David Liss

A Spectacle of Corruption David Liss

Publisher Marketing: Benjamin Weaver, the quick-witted pugilist turned private investigator, who was first introduced in the Edgar Award-winning novel, THE CONSPIRACY OF PAPER, returns. While inquiring into some threatening notes sent to a Church of England priest, Weaver is arrested for the murder of a dockworker. After his conviction, engineered by a crooked judge who has blatantly instructed the jury to disregard the truth, Weaver escapes from prison, intent upon proving his innocence. Meanwhile, Great Britain is reeling from a financial scandal that has sent the economy into a downward spiral; it is also preparing for a general parliamentary election - an event that happens only every seven years. Not generally someone to get caught up in politics, Benjamin Weaver finds himself caught in the crossfire of election trickery as he attempts to clear his name. The question remains, however: What good is proving his innocence, again, when having done so once only resulted in conviction? Instead, he is determined to work against his enemies and learn their secrets to try to discover why he has been singled out for this prosecution. The most likely engineer of his ruin is Dennis Dogmill, a tobacco importer and the election agent of the Whig candidate for the Westminster Parliamentary seat. Dogmill's opponent, and Weaver's unlikely ally, is Griffin Melbury, the Tory candidate and the husband of his cousin's widow, Miriam, whom Weaver once sought to marry. To discover the truth about the plot against him, Weaver disguises himself as a newly returned West Indian plantation owner. He must integrate himself with London society and political manipulators in order to learn the truth. Review Citations: New York Times 12/12/2004 pg. 30 (EAN 9780375760891, Paperback) Library Journal 10/15/2004 pg. 95 (EAN 9781593556556, Analog Audio Cassette) Library Journal Prepub Alert 11/01/2003 pg. 52 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2004 pg. 9 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Publishers Weekly 01/05/2004 pg. 38 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Library Journal 02/01/2004 pg. 124 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Booklist 03/15/2004 pg. 1271 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Entertainment Weekly 03/26/2004 pg. 78 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Booklist 05/01/2004 pg. 1485 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) New York Times 04/25/2004 pg. 26 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) New York Times 06/06/2004 pg. 28 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Library Journal 11/01/2003 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 572 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/2010 pg. 512 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/2014 pg. 614 (EAN 9780375508554, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Liss, David David Liss is the author of A Spectacle of Corruption, A Conspiracy of Paper (winner of the 2000 Edgar Award for Best First Novel), and The Ethical Assassin. He has a graduate degree in English literature from Columbia University, as well as an M. A. from Georgia State University and a B. S. from Syracuse University. He lives in San Antonio with his wife and daughter. Contributor Bio:  Page, Michael Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since 1984 and has over two hundred titles to his credit. He has won several "AudioFile" Earphones Awards, including for "The War That Killed Achilles" by Caroline Alexander and "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch.