Friday, the Thirteenth: A Novel

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Gutenberg ID

12345

Title

Friday, the Thirteenth: A Novel

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this gripping financial thriller, a Wall Street banker confronts the terrifying reality of market manipulation during a catastrophic panic. As a rogue trader unleashes chaos, a desperate scheme to save a ruined Virginia family spirals into tragedy. Lawson's narrative blends high-stakes finance with Southern honor, exposing the ruthless 'dirty dollar' system and its devastating human cost.

Summary up to 500 words

Thomas W. Lawson's *Friday, the Thirteenth* plunges readers into the high-pressure world of early 20th-century Wall Street through the eyes of Jim Randolph, the head of the prestigious firm Randolph & Randolph. The narrative begins on a fateful Friday, the 13th, when Randolph's junior partner, Bob Brownley, triggers a massive market panic. Driven by a sudden moral crisis after meeting Beulah Sands, the daughter of a ruined Virginia judge, Bob attempts to use his insider knowledge to turn a small fortune into millions to save her family. This desperate gamble forces Bob and Beulah into the very market chaos he helped create. The story explores the intense tension between old-fashioned Southern honor and the ruthless, amoral 'System' of frenzied finance. Bob, a man of romantic Southern pride, becomes increasingly disillusioned with the 'Dirty Dollar' culture of the stock exchange. He is inspired by Beulah's tragic situation and her father's ruin at the hands of ruthless speculators like Reinhart. Convinced that only a desperate, high-stakes gamble can restore the Sands family fortune, Bob decides to execute a massive sell-off on the 13th, intending to manipulate the market to create a buying opportunity for Beulah's capital. As the panic intensifies, the characters' fates become inextricably linked to the volatile stock market. The narrative builds to a harrowing climax where the consequences of financial speculation claim a tragic life. Beulah Sands, having rushed to New York to execute her plan, is found dead in her office, having taken her own life amidst the chaos. Simultaneously, the panic spreads wreck and ruin throughout the civilized world, leading to the suicide of the wealthy Thomas Reinhart. Lawson uses the specific date of the title to underscore the superstition and inevitability of disaster that haunts the characters. The novel serves as a searing indictment of a society obsessed with profit over humanity, illustrating how the 'System' consumes even those who attempt to operate within its rules. Through the tragic deaths of Beulah and Reinhart, and the psychological devastation of Bob, Lawson exposes the moral decay inherent in a financial culture that prioritizes wealth above all else, leaving the reader to ponder the devastating cost of unchecked speculation.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Fiction
• Finance