The Wheel O' Fortune

"The Wheel O' Fortune" by Louis Tracy is a novel written during the early 20th century. The story revolves around Richard "Dick" Royson, a young man grappling with unemployment and discontent in London, who unexpectedly finds himself entangled in a series of dramatic events following a chance encounter with a young lady in distress and her companion, Baron von Kerber. At the start of the novel, we find Royson frustrated and disillusioned by the sight of a protest march of unemployed workers that reflects his own precarious situation. After witnessing a chaotic incident involving a runaway carriage and effectively intervening to save a woman named Miss Fenshawe, he is introduced to Baron von Kerber, who offers him a mysterious job aboard a yacht named the "Aphrodite." As Royson grapples with his shifting fortunes and engages in different social spheres, he unwittingly steps into a narrative filled with adventure, intrigue, and an underlying promise of danger connected to the yacht's true purpose. The opening of the book sets the stage for what appears to be a thrilling ride through themes of destiny, identity, and the search for purpose.