Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

By the 1860s, the Pilasters are one of the world's greatest banking families, with connections that reach from the City of London to far-afield colonies. However, as the family grow ever richer in the shadow of oppression and tragedy, their very future is threatened - by the self-same ambition and greed that first earned them their fortune. 'A full-blooded melodrama, complete with moustache-twirling villains, saintly heroes, wronged women, and a lot of plot' Irish Times 'Banks, brothels, and a high body count ...it's all there' Financial Times 'A compulsively readable, enjoyable thriller-cum-saga' Sunday Times