The money-spider

"The money-spider" by William Le Queux is a novel written in the early 20th century. It appears to be a fast-moving tale of crime and intrigue that spins a web from Monte Carlo to the Arctic, binding a wealthy fishing magnate, a scrupulous harbour-master, and the harbour-master’s daughter to a mysterious Russian suitor, while two English travellers are drawn into the tangle. Expect themes of manipulation, honor under pressure, and hidden pasts converging toward scandal and danger. The opening of the novel sets a tense bargain at sea: Peter Sundt, a brutal, self-made Norwegian millionaire, coerces his old friend, the honest harbour-master Jorgen Berentsen, into a “confidential” crime, then escorts him to a clandestine meeting in Monte Carlo; moments later, a young Parisienne they’ve noticed at the Casino collapses on the café terrace after drinking poison, and Sundt reels as though struck by fate. The scene shifts to Vardo, a desolate Arctic outpost, where Jorgen’s daughter Thyra—lovely yet isolated—secretly pledges herself to the refined but guarded Russian, Paul Grinevitch, who refuses to disclose a troubling secret. Two English visitors, Dick Jervoise and Dr. Owen Odd, arrive with Captain Martin, are captivated by Thyra, and sense a mystery behind her removal from Christiania, which the captain will not explain. Sundt visits Jorgen in Vardo and tightens his hold; after a sleepless night, the shaken father abruptly consents to Thyra’s immediate marriage but forces her to promise she will ignore any future slander against him. News of Thyra’s engagement rattles Dick, who recognizes the name Paul Grinevitch and reacts with alarm.

The money-spider, by William Le Queux. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #78920.