The author has a tremendous gift for language, not only in a current context but writing in the manner and language common to 17th century London. While it is by no means a "Sherlock Holmes" mystery (although there are parallels in terms of deductive behavior on the part of the lead character, Benjamin Weaver), when reading it I was enjoying the sheer pleasure of the more mannered conversations, the lower class idioms, descriptions of London's seamier neighborhoods, and the interactions of the various characters. It was a definite page-turner both from the plot twists and turns and also from just the sheer enjoyment of an excellent writer and linguist at work. The plot is confusing, but then again it was confusing to Benjamin Weaver as well as he chased many false leads - so no complaints about that. Benjamin is dogged in his pursuit of those behind the murder of his Father, and as other reviewers have noted the answer lies somewhere in the financial world whose primary players are the Bank of England and the South Seas Company. There is really no need to have knowledge of stock trading, although that terminology is used throughout, but there are parallels to current financial markets in terms of how the value of stocks are driven as much by public perception as they are by financial fundamentals. Bottom line it's a great mystery and a great read. I will definitely read more books by this author. Highly recommend