A Dangerous Fortune is a novel written by British author Ken Follett in 1993.

The book also features Follett's first female villain, the domineering and unscrupulous Augusta.

The prologue, set in 1866 at high society Windfield School, depicts the day of the accident.

It introduces young college students, the main characters that we find throughout the novel.

We also learn of two deaths, that of Peter Middleton and Tobias Pilaster, Hugh's father.