Magnet of Doom Author:Georges Simenon In the 1890s the Congo Basin was opened up to the European. Its wealth in rubber, oils and ebony was exploited by those who were strong enough to rough it in the tropical jungle. The brothers Ferchaux were among the pioneers. In thirty or forty years they amassed a fortune, but their methods were often those of the jungle. Nemesis came upo... more »n them in the shape of a second-class Colonial official, who, to bolster up his own importance, dug up damning incidents from their past and exposed them to the law. Dieudonne Ferchaux begins by fighting back and engages a young down-and-out as his secretary. The story then revolves around these two characters: the ageing giant of commerce, now a hunted man, and the ambitious secretary, who, envying the riches and power of his master, means to step into his shoes.
Translated from the French by Geoffrey Sainsbury.« less