A Conspiracy of Paper

Written by David Liss

Narrated by John Lee

Benjamin Weaver is an outsider in eighteenth-century London: a Jew among Christians; a ruffian among aristocrats; a retired pugilist who, hired by London's gentry, travels through the criminal underworld in pursuit of debtors and thieves.

In A Conspiracy of Paper, Weaver investigates a crime of the most personal sort: the mysterious death of his estranged father, a notorious stockjobber. To find the answers, Weaver must contend with a desperate prostitute who knows too much about his past, relatives who remind him of his alienation from the Jewish faith, and a cabal of powerful men in the world of British finance who have hidden their business dealings behind an intricate web of deception and violence. Relying on brains and brawn, Weaver uncovers the beginnings of a strange new economic order based on stock speculation-a way of life that poses great risk for investors but real danger for Weaver and his family.

In the tradition of The Alienist and written with scholarly attention to period detail, A Conspiracy of Paper is one of the wittiest and most suspenseful historical novels in recent memory, as well as a perceptive and beguiling depiction of the origin of today's financial markets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781400170845

David Liss

David Liss is a proud science fiction geek. When not acting like a total fanboy, he’s generally working on his books, stories, and comics. Liss has written eight bestselling novels for adults, most recently The Day of Atonement, and is the author of numerous comics, including Mystery Men, Sherlock Holmes: Moriarty Lives, and Angelica Tomorrow. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Reviews for A Conspiracy of Paper

[capfox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

David Liss definitely enjoys writing this historical financial detective stories. Here, in his first novel, we follow the adventures of Benjamin Weaver, a secular Jewish boxer turned thief-taker, as he tries to work out who killed his estranged father and one of his father's business partners. There's a good number of suspects, lots of potential for things going wrong, but the story has one of those framing devices where the character is writing his memoirs from years off in the future, so you know that it couldn't have gone too badly for him.The writing style is meant to be fairly contemporary, and pulls it off well without it feeling too stilted; in fact, it can be fairly witty in places. The lead couple of characters are pretty well laid out; Weaver really is conflicted about his status as a Jew, his relations to his family and to society, and for his past conduct. You really get a feel for him. The lead female character, Miriam, is also pretty interesting, although in a similar fashion to his newest novel, the Whiskey Rebels, probably a bit more modern in tone and thought than is historically accurate. The secondary characters were amusing or interesting, but not very complicated, for the most part. For a mystery, that's not that surprising, though.I enjoyed the mystery part of it well enough, and you do learn a lot about the nature of the markets and such of the time, but it can get to sound a bit like a lecture in some parts. You need the info, but the style fails sometimes that way. At least Liss doesn't hammer home the parallels between the stock market speculation problems of that time and now. The presentation of the time period, the place, and the Jewish community there were well done; I'm pretty happy with it.This book was quite enjoyable, although not as polished as Liss's more recent work. As a first novel, that's to be expected, though. I look forward to reading more of his work soon.

[bibleblaster · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The very first stock market crash: read about how the whole mess started and you won't be too surprised about where we have ended up. There are fun mysteries to solve along the way, and some colorful characters. Seems a little long, plot kinda drags in spots, but a good read overall.

[anaraguard · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing and complex mystery, vividly set in 1719 London. The author presents a rich portrait of those times: when no police force or Scotland Yard yet existed, and danger lurked in every fetid alley. At the same time, a new era of paper money and stocks was beginning, and the coffeehouses were crowded with over-caffeinated "stock-jobbers" and speculators. The narrator is a former boxer who now tracks down debts and thieves for a price. He is also a Jew, whose options are limited and whose entrance into social circles is always in doubt. Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction but read it in several sittings or you may easily lose track of the many characters.

[christopherswann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent historical fiction. Benjamin Weaver is a great protagonist and I look forward to reading more of his adventures.

[rlsalvati · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the mystery but didn't feel drawn in to the characters. Probably will not continue with the series.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a good entertainment, and thoroughly researched. An example of the fun to be had in early Eighteenth Centuery London, with enough research done to avoid invoking any blatantly famous figures. Our detective is a clearly drawn character, and the times are well enough drawn to offer insights on the roles and penalties of Jews living in London. The love interest is well drawn, and the mystery satisfyingly deep. Tangentially we learn a good deal about the origins of the London Stock Exchange, and some of its curious habits at the time.

