A Spectacle of Corruption (Benjamin Weaver) [Abridged][Audiobook] (Audio Cassette)

~ David Liss (Author), Michael Page (Reader)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I sentence you, Mr. Weaver, to be hanged for the most horrible crime of murder." Hearing that judicial decree, Benjamin Weaver--former pugilist, current "thief-taker," and future master of disguise--begins one of the sorriest days of his life. And things will only get worse, as David Liss reveals in A Spectacle of Corruption, his exuberant novel of 18th-century political chicanery. Tossed into London’s notorious Newgate Prison, Weaver employs his considerable energy and guile (plus tools slipped to him by a mysterious admirer at his trial) to escape--naked--into the city's filthy streets. But then, he risks recapture by trying to figure out who framed him for slaying labor agitator Walter Yate, and why.

How all of this trouble derived from Weaver's pursuit of the culprit behind a priest’s recent spate of hate mail propels the balance of this yarn--the sequel to Liss's Edgar Award-winning debut novel, A Conspiracy of Paper. It also pushes the Jewish "ruffian-for-hire" into the jeopardous midst of a British power struggle that pits supporters of King George I against the Jacobites, who favor the return of his dethroned Catholic rival, James II. Assisted by his puckish surgeon friend Elias Gordon, Weaver assumes the role of a prosperous plantation owner from Jamaica and penetrates the upper echelons of 1722 London society, hoping to gather information he can use against Dennis Dogmill, a "vicious and unpredictable" tobacco man who may actually have ordained Yate's killing. As Weaver ranges through London's fetid pubs and fancy theaters, and attracts the amorous attention of Dogmill's surprisingly shrewd sister, he also finds himself in the uncomfortable position of backing Griffin Melbury, a Tory candidate for the House of Commons--and the man who stole away his beloved Miriam Lienzo.

Liss has a keen eye for entertaining details of Georgian life, from that period’s exotic diction ("The men in your gang are nothing but cutpurses and mollies and buggerantos") to its most reprehensible pastimes, including "goose pulling"--about which the less said, the better. And though some readers may bog down in the explained distinctions between Whigs and Tories, the author finds considerable humor in that political rivalry and the parties' get-out-the-vote efforts. Once you accept the rather dubious notion that fugitive Weaver could hide in plain sight, A Spectacle of Corruption can be appreciated as the lusty thriller Liss clearly intended it to be. --J. Kingston Pierce --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio Paperback Audiobooks; Abridged edition (March 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593556594
• ISBN-13: 978-1593556594
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,921,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David Liss and Benjamin Weaver make a great team, April 3, 2004

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

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

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 murder of Walter Yate by simple and basic methods: thought, hard work and logic. Along the way, the reader is provided with a portrait of 18th century England that is educational and informative. In addition, a great detective shows once again that top notch sleuthing knows no historical limitations.

David Liss and Benjamin Weaver make a great team. We know they will be back --- and we can hardly wait.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "We Know no Spectacle so Ridiculous as the British Public, February 8, 2005

By	Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Here, there and everywhere) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

in one of its periodical fits of morality." Lord Macaulay.

For England the year 1722 was not one in which the public engaged in a fit of morality. No, 1722 was a year filled with plots to overthrow the Hanoverian King George in order to restore the Stuarts to the throne. It was a year in which the panic caused by the collapse of the South Sea Bubble came to a head. It was, finally, a year in which a general election was held in which the Tories, thought to be sympathetic to the Stuarts, did battle with the Whigs, sympathetic to King George. Many thought a Tory victory would lead to a restoration of the Stuarts. Much was at stake. 1722 was a year of spectacles but it was a year in which an exceedingly dirty and violent election campaign turned the year into a spectacle not of morality but of corruption.

David Liss tosses Benjamin Weaver, the protagonist of his well-received Conspiracy of Paper, into the middle of this political maelstrom. Weaver is a retired boxing champion and well known throughout London. However, he is Jewish, and as such his boxing fame cannot provide him with an entry point in English life generally. He is not permitted the right to vote and he would not be welcomed into most clubs or at most social functions. He works as a thieftaker (he finds stolen property and returns it to its owner for a fee) and a private investigator of sorts.

Weaver is hired to find out who has been sending threatening letters to an Anglican priest who has been speaking out on behalf of oppressed dock workers. Almost immediately upon commencing his investigation Weavers is arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a dockworker. It is a murder Weaver did not commit. It is clear from the start of the trial that the fix is in but as he is carried off to Newgate prison to await execution a mysterious woman slips Weaver the tools from which he manages to escape. A wanted man, Weaver assumes a new identity while trying desperately to unravel the events that triggered his being framed for murder.

It seems that Weaver's investigation on behalf of the priest has placed him in the crosshairs of both the Whigs and the Tories in the middle of the 1722 election campaign. Nothing is as it seems. Weaver cannot vote and does not therefore have an interest in politics. This makes it even harder for him to analyze his situation. His old adversary and fellow thieftaker Jonathan Wild plays a major role yet Weaver cannot understand why Wild might actually reach out to help him in his endeavors. The love of his life, Miriam, also plays a major role. She has, since Conspiracy of Paper, married a British aristocrat and converted to Christianity. Her husband is running for parliament. He may be a friend and ally but Weaver cannot be sure.

Spectacle of Corruption made for a very enjoyable read. It is difficult for anyone writing historical or political fiction to provide enough background material so that any reader can enjoy the full flavor of the book. Liss does an excellent job of setting the table without turning the novel into a text book. There may be parts where the complexities of the political system take a while to explain. However, those explanations help the reader actually understand what Weaver is up against. More importantly, Liss keeps the story line going and does a good job keeping the excitement level up, even when the pace slows down a bit. I think Liss has done a decent job fleshing out the personalities of his principal characters. There seems to be more depth to the characters than existed in Conspiracy of Paper. This bodes well for an eventual third volume.

All in all a book worth reading.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining and educational, March 31, 2005

By	D.K.V. "faithfulheretic" (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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

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.