Harold Robbins, the godfather of the airport novel, changed the face of publishing with classics such as The Carpetbaggers , The Dream Merchants and The Lonely Lady . His readers loved his steamy tales of money, soft porn, drugs, corruption, greed and, just sometimes, redemption. The world s first playboy writer, Robbins reportedly frittered away $50 million on fast cars, loose women and high living. But obsessed with fame and fortune, Robbins was a deeply complex and often controversial man, and even his closest friends and lovers could only guess at the past of the man behind the perma-tanned mask and gigantic mirrored sunglasses. This is the fascinating story of his extraordinary life.