Not so Bad after all

First published in 1897 by Routledge, and later reissued in the Modern Library series.

Guy Selby has inherited a vast fortune and a Shropshire estate together with racing stables and stud farm. However when the story opens he has fallen in with a set of gamblers, led by his unscrupulous stable manager, and is rapidly wasting his fortune through gambling and unwise stock speculation. He marries a widow with a bad reputation and a secret that she does not confide to her new husband. This leads to a string of disastrous events, matched by heavy losses on the race course. A dramatic climax puts her life in peril, and her husband is distraught when he learns part of her secret. Eventually, with the help of family and true friends, Guy and his wife are happily reconciled. They prove to be "not so bad after all", as do several other key players in the drama.

An excellent tale, grippingly told at a cracking pace. Not a single character nor scene is irrelevant to the convincing and satisfying plot.

One of Nat Gould's very best! (TA)