Long as it was, this was a uniformly satisfying read--a deeply imagined historial novel that is also a mystery that teaches you something about the roots of modern finance. I'd read two of Liss's other novels before this one, which was his debut, but I actually thought this one was was the best.

Liss's 1720 London is a colorful environment. I think the description stands out in part because so many historical novels are written about women or in the voice of women; the settings are mostly in homes, palaces, private gardens, and so forth. The protagonist of this novel, Benjamin Weaver, is a rough-edged man of moderate means who spends his time in taverns, dodgy inns, public gathering places, and the dark, threatening streets. I can't think of any recent novel that gives as rich a picture of an early modern city as this one does. Weaver's voice, too, captures the style of the period, but without being impenetrable.

The novel has an erudite side that contrasts with all the gritty detail--Weaver's adventure deals with the burgeoning and completely unregulated stock market of the day. Weaver, a former boxer and highwayman, makes a living (of sorts) by helping people collect debts, locate enemies, and other odd, disreputable jobs. The world of finance is new to him--a world he's avoided after a falling out with his father, a Jewish "stock-jobber." He is forced to learn how the stock market works, how banks strategize, and how to recognize forms of villainy that are completely unfamiliar to him. The mystery Weaver solves pulls together his competing backgrounds, the closed milieu of respectable bankers and Jewish merchants and the violent underworld of thieves and prostitutes. The result is an entertaining panorama of London paired with an engrossing story.