David Liss won the Edgar prize in 2000 with The Conspiracy of
Paper, a dazzling tale of high finance and skulduggery in
18th-century London. In this second novel he continues the theme,
with a story centred around the developing 17th-century Dutch stock
exchange, where vast fortunes can be lost and won. The central
commodity this time is the new luxury drink coffee, seen through
the eyes of those who have much to gain by its success or failure.
The events unfold from three perspectives - Miguel, the coffee
trader determined to corner the market, Hannah, his brother's
enigmatic wife, and Alferonda, who can manipulate them all.
Fundamentally this novel looks at secrets - keeping them, breaking
them and living under their weight, and the fog of concealment and
betrayal, whether real or perceived, permeates the entire plot.
There are twists and turns aplenty as the plot thickens, and Liss
demonstrates razor-sharp timing, taking us by surprise again and
again. The rough taverns, foul-smelling streets and dank cellars of
Amsterdam at the height of her golden age are evocatively
described, and although at times the writing loses momentum, the
well-crafted plot keeps our attention as it moves with renewed pace
towards an unexpected conclusion. (Kirkus UK)
Amsterdam in the 1690s - a boom town with Europe's biggest stock exchange and traders who will stop at nothing to get even richer.
Lienzo, a Portugese Jew, stumbles across a new commodity - coffee - which, if he plays his cards right, will make him the richest man in Holland. But others stand in his way - rival traders who do all in their power to confuse the exchange and scupper his plans, his brother who is jealous of his financial wizardry and even his brother's beautiful wife who both tempts and spurns him in equal measure.
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