The Devil's Company

Benjamin Weaver, Book 3

By: David Liss

Narrated by: Simon Vance

With The Whiskey Rebels, David Liss added to the rapidly growing audience for his extraordinary brand of historical suspense fiction. His unforgettable tale of spies and conspiracies in post-Revolutionary War America was a "gripping, visceral adventure," according to New York Times best-selling author Matthew Pearl. Now Liss delivers another riveting historical suspense tale - this one set in 1700s London.

When Benjamin Weaver is blackmailed into stealing documents from the ruthless British East India Company, he soon discovers the theft of trade secrets is only the first move in a daring conspiracy within the 18th century's most powerful corporation. To save his friends and family, Weaver must infiltrate the company, navigate its warring factions, and uncover a secret plot of corporate rivals, foreign spies, and government operatives. With the security of the nation in the balance, Weaver will find himself in a labyrinth of hidden agendas, daring enemies, and unexpected allies.

With explosive action and scrupulous period research, The Devil's Company depicts the birth of the modern corporation, and is Liss's most impressive achievement yet.

©2009 David Liss (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Simon Vance made this work

Not horrible, not great.

Formulaic, beautiful spy, foppish friend, father figure, tough everyday righteous guy... You get the picture.

I had problems with the too numerous seemingly unneeded twists and turns, surprise for the sake of surprise if that makes any sense.

I was entertained if not engaged, Vance made that possible. His narration was outstanding!

Capitalistic Intrigue

Although this mystery is set in the 18th century, modern readers may find the specter of business corruption and intrigue disturbingly familiar. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns and brings to life an historical era, the events of which have had lasting impact on the formation of the American colonies and their subsequent development. A fascinating read.

Great intertwined plot

Terrific book. Narration also quite good. Love David Liss. Great storyteller and I look forward to more of his work.

Worth your time and money

While this wasn't my favorite book of all time, it definitely was a good read. I love a complicated plot and descriptions and while the plot was quite complicated, I thought too many of the plot twists were underdeveloped and just thrown in an attempt to appear more sophisticated. I really didn't care what happened to the main character by the end of the book. I cared more about his family and associates. The romance was completely unbelievable and a distraction from the story. There are so few good books out there, though that this one comes close enough to warrant the time and expense. I thought the narrator did a good job.

A perfect historical fiction thriller

This is a work that contains well-developed and believable characters, fast-paced intrigue, and fascinating economic history involving the British East India Company in the eighteenth century. The portrait of London in the early years of unbridled, no-holds-barred capitalism and debtor's prisons is as bracing as it is entertaining. The narration by Simon Vance is superb and adds to both the understanding of the narrative and the enjoyments of the tale as he rotates between proper English, cockney, and a variety of accents. Strongly recommended for those that like this sort of yarn.