[limelite_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Liss has created a niche for himself with his series of books centered on struggles with economic and financial incidents and initiations. Here we meet the most alienated protagonist of my recent memory who bears all the hallmarks of the serial hero. He's a Jew among Christians; he's a former professional boxer among gentlemen; he's without financial ambition or significant riches in an era of greed; and he's possessed of a strong moral compass in a city filled with corrupt financiers.All those characteristics make for a period private eye who while just setting out on this hobby-career, shows doggedness, an ability to learn deductive reasoning; and an orientation to Good. If that's not the personality of a blooming detective, I need to re-read Christie.Historical accuracy combined with insights into the world of investment chicanery, and the promise of an investigator whose skills will increase with experience lead to a satisfying, though not stellar, read and a tasty dip into the beginnings of the London Exchange, the cultural prejudices of 18th C. English peoples, and the conflicts of outsiders in a closed and tightly controlled society. In sum, I enjoyed an entertaining yarn perfectly balanced with historical instruction.

[pking36330-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent historical novel that provides a lively story while educating the reader on 1720 London stratification of society, treatment of the Jewish population, and the emergence of exchange stock trading.

[tomspisak · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

good history; Bruce Alexander's Blind Justice is better mystery

[devilish2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A moderately enjoyable romp through London in the early 1700s. It's written by a PhD candidate who is studying that era and its finance. The up side of this is that the detail and the feel of the novel is convincing. The down side is that there is a fine line between making the language and motives appropriate to the era and turgidity. Sometimes the line is crossed...On the whole the main character is great - a Jew who ran away from home and lead a life as a boxer after living on the seamier side for a while. The whodunnit plot kept me guessing until the end - always a good thing.A couple of minor things. The author is based in the US and at one point he writes "he dove into the crowd". For me that screamed that he wasn't in England - I could forgive some of the -ize and -or instead of -our, but "dove", please... And a few too many "nonces".Ultimately, I came close to ditching the book and moving on. But maybe that's because I've been reading fast, easy reads lately. Having said that, it's not a hard read, just not the language and structure that we're probably used to.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crooked stock jobbers in 18th century London hunted by a Jewish ex-boxer who fashions himself as the first P.I. in England? What's not to love?

[krbrancolini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have a particular fondness for historical mysteries set in the 18th century -- including the works of the late Bruce Alexander (The Sir John Fielding Mysteries) and the more obscure Robert Lee Hall (The Benjamin Franklin Mysteries). David Liss's "A Conspiracy of Paper" and his Benjamin Weaver Mysteries is now added to my list of favorites and this book shoots to the top. It is a brilliantly-conceived and written mystery. The recent reviewers here exactly capture what is so satisfying about this book. I won't recount the plot, but I will add something that I found particularly enjoyable -- the revelation of Weaver's infallibility. The plot twists and then twists again, while Liss creates entirely believeable characters and manipulations. I'm also a member of a Jewish book group and I gravitate toward books that explore the lives of Jews throughout history. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read the other books in the series.

[sumariotter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the best book I have read in the past couple of years. I read it because it was recommended by Sarah Waters, my other favorite contemporary author. It's a historical mystery, set in 18th century London. It is the result of the author's PhD research, and is amazing both in content and style. It is a gripping story, well written, and feels as if it could have been written in the 18th century.

[claude_lambert_10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am blown away by the talent of David Liss.The book is narrated by a Jewish Jack-of-all trades of the 18th century in London, an ancient boxer revolted against his family and its traditions; he has turned into a detective of sorts, making money in what we call in the south "the repo business." He becomes involved in the 1720 South Sea bubble, an early scandal in the financial markets that really happened.If you want an easy book to read, it is not for you: the style is pretty much the style of the 18th century, which is appropriate for the memoirs of an 18th century narrator. The story is convoluted, because it is told from the point of view of a man who does not have many cards in hand to start with: he is constantly revising his suspicions.But the very structure allows Liss to present you the early stock market, the treatment of Jews in 18th century London, the atmosphere of bars, a realistic view of the justice system and the prisons of the time. It is all done with a sure hand and delicacy. Lots of characters come out like in Dickens, with strong characteristics: I specially enjoyed the treacherous females!Make no mistake: the book is fun to read, but only if you are willing to pay more attention than for Patterson, Clancy or Baldacci.This is a true author, not an entertainer.

