review: David Liss has a gift for character and plot that make this book brilliant. What makes this such an extraordinary book is the narrator -- a boxer turned detective in early 18th century England named Benjamin Weaver. Weaver is a Jew, and I normally don't go in for identity crisis fiction(of any cultural or religious stripe), but Liss isn't interested in psychodrama. Instead, he uses Weaver's Jewishness to show the complexity of London in the period in a way that had never occurred to me before. Like Weaver, I kept getting drawn in to this world of crime and money, deeper and deeper. And each new character you meet here is a pleasure. This is going to be a book a lot of people will probably want to scoff at -- the writer is young, and its a long book. But doesn't listen to the jealous reviewers: read it, read it, read it.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, gripping writing
Review: This is exactly the kind of thing most of us seek historical fiction before: A gripping yarn, a fascinating setting, and a chance to reflect on things that matter to us now in a new way. The two things at the center of this novel-- money and religious heritage -- are of course old hat. But by placing them in the hands of his 18th century boxer, this book gives you the chance to reflect upon them as you never have before. Even better, this book has fascinating, three-dimensional characters (esp. the narrator), about whom you just want to know more and more. It's hard to put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and compelling
Review: Benjamin Weaver is an 18th century London Jew making his way in a complex Christian society, and an equally arcane criminal underworld. After turning his back on family and religion, he has made his living as a boxer, a highwayman, and a thief, until he found the less dangerous occupation of thief-taker. Now drawn back into the world of London's Sephardic Jews by a client who raises questions about Weaver's own father's death, Benjamin is surprised to find himself comforted by the traditions and family he thought he had rejected. This is one of those books that plop you right in the middle of a fascinating world completely unknown to you. Author David Liss creates the richly textured world of 18th century London Jewry, their traditions, their aspirations, played out against the famous stock speculation by the South Sea Company. Early stock brokers funded much of the 18th century's wars and economic growth from their tables in coffeehouses across London. Of course, there were also disasters, and the Jews, as the only stockbrokers, often took the blame for all sorts of economic downturns, as Weaver finds out. The characters in "A Conspiracy of Paper" are unusual and engaging. So many books have been set in 18th century London that it seems to be a landscape readers know well. One of the treats of this book is finding a different world in a place we thought we had down pat.
Rating: 
Summary: The most exciting new voice in historical fiction I've read.
Review: The best part of my job as an editor at Random House is introducing talented new authors to the public. The manuscript for A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER landed in my office on a Friday in the summer of 1998. That weekend, I began reading the pages with interest and growing excitement. It didn't take me long to realize that David Liss is an unusually gifted writer, able to capture life in 18th century London in vivid detail while describing shady financial dealings, murder, boxing, theatre, and Jewish alienation, among other matters, all through the eyes of a rouguishly charming protagonist, Benjamin Weaver. I phoned the author's literary agent, Liz Darhansoff, first thing Monday morning and emphatically expressed my desire to acquire the book. Even though I had read it immediately, I was the second such editor to call Liz that morning. Before the four-day-long, ulcer-inducing auction was over, six publishers had tried to buy A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER. Why? Because authors like David Liss come along rarely: He is a pure storyteller, a Dickensian revivalist with wit, flair for character, and a knack for page-turning suspense. And yet he is also an expert on the period, having devoted the past seven years of his life to studying the idea of finance in 18th century British fiction. My personal theory about why David Liss has written such a satisfying novel is because he had the intellectual self-confidence to relax, have fun, and portray the period with a sense of humor. I've never seen such pre-publication enthusiasm for a novel in my ten years at Random House. When you read A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER, you'll see why.
Rating: 
Summary: Financial Fiction
Review: Reviewer Lee Armstrong suggests that David Liss may have invented a new genre of "financial thrillers." Au contraire! There are hundreds of books in this category, or at least in the "financial fiction" category (many of them, like Black Money, definitely thrillers). For a listing of books in this genre, see http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/bankfiction/ which also has links to
"Money in History" and "Financial Scandals." Happy searching!
Rating:
Summary: "Protector, guardian, bailiff, constable-for-hire..."
