A Spectacle of Corruption

by David Liss

Book Overview

Benjamin Weaver, the quick-witted pugilist turned private investigator, returns in David Liss's sequel to the Edgar Award-winning novel, A Conspiracy of Paper.

" A] wonderful book . . . every bit as good as Liss's] remarkable debut . . . easily one of the year's best."--The Boston Globe

Moments after his conviction for a murder he did not commit, at a trial presided over by a judge determined to find him...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037576089X
• ISBN13: 9780375760891
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Ballantine Group
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Breathless Spectacle

In this sequel to "A Conspiracy of Paper," framed for a murder and sentenced to hang, ex-pugilist and now "thief-taker" Benjamin Weaver, The Lion of Judah, escapes from Newgate Prison and sets out to clear his name. Weaver's quest takes him on a tour of London's seamy and genteel sides with scarcely a moment for either Weaver or the reader to catch his breath. This is a world of bought judges, crooked elections, racketeering gangs, exploitation, deceit, sedition, and filth that truly lives up to the novel's title. It is nothing resembling Boswell's and Samuel Johnson's London, but is instead a dystopian view of an often glorified time. Free, but in constant danger, Weaver hides in plain view and disguises himself as a West Indian planter. He then moves back and forth between "genteel society" and his own identify in his attempts to unravel the mystery and save himself. This leads to his peripheral participation in both sides of a parliamentary election campaign where corruption, money, brutality, and treason rule in what a character describes as "A Spectacle of Corruption." However, this is not a dark novel. It is instead more picaresque with abundant humor, adventure, and romance to offset the bleak society portrayed. Cast adrift and surrounded by human sharks, Weaver must live by his wits with the assistance of his friend Elias. His cousin and lost love, Miriam, also returns in this book, only to have left Jewish society to marry a character key to the story. Weaver does not overly despair because he finds a new love interest, and wonders at one fleeting point if he could remain in his new identity forever. Nevertheless, Weaver realizes his position is tenuous and fated to always be at the fringes of society. Although a sequel, "Spectacle of Corruption is virtually a stand-alone novel, but to fully appreciate the setting, "A Conspiracy of Paper" should be read first. The author, David Liss, definitely avoided the sophomore jinx, and there are many possibilities for future adventures of Benjamin Weaver.

entertaining and educational

Ben Weaver is back and in more trouble than before to solve a new mystery upon which his life depends. The story delves into fascinating aspects of the British election process in 1722, with the scandals, powerplays and corruption; and almost 300 years later, we can see not much has changed. I like a book that both educates and entertains. The author has a talent of taking a topic in a slice of history that may not seem on the outset interesting, but in the telling of the story the author shines in his clever plotlines, entertaining characters, uncovering sardonic historical intrigue.

"No man can afford to remain neutral"

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

Tumultuous times in Merry Olde England

David Liss, once again, in a marvelous literary effort meticulously recreates the past in his very effective historical fiction "A Spectacle of Corruption". The tale takes place in 1722 England, a time of unprecedented political and social turmoil. The Catholic King James II has abdicated the throne in favor of German born King George in 1714. Factions called Jacobites exist that support James' son James Stuart as the rightful heir to the throne. Due to a severe depression caused by a stock narket crash, a general election is being held as a referendum on the rule of King George. The 2 major parties, the church supporting Tories representing wealthy property owners and the Whigs representing the landless nouveau riche are using any corrupt means possible to garner votes. The story revolves around Benjamin Weaver a Jewish ex-pugilist who now functions as a thieftaker or detective. Weaver is framed on trumped up charges of murdering a labor organizer Walter Yate. Yate represented the quayside porters of the Westminster borough, a hotly contested seat in Parliament. Dennis Dogmill, a wealthy tobacco importer and Whig election supervisor, with the help of a sympathetic judge has Weaver convicted and sentenced to hang. Weaver eventually escapes from Newgate prison and with the aid of friends assumes a disguise of a wealthy Jamaican plantation owner to try to clear his name. With the election as a backdrop Weaver becomes involved with both Whig anf Tory campaigns and witnessses the widespread corruption involved. The plot eventually leads to the shocking actual reason for the betrayal of Weaver. Liss with the aid of exhaustive historical research does an illuminating job in his description of daily life in this time period.

David Liss and Benjamin Weaver make a great team

Along the way to completing his doctoral dissertation on 18th century British literature and culture, David Liss took a detour down a different path. He authored A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER, and for his effort was awarded the 2000 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. While the halls of academia lost a potentially fine college professor, mystery aficionados gained a writer who combines his skill as a historian with excellent writing talents to produce compelling and fascinating novels.A SPECTACLE OF CORRUPTION is the sequel to the first Liss novel. Once again, readers are transported to London during an era when England and the British aristocracy ruled the world. Benjamin Weaver, the classic mystery novel protagonist, makes a return appearance in the book and once again must solve a crime that has personal significance.Weaver is a classic outsider. He is a Jew in a Christian community, an ex-boxer who supports himself by tracking down debtors and felons for aristocratic clients. In contemporary society he would be Sam Spade, Mike Hammer or any number of characters found in Elmore Leonard novels. In Weaver's first appearance in A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER he was called upon to investigate his father's death. In A SPECTACLE OF CORRUPTION the problem is even more personal: Weaver must investigate a murder for which he has been wrongfully charged and convicted.In the year 1722, England was embroiled in a parliamentary election viewed as a referendum on the rule of King George. As the novel opens, Weaver finds himself on trial for the murder of Walter Yate. Confident in his innocence, Weaver is stunned to hear the Old Bailey jury return a verdict of guilty and in accordance with that verdict sentenced to be executed by hanging in six weeks. As he is led back to the Newgate prison, Weaver is accosted by a courtroom spectator who slips a lock pick and file into his hands. Using those tools, and with the aid of a friendly fellow inmate, Weaver is able to escape from prison.However, escape is not freedom. He must confront two mysteries. Someone has gone to substantial lengths to see an innocent man wrongfully convicted of murder while an equally mysterious agent has gone to great lengths to set him free. Weaver's life hangs in the balance as he races to solve this conundrum.Weaver must somehow infiltrate London society to ascertain the identity of both his accusers and defenders. He assumes the role of a tobacco grower recently returned to England from the colonies. With the looming election and the possibility that the British monarchy may be toppled, Weaver must navigate an English society heavily embroiled in both politics and crime. It is a difficult task, but Weaver is up to the challenge.There is a freshness and uniqueness in reading and solving an 18th century mystery. Detectives must rely on guile rather than gadgets to solve the crime. There are no crime labs or computers to provide simple answers to complex problems. Liss must have Benjamin Weaver solve the mu