[michcard · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very engrossing; got a little confused sometimes but at least I did not see the end coming.

[mikedraper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a novel that captured my interest and entertained me with the history of London in 1719. The setting was so well described that I felt I could see the ravages of disease in the prisoners at Newgate Prison and hear the crowd shout taunts at a prisoner for being a Jacobite.There are also lessons for today when we watch the news and see the political unrest in Egypt and Lybia. This is a time when England is in fear of the French and their support of the deposed King James.Benjamin Weaver is a Jewish detective who is contacted by a snobbish gentleman named Balfour. This man states that he's suspicous of his father's supposed suicide and thinks the man responsible for his father's death also murdered Weaver's father.This astounds Weaver who was not that close to his father and thought his father died accidentally;Underneath the possible murders is the fact that Weaver's father was a stock trader and there may have been stock forgery that caused the crimes.Weaver proceeds with the case. We see London through his eyes and witness the lawlessness of a city with little in the way of police. Weaver is a Jew and this is a time when many in society feel that Jews are out to steal their money. At one time, a character states, "...any man who has lost money in funds (stocks) can follow...the loss to the hand of a Jew."I was totally entertained by this novel, the picturesque images of England and the well developed characters. David Liss writing style is sophisticated and professional.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a pleasure to read from beginning to end. The author was a graduate student in the world in which this novel is set--the world of finance in 1719 London. Although, unlike him, I'm by no means an expert, the first person narrative had a great voice, a seemingly dead on period tone that helped so much to establish character and setting. The narrator and protagonist, Benjamin Weaver, is a former pugilist making a living as a "thief-taker"--one who finds stolen goods for a fee among other things. He's also a Jew, and a first generation Englishman, his family having emigrated from Holland. The tale thus immerses the reader in several interesting worlds--from that of the aristocracy to the underworld--and above all the world of the "stock-jobber"--that is a trader in the emerging stock exchange. I thought the plot bubbled along nicely and made sense, and I liked Benjamin. He's hardly perfect--for one thing he's not above using prostitutes and that is a squick of mine to be honest. He also has quite a temper. But there's something engaging and appealing about him nevertheless and I certainly will be picking up more "financial thrillers" from Liss in the future.

[dougwood57 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Conspiracy of Paper was David Liss's first work of historical fiction. The book is set in London during the early 1700's and centers around the South Sea Company or more precisely, the South Sea Company's stock and its struggle against the Bank of England. In it the reader first meets Benjamin Weaver, a Jewish thief-taker and former boxer. Weaver is the central character in this book as well as The Devil's Company: A Novel, The Coffee Trader: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle), and A Spectacle of Corruption: A Novel. Liss excels in the details of time and place, which allows him to achieve a realistic and factually accurate picture of London during the early stock-jobbing days, Exchange Alley, the Jewish `quarter', Newgate prison, and the most famous - or I should say infamous real-life thief-taker of them all, Jonathon Wild. Thief takers caught criminals and turned them over to the State earning a handsome fee in the process. Wild's imaginative business plan had him playing both sides of the street. He employed crooks and thieves and then `peached' them when their future value fell below the government's price offer. Liss sets Weaver to solve the murder of his estranged father and one of his father's business associates neither of whom appeared to have been murdered on the face of it (one died in an accident, the other by his own hand). Weaver soon finds himself caught between some of the most powerful forces in 18th century England: the Bank of England, the South Sea Company, and Wild. Liss spins an engaging tale with marvelously rich historical detail. Unfortunately, he has a taste for overly complex plotting. Liss drops heavy hints first that the bank was behind all Weaver's troubles and then that the South Sea Company was his nemesis. And then the bank, the company, the bank - you get the idea. Mix in a healthy dose of Wild and clues strongly suggesting his alliance with one or the other and the reader feels that the game isn't quite a fair one. Still, Liss's works are high quality historical fiction and I highly recommend his works.

[tanyatomato · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Didn't like to be played with in this mystery as much as in The Devil's Company. I attribute it to my mood. Stellar writer.

