Synopses & Reviews
THE HISTORICAL THRILLER OF THE YEAR
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. In Benjamin Weaver, author David Liss has created an irresistibly appealing protagonist, one who parlays his knowledge of the emerging stock market into a new kind of detective work.
Review
Praise for
Anatomy of Murder:
“Memorable prose, strong and unusual leads, a sophisticated plot with several unexpected turns, and an accurate portrayal of the period all make this a winner.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“A labyrinthine mystery in the heart of a teeming London, involving fashionable castrati, espionage and bodies in the Thames. We are immersed in Harriet’s London, and the city is evoked with a Dickensian exuberance… In the overcrowded field of historical fiction, Robertson has the smarts comfortably to outpace most of her rivals.”—Independent
“I guarantee that once you have read this you will be eager to read the first - and keenly awaiting the third.”—Daily Mail
“This series, launched after Robertson won a Telegraph writing competition, continues to excel.”—Daily Telegraph
Review
Praise for
Island of Bones, coming in hardcover on October 11, 2012, from Pamela Dorman Books/Viking
“[An] audacious mix of cultural gloss and uncomplicated, straight-ahead storytelling. The multi-layered nuance of Peter Ackroyd and the buttonholing narrative grasp of Stephen King are stirred into the mix.”
—Independent
"A new Imogen Robertson book is fast becoming something of an event. ...this follow-up does not disappoint. As ever, the characters are enticing and the plot absorbing. If you've not read the previous books, do not despair--they each stand alone. But if you have time on your hands, now is your chance to catch up."
—The Daily Mail
Review
Praise for
Instruments of Darkness:“A sensitive melodrama.... Robertson’s enjoyment of the period and her characters is infectious.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)
“A thoroughly engaging novel, with rich prose and an intricate, suspenseful plot, with melodramatic, Gothic touches in perfect keeping with the historical period. Robertson has already written another Westerman/Crowther mystery… let us hope for many more.”—Associated Press
“Every so often I encounter a book that makes me think with envy: ‘How I wish I could have written this story!’ Instruments of Darknessis just that book—poetic, enchanting, and chillingly memorable. Imogen Robertson is an exquisite writer, and this is an extraordinary novel.”—Tess Gerritsen, author of Keeping the Dead
“Mayhem runs amok in this period thriller. [Robertson] pulls out all the stops… a roaring soap opera of a novel.”—The Washington Times
“Impressive… A ripping homage to Dickens, Austen and Conan Doyle, Instruments of Darkness will keep you up at night, and then, like me, waiting for the sequel.”—Seattle Times
“The book works splendidly as a period thriller, with complicated leads and informative details that illuminate 18th-century England for modern readers.”—Publishers Weekly
“This debut is getting some play and should well serve lovers of historical suspense.” —Library Journal
Review
Praise for Anatomy of Murder: “Memorable prose, strong and unusual leads, a sophisticated plot with several unexpected turns, and an accurate portrayal of the period all make this a winner.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“A labyrinthine mystery in the heart of a teeming London, involving fashionable castrati, espionage and bodies in the Thames. We are immersed in Harriet’s London, and the city is evoked with a Dickensian exuberance… In the overcrowded field of historical fiction, Robertson has the smarts comfortably to outpace most of her rivals.”
—The Independent (UK)
Review
“I guarantee that once you have read this you will be eager to read the first - and keenly awaiting the third.”
—Daily Mail (UK)
Review
“This series, launched after Robertson won a Telegraph writing competition, continues to excel.”
—Daily Telegraph (UK)
Review
Praise for Island of Bones, coming in hardcover on October 11, 2012, from Pamela Dorman Books/Viking “[An] audacious mix of cultural gloss and uncomplicated, straight-ahead storytelling. The multi-layered nuance of Peter Ackroyd and the buttonholing narrative grasp of Stephen King are stirred into the mix.”
—The Independent (UK)
Review
"A new Imogen Robertson book is fast becoming something of an event. ...this follow-up does not disappoint. As ever, the characters are enticing and the plot absorbing. If you've not read the previous books, do not despair--they each stand alone. But if you have time on your hands, now is your chance to catch up."
—Daily Mail (UK)
Review
Praise for Instruments of Darkness: “A sensitive melodrama.... Robertson’s enjoyment of the period and her characters is infectious.” —The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)
Review
“A thoroughly engaging novel, with rich prose and an intricate, suspenseful plot, with melodramatic, Gothic touches in perfect keeping with the historical period. Robertson has already written another Westerman/Crowther mystery… let us hope for many more.”
—Associated Press
Review
“Every so often I encounter a book that makes me think with envy: ‘How I wish I could have written this story!’
Instruments of Darkness is just that book—poetic, enchanting, and chillingly memorable. Imogen Robertson is an exquisite writer, and this is an extraordinary novel.”
—Tess Gerritsen, author of Keeping the Dead
Review
“Mayhem runs amok in this period thriller. [Robertson] pulls out all the stops… a roaring soap opera of a novel.”
—The Washington Times
Review
“Impressive… A ripping homage to Dickens, Austen and Conan Doyle, Instruments of Darkness will keep you up at night, and then, like me, waiting for the sequel.”
—Seattle Times
Review
“The book works splendidly as a period thriller, with complicated leads and informative details that illuminate 18th-century England for modern readers.”
—Publishers Weekly
Review
“This debut is getting some play and should well serve lovers of historical suspense.”
—Library Journal
Synopsis
London, 1781. Harriet Westerman anxiously awaits news of her husband, a ship’s captain who has been gravely injured in the king’s naval battles with France. As London’s streets seethe with rumor, a body is dragged from the murky waters of the Thames.
Having gained a measure of fame as amateur detectives for unraveling the mysteries of Thornleigh Hall, the indomitable Mrs. Westerman and her reclusive sidekick, anatomist Gabriel Crowther, are once again called on to investigate. In this intricate novel, Harriet and Crowther will discover that this is no ordinary drowning—the victim is part of a plot to betray England’s most precious secrets.
About the Author
David Liss was born in 1966 and grew up in south Florida. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the department of English at Columbia University, where he is completing his dissertation on how the mid-eighteenth-century novel reflects and shapes the emergence of the modern idea of personal finance. He has given numerous conference papers on his research and has also published on Henry James. He has received several awards for his work, including the Columbia President's Fellowship, an A. W. Mellon Research Fellowship, and the Whiting Dissertation Fellowship. He holds an M.A. degree from Georgia State University and a B.S. degree from Syracuse University. Liss lives in New York City with his wife and can be reached via his website, www.davidliss.com.