A dangerous fortune by Ken Follett

The Victorian era saw the birth and fall of banks, mostly family business.

This is the story of the Pilasters, at the end of the 19th century.

Badies and goodies fight all along the book. Among the badies, two horrible characters : Augusta, a manipulating woman, decided to lead the family and push forward her son, Edward. And Edward's friend, Micky, who comes from Cordova, a south American country, who is afraid of his father, who rules half the country with cruel methods.

The hero, Hugh, is the poor branch of the family, but the gifted one, and he's the one who's going to save the bank at the end.

It all starts with the death of a pupil in a private school where all the main characters where students. Was it an accident or a murder? It's only at the end of the book that we learn the truth.

Plenty of interesting characters, especially among women, and a chain of murders make this book a sort of historic thriller.

Brilliant, as usual with Ken Follett!