[periodista_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Flabby in comparison to The Coffee Trader. As others have pointed out, the mystery aspect could have been rendered in a more concise fashion. In comparison to The Coffee Trader, the financial finagling involving forged shares in a doomed company (a counterpart to the East Asia Company) was easier for me to understand than coffee futures in Amsterdam.But The Coffee Trader felt richer to me because of all the details about Jewish life in Amsterdam in the late17th century. Ditto the way Catholics had to worship semi-secretly. There is some of that background here. (And Miguel Lienzo here, the uncle of detective Benjamin, was the protagonist trader-speculator in the earlier book, I think). Such as the ragged "Tudesco" street vendor--what today we'd call an Ashkenazi--from Russia or Poland or some other pogrom-plagued country to the East. Yep, even then it was better to be an Iberian Jew whose ancestors had fled the Inquisition. Like most people, I suppose, I'm more familiar with 19th century Britain because there are so many more novels set in that period. A Conspiracy of Paper does provide an unusual outsider's point-of-view of a looser society than what was soon to come.

[lisahistory · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as it should have been. A great story, but the writing was only so-so, and you didn't really get to know the character better as it continued.

[bookmarque · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It took me a comparatively long time to finish this novel despite it being a relatively short one. I’ve read this series out of order (2nd, 3rd then 1st) and so maybe it was the lack of real suspense that did it. The more I think on it though the more I am convinced it is because Weaver just seemed to go in circles in this one. Granted it is an early “case” for him and he hasn’t gotten a firm grasp on all the new skills he’ll need, but he seemed really dim-witted in this one. Easily duped. Everyone just played him and he was oblivious. Even the eventual solving of the crime wasn’t Weaver’s own doing; it was basically forced upon him so he’d take immediate and violent action upon a certain person.At times the book moves right along, but sometimes gets bogged down in its own minutia. Yes, there is a lot of information to impart about ‘stock jobbing’ and the changes it brought to British finance, but couple that with intrigue about Ben’s non-existent relationship with his family, angst over his dead father and situation with Miriam and it’s just too much taking the kettle off the boil to really call this a thriller. I prefer to think of it as historical noir. It has all the hallmarks. Detective or detective-like figure. Side kick. Femme fatal. Hidden adversaries. Hostile police. Beatings. Chases. Betrayals. Fist fights. Snappy dialogue (well, snappy for early 18th century anyway). And Liss does a good job treading the line between historical believability and modern readability. I just wish the train had a bit more of the runaway about it and less of the commuter.

[dla911_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

David Liss' superb first novel, A Conspiracy of Paper, reaches back to London in the 1700s to wrap a mystery around the simultaneous emergence of venture capital and stock exchanges. One of the few people ever to turn a PhD thesis into a best selling book, Liss explores the criminal underbelly of the new world of exotic venture companies( The South Sea Company, for example) and the competition with the Bank of England for control of the English financial system. All the usual suspects are in place--the hated and rich Jews, corrupt "stock jobbers", murky CEOs, minions often bribed for favors, criminal gangs and best of all, the gullible royalty. Benjamin Weaver, an ex-boxer, Jew and consummate outsider, plays the heavy in this tale of stock fraud, idiotic projects and unsuspecting investors desperate for outrageous (and impossible) returns. If this sounds a lot like the early 2000's in the US venture community, you are right on. The London of the early 1700s is a lot more rough than Silicon Valley in the early 2000's but the results are the same--lots of money thrown at questionable companies, much hype in the media and then everyone wakes up one morning to ask why a company with no revenues and little promise of any is worth millions. Duh....This is a well written thriller that appealed both to the mystery lover in me as well as the venture guy. I found myself saying, " what a dumb presentation--I'd never fund that dog" and "what are these dopey investors thinking??" Lots of fun, enough history to make it all believable and a good dose of realistic London life in the 1700s--not very pretty, where life was cheap and hanging was the usual penalty for most any offense by the lower classes.

[janetinlondon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Benjamin Weaver, the hero, lives on the fringes of the criminal world of London in the 18th century. Although born into a fairly wealthy trading family, he rejected his family and went off to be first a boxer and then, when injury ended his career, a minor criminal, committing a few muggings, house robberies, and so on, although you get the sense his heart was never in it. When the story opens, he is using his underworld knowledge in a more positive way, staying on the right side of the law, helping victims recover stolen property, finding missing persons and generally enabling polite society to deal with less polite society when it has to. He is asked to help recover some missing papers, and, separately, to investigate two suspicious deaths, and that is the start of a long and somewhat complicated plot involving corrupt dealings in the early days of the stock market. The corruption is linked to the South Sea bubble, a real stock market hype and crash, and a few of the characters are apparently historically accurate (although I had never heard of them).There is a secondary plot, revolving around Benjamin’s relationship with his family. He and they are Jewish, and Jews at that time had an uneasy if tolerated position in society. His uncle is always worried that Benjamin will do something to make the Jews look bad or to give the establishment an excuse to treat them badly. On the other hand, one of the major villains is also Jewish, and goes to the same synagogue as the uncle. Many of the non-Jewish characters are very rude to the Jews throughout the book. Although this isn’t the main plot, and I think the story could have worked without it, it does add a very interesting dimension, making Benjamin an outsider in more ways than one.There are also a few love stories and other side events to keep the plot moving along nicely. It adds up to a very good read even if you don’t care about financial fraud.

