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A Spectacle of Corruption: A Novel (Hardcover)

by David Liss (Author) "SINCE THE PUBLICATION of the first volume of my memoirs, I have found myself the subject of more notoriety than I had ever known or..." (more)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Random House (Mar 16 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375508554
ISBN-13: 978-0375508554
Product Dimensions: 23.7 x 17 x 3.4 cm
Shipping Weight: 694 g

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #574,672 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

This sequel to Liss's Edgar Awardwinning A Conspiracy of Paper (2000) brings back ex-pugilist Benjamin Weaver and his 18th-century London environs in all their squalid glory. Benjamin has become a "thieftaker," a sort of bounty hunter/private eye, and is investigating the simple case of a threatening letter when he is caught up in a riot, accused of murder and sentenced to hang. After a gutsy escape, he sets about unraveling the mystery of who framed him and why. Donning the disguise of a wealthy coffee planter from Jamaica, Benjamin infiltrates the upper classes, where he encounters a plot centering on a hotly contested House of Commons election. There is much explanation (perhaps too much) of the history and philosophies of the Whig, Tory and Jacobite parties, but this is nicely balanced with Benjamin's forays into London's underbelly, where he has his way with the ladies and dodges dangerous louts looking to kill him. The real fun is the re-creation of the streets of London ("He fell into the alley's filth-the kennel of emptied chamber pots, bits of dead dogs gnawed on by hungry rats, apple cores and oyster shells") and the colorful denizens thereof. Many hours are spent in innumerable coffeehouses, with Benjamin and company imbibing coffee, chocolate, ale, wine and that great destroyer of the poor, rotgut gin, and employing such useful swear words as "shitten stick," "arse pot" and "bum firking." Mystery and mainstream readers with a taste for gritty historical fiction will relish Liss's glorious dialogue, lively rogues, fascinating setting and indomitable hero.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

Michael Page's craggy voice and talent for accents and voices bring gusto to this story of an eighteenth-century tough-guy and "thief-taker." Benjamin Weaver is trying to clear himself of a murder conviction during a contentious Whig-Tory-Jacobite political struggle. While Page occasionally loses the differentiation between two characters in his narration, the problems with the story itself are not his fault. The period setting is marred by verbal anachronisms, the imposition of a twentieth-century paradigm (the loner investigator) remains unconvincing, and the overcomplicated story, at times abruptly abridged, never strikes fire. Introductory musical cues are pleasantly perfunctory; very frequent tracking (every 45 to 60 seconds) is useful and convenient, as long as one doesn't have to manually forward to a track midway through the disc. W.M. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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SINCE THE PUBLICATION of the first volume of my memoirs, I have found myself the subject of more notoriety than I had ever known or might have anticipated. Read the first page

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	61% buy the item featured on this page: A Spectacle of Corruption: A Novel 4.0 out of 5 stars (6)
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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4.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Great Commentary on 18th Century English Politics, Aug 4 2008

By	Liz (North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Spectacle of Corruption: A Novel (Paperback)

For those of us who love a story with an historical setting, this is a wonderfully informative book. Set in the turbulence of 18th century England shortly after the burst of the South Sea Company bubble, Liss's flawed hero, Benjamin Weaver, gives us a glimpse into the political scene of the day. Weaver, having escaped the horrors of Newgate Prison after being sentenced to death for a murder he never committed, lands himself in one dangerous situation after another trying to vindicate his name and prove his innocence.

This is the second book Mr. Liss has written about the escapades of Weaver, a thieftaker in London under the reign of the Hanoverian King George I. The author brilliantly shows the sights and sounds of the seamy streets and tawdry taverns of the cities' east side where groups of ruffians roam the streets and death comes easily to the uninitiated. He also shows that prejudice against certain ethnic groups is nothing new in our century.

After all the twists and turns, I felt the ending was a little lame but perhaps the author left an opening for another sequel and I would certainly be interested in reading more about the roguish Mr. Weaver. Comment | Permalink

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4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read, great leading character, Nov 22 2006

By	Rob Nicol (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Spectacle of Corruption: A Novel (Paperback)

This is another excellent work of historical fiction by David Liss. A very entertaining and engaging read. Benjamin Weaver is a mischevious character and wonderful narrator. This book features an interesting political angle, as it is set during a closely fought election between Tories and Whigs. As with "A Conspiracy of Paper", London's mansions and mean streets are both vividly portrayed. Liss's climaxes tend not to be terribly shocking, but they are credible and bring a satisfying end to an interesting plot. If you like historical fiction, you can't do much better than Liss.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining novel, Jul 12 2004

By	Mike Stanley "Boy Wonder" (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

About 3 or 4 times a year I am able to find a novel that has me captivated and actually looking forward to retiring for the evening, when I may lay in my bed and sup Pellegrino whislt returning to the novel that has captured my attention.....

Okay, enough of that nonsense.... this book is really very good. I was a bit lazy while reading A Conspiracy of Paper so I don't remember all the details, but I'm able to pick back up 4 years later quite nicely. Benjamin Weaver is a good protagonist, and Liss spins a great and intelligent tale.

Liss as an author reminds me of Ken Follett. And I mean that as a sincere compliment. The "Pillars of the Earth" Ken Follett. The best of Ken Follett.

As far as Liss' three major novels go, I'd rank them thusly...

1. Coffee Trader - my favorite book of his
2. A Spectacle of Corruption - Ben Weaver is better this time round
3. A Conspiracy of Paper - Partly my fault but I just couldn't get into it as much as others.

Bottom line, this book is well worth your time, you'll really enjoy it!

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An riveting historical mystery
David Liss, author of the Edgar award winning, A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER, has once again penned a compelling yet authentic mystery that takes place in 18th century London. Read more

Published on Jun 24 2004 by Larry Gandle

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as his Conspiracy of Paper
Don't get me wrong -- this is a very good book -- better than 95 percent of what's published as popular fiction. Read more

Published on Jun 23 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars 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. Read more

Published on April 3 2004 by Bookreporter.com