The Coffee Trader • david liss
ACID-FREE PAPER IS the good stuff. The paper stays brighter. At first, I thought my eyes were exaggerating problems associated with old, musty paperback books. After reading the manufacturer’s warning, I’ve begun to treat my eyes to better-quality printed goods.
A very nice spring day last week found me on an evening walk through a small grove of cedars, up to the front door of my favorite municipal library. A list was consulted and a selection made. Approaching checkout, an obligatory scan was made of $2 choices on the surplus books cart
A library-quality David Liss novel produced jaw-dropping surprise. Hardback, nice paper, the perfect gift to a buddy. What’s so special about David Liss? Historical fiction and thrillers wonderfully combined.
I was lent The Whiskey Rebels on CD a couple of years ago, a thriller of historical fiction. After several attempts to get past the first disc, I became hooked with a complex plot closely woven among Alexander Hamilton’s attempts to fund the fledgling Bank Of The United States, a muddy frontier hamlet called Pittsburgh, a discarded spy of General Washington, and the routine of colonial life. I’ve since enjoyed several more of David’s novels.
The Coffee Trader I’ve read. This novel takes us to Europe, 1659, and the life of a Portuguese Jew trading in a new product, coffee. The drink called The Devil’s Piss, the subversives who consume, and the schemers and rogues who make up the trading mecca of Amsterdam are all rolled up in this excellent thriller. This copy I’ve just bought will make an excellent gift to a friend who loves history, Judaica, and reading, And coffee.
American Toolbox 