A Conspiracy of Paper

David Liss

The author, Liss, comes from an academic background and this book grew out of research he was doing for a thesis he wrote. I am not very knowledgeable about history, especially the period when this novel takes place, about 1720 in London.

The protagonist, Benjamin Weaver, is a Jew, an outsider in London. He had left his family at a tender age and became a champion pugilist. After that he was a rogue, a highwayman, and a burglar. He then settled into London as what we would now call a private investigator. New clients lead him into an amazing investigation concerning a broad cast of characters from all walks of life in London in 1720.

The plot of the book is very engrossing. The writing is superb and it becomes a classic “period piece” which entertains the reader while informing him or her about what life in London was like, from the highest echelon of society to the seamiest side of existence.

Because the author was a scholar before he became a novelist, he brought a tremendous amount of knowledge and intimacy with both the characters and the history.

I found this book fascinating and enjoyable and would highly recommend it to those who might have an interest in learning something about society in the early part of the 18th century while being engrossed in a very complex yet classic “who dunnit”

Review by Len Oppenheim