A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

From Barnes & Noble

In this extraordinary novel, master storyteller Ken Follett weaves a breathtaking tale set amid the wealth & decadence of Victorian England. A portrait of a family splintered by lust, bound by a shared legacy & moving toward a perilous climax.

From the Publisher

In 1866, tragedy strikes at the  exclusive Windfield School. A young student drowns  in a mysterious accident involving a small circle  of boys. The drowning and its aftermath initiates a  spiraling circle of treachery that will span three  decades and entwine many loves... From the  exclusive men's club and brothels that cater to every  dark desire of London's upper classes to the dazzling  ballrooms and mahogany-paneled suites of the  manipulators of the world's wealth, Ken Follett  conjures up a stunning array of contrasts. This  breathtaking novel portrays a family splintered by lust,  bound by a shared legacy... men and women swept  toward a perilous climax where greed, fed by the  shocking truth of a boy's death, must be stopped, or  not just one man's dreams, but those of a nation,  will die...

Bill Kent

Like The Pillars of the Earth, Mr. Follett's intricate saga about the construction of a medieval cathedral, A Dangerous Fortune reads more like an exercise in which the author applies the conventions of the plot-driven thriller to the historical novel. He delivers a silly, good-time read that for all its giddy leaps and bounds shows us little about the Victorians and the vital era they inhabited. -- New York Times

Library Journal

A mysterious drowning at a school in England in 1866 enmeshes the lives of several young boys in a web of treachery and greed. Set among late-19th-century British aristocracy, the novel follows Hugh Pilaster and his cousin Edward as they battle for control of various enterprises, including the family bank; Maisie Robinson, the beautiful and willful Jewish immigrant; and Michy Miranda, the smooth and manipulative heir of a brutal South American family. Follett, using the same basic formula that he employs in The Pillars of the Earth (Morrow, 1989), quickly gains the listener's interest in the characters and-by drawing upon personal experience-the world of British banking. Reader Michael Page has an excellent voice, even if he can't immitate South American accents. Recommended for public libraries.-Mark Watson, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale

BookList

Follett's new novel isn't an espionage thriller; it's a historical melodrama with more than a little romance. But the author's fans shouldn't worry; they won't be able to put it down any easier than they could any of those spy sagas. The story is set in late-nineteenth-century Britain and tells of four boys involved in a brutal crime during their days at boarding school. Mickey Miranda, the cruel, slick, flamboyant son of a cold-hearted, hot-headed South American politician, has one overriding ambition: to make his papa respect him. Edward Pilaster, the weak, stupid, and easily led son of a respected banking family, has a taste for good booze and good times. Hugh Pilaster, Edward's cousin, is ambitious and principled, but his father's bankruptcy and suicide have left scars that may never heal. Antonio Silva is a compatriot of Mickey Miranda, but his family is less influential, and Tonio always takes a back seat to the flashier Mickey. Follett's story follows the four as they become adults, with their lives taking, as expected, quite divergent paths. But the four are always linked by the terrible secret they share from their school days, a secret that has the power to destroy them all. While many authors fail miserably when they ignore the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Follett is one of those rare exceptions who seems destined to succeed no matter what he chooses to write about. In this case, an authentic sense of history, a wonderfully complex and fascinating plot, mesmerizing characters, and a thoroughly entertaining story practically guarantee that A Dangerous Fortune will head to the top of the best-seller lists.

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