[ffortsa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

he story of an ex-prizefighter in 18th century London, his relationship with his Jewish family, his new profession as a private eye (new to everyone) and the high finance of the South Sea Bubble. The lead character is a little too naive for my taste, but may well represent the way people thought before the Holmsian critical thinking became more commonplace. Well written and an interesting portrait of the time.

[ckopphills · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! This was less of a murder mystery and more of an examination of finance and philosophy in 18th century England. At the same time, the characters and issues resonate with the late 20th, early 21st century world of finance. The protagonist Benjamin Weaver is a fascinating character, one whose actions aren't always commendable but whose independence and desire for truth are admirable. All in all, a very enjoyable read!

[neurodrew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A novel, set in early 18th century London, revolving around the trading in stocks of the South Sea company, the famed South Sea bubble. The hero is a Jewish man, Benjamin Weaver, estranged from his family, who was for a time a pugilist (The Lion of Judah), but at the time of the novel has set himself up as a private detective (a "thieftaker"). His competitor is a criminal who controls most of the thiefs, and who simply acts as a fence for the stolen property this character is supposedly the origin of the term "double cross", named after the double mark he put against his ledgers of thieves when he sold them out to the police. The plot is complex; Weaver thinks he is recovering some love letters from a whore for a nobelman, but the letters are really forged stock certificates in a grand scheme. The period detail is very interesting.

[rodrichards_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The very first stock market crash: read about how the whole mess started and you won't be too surprised about where we have ended up. There are fun mysteries to solve along the way, and some colorful characters. Seems a little long, plot kinda drags in spots, but a good read overall.

[dwwilkin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is deep rich historical novel that is well worth the time and effort that one invests in it. Certainly we have had tales of the South Sea Bubble before, and we know it as the worlds first great stock swindle, Ivan Boesky and Michael Miliken beware.This tale is not that. We have that as background in its historical context. Just as we have recently lived through the internet stock explosion of the turn of the century where it was so obvious that if you have a website, you are an instant millionaire. So to with the South Sea bubble, anything connected to the endeavor will make you a fortune.This story uses those details as background. Once again Liss provides his Jewish heritage to give us insight into not only the times but how the Jewish community fits in those times. That additional application of facts enriches the entire tale. But there is something more here then just jewish heritage and the economic troubles of the times. There is a murder mystery, and the bodies keep accumulating. Certainly the deft weaving of all the elements elevates this book to greatness and even more should be attainable if in the end device is not used for cleverness. Is the bad guy the bad guy, let us cast doubt. That is not needed. Then the complexity of the finances are still complex enough that motive seems wanting.Is it worth a second read, perhaps in a decade, but it is definitely worth your while now.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The positive reviews of this novel caught my eye from time to time, but because I wasn't sure I would like a book about an 18th century Jewish ex-boxer, I didn't give a lot of thought to actually reading it. I was wrong. Yes, there are some violent scenes in the book where the main character's boxing skills are put to good use, but he is more interested in developing his philosophy and reasoning skills in order to get to the root of a complex financial scheme related to his father's murder. I found it easy to identify with him since the story is told in his voice.The book is filled with historical detail of early 18th century London and its financial markets. At the same time, its focus on the stock trade gives it a contemporary feel. The nature of the stock market really hasn't changed much in three centuries. Although the setting is very different, this book reminds me a lot of John Grisham's The Firm -- I suppose since both books involve complex webs of corruption in large corporations.Benjamin Weaver is an intriguing character. Like everyone else in the book, he appears to be motivated more by self-interest rather than by any moral code, yet it sometimes troubles him when he does the right thing for the wrong reason. I'll be interested to see how his character develops in subsequent novels.