Review: When we are faced with a main character like Ben Weaver, involved in performing tasks like the ones mentioned in the title of this review, we know we are in for a great ride. David Liss does not disappoint us and delivers on this implicit promise, clearly showing his gifts as a writer in the process. The author presents a highly interesting historical novel, with an intricate plot, and full of twists that will leave the readers guessing until the end. The fact that he deals with the financial markets and concepts like probability in the eighteenth century, added to the attractiveness of the story for me, since these are topics with which I have been involved throughout my studies and in my current job. It is an era of turmoil in England; King James has been deposed and is supported by France. This is the ideal setting for criminals to operate, since confusion reigns in the country. Ben Weaver is a Jew who left his father's home and changed his name a few years ago and had a brief moment of fame as a pugilist. Now he sustains himself by working as hired help in various enterprises, most of them dealing with helping people that have fallen victims of illegal acts. Weaver, whose real name is Lienzo (those who read "The Coffee Trader" will recognize the name), tells the story that starts with a murder of sorts in which he was involved. He was trying to recover the pocketbook of Sir Owen and when faced with a murderer his only option was to strike back and kill him. Most of the thefts in the city are orchestrated or supervised by a character named Wild, who has all kinds of ruffians working for him and who offers services similar to the ones Weaver offers. Needless to say, Wild has a much easier time recovering the goods, since he basically charges people to give them back what he stole from them. Also, Weaver is contacted by Michael Balfour, who claims that Weaver's father, who died recently in an accident, was murdered, as was Balfour's own father. Balfour hires Weaver to find out the truth and Ben ends up having to contact his uncle Miguel Lienzo and slowly going back to his Jewish roots. The plot has considerable depth and a myriad of suspicious characters are involved in Weaver's investigations. Also, the way Liss describes the characters and settings makes it easy to visualize them clearly. His treatment of the theme of Judaism and what it meant to be member of this religion in Europe, especially England, shortly after the Inquisition is enlightening and shocking at the same time. This is a novel I thoroughly enjoyed and I am looking forward to reading the next work by this great author.
Rating:
Summary: excellent historical fiction murder mystery!
Review: I am impressed that this is the author's first novel - as his writing and character developemnt is superior, with plot twists and turns that kept me engaged till the end.
It was fun to follow the main character, Ben Weaver and his thoughts on his journey from character to character to unravel the mystery. Each character is carefully and thoughtfully crafted for the time period; each person a possible suspect.
The character revelations give incredible insight into 1719 London life - where at first I didn't think a novel about the stock exchange could be that interesting - but this world that the author unveiled through the characters was truly fascinating beyond my expectations.
I can't wait to read the author's other books.
Rating:
Summary: Detective Story in Uncommon Setting
Review: Having recently digested the excellent Coffee Trader by Mr. Liss, I was anxious to sink my teeth into another one of his, and did so with this one. It is a fine, entertaining novel, but the plot--a detective story basically--is a bit too conventional.
It takes place in early eighteenth-century London and like the Coffee Trader, the historical detail is excellent. You get London in all its muddy, dungy glory, as well as a bellyful of the obsolete, inhumane practices of the day. Jails were filthy and vicious and men and women were not separated. People were put in the stocks and tormented by passersby. Justice was doled out in a completely arbitrary way: those with the gelt were most likely to obtain it. Interestingly, there was no police force, per se, so law and order was doled out indiscriminately and often by criminal gangs. Pickpockets roamed during the day and thugs controlled the night. Tough stuff.
The hero of this tale is Benjamin Weaver, a former pugilist, who now makes his living as a detective, although he is never really referred to by that term. It is narrated by him in first person, and he is a very engaging fellow. A tough guy, he makes his living by finding debtors and other such undesirables for clients who want them found. The plot here begins with a task he is given to retrieve stolen papers for a wealthy client. At the same time, another client asks him to look into the deaths of both his father's and the client's father's deaths. The client has reason to believe that they were murdered, not killed accidentally, and also that these murders were related. As you might suspect, it gets pretty intricate, as our friend becomes enmeshed in a web of lies, truths, half-truths, disappearing witnesses and threats against his person. Some unseen force is desperately trying to stop him and some benevolent force seems to be helping him, and wouldn't you know, as he goes along, the highest forces in England seem to be involved. Yes, it's very engrossing, but if you've ever read a good detective novel, you'll recognize the pattern.
Nevertheless, it's a cut above the typical fare, in that the characters are lively and believable; the setting, as mentioned, is superb; and the prose style is filled with wit and quite elegant. Very enjoyable.
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