Harold Robbins (1916–1997) is one of the best-selling American fiction writers of all time, ranking 5th on the World’s Best-Selling Fiction Author List just behind William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. He wrote over 25 best-selling novels, sold more than 750 million copies in 42 languages and spent over 300 weeks combined on The New York Times best sellers list. His books were adapted into 13 commercially successful films and also television series that garnered numerous Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Primetime Emmy® nominations starring Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and more.
The self-proclaimed "world’s best writer in plain English," Robbins wrote novels that resonated with audiences due to their graphic depictions of sex, violence, power and drugs, and the multilayered complexities of his characters, as evidenced by his best-selling novels Never Love a Stranger, The Carpetbaggers, Where Love Has Gone, and The Adventurers. He once said in an interview: "People make their own choices every day about what they are willing to do. We don’t have the right to judge them or label them. At least walk in their shoes before you do."
Robbins’ personal life was as fascinating to the public as his novels. An enthusiastic participant in the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, Robbins cultivated a "playboy" image and maintained friendships with stars including Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dino De Laurentiis, Robert Evans, Ringo Starr, Barbara Eden, Lena Horne and Quincy Jones, and was one of the first novelists to be prominently featured in gossip magazines, earning him the title of "The World’s First Rock Star Author."
From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a story of a tragic love triangle between Marja Fluudjincki (aka Maryann Flood), an ambitious and sensual young woman from the slums who is forced into prostitution, but reinvents herself as an elegant Park Avenue madam; Mike Keyes, a hardworking, honest man who works his way up to Assistant District Attorney and is the only man Marja ever loved; and Ross Drego, who introduces her to money and the gambler’s world of Joker Martin, and is willing to pay any price for her. And does.
79 Park Avenue starts on the seedy streets of inner NYC and ends on luxurious Park Avenue. Over time, Marja claws her way from street urchin to stripper—ultimately becoming the madam of a Mob-owned pleasure empire. Marja—now known as Maryann—provides access to the city’s most exciting and sensual "escorts." But when Maryann runs afoul of the law, endangering her empire and angering the Mob, she must face an ambitious prosecutor who stands to benefit by bringing down the call girl ring. However, unbeknownst to the indefatigable ADA Mike Keyes, fate has dealt him a devastating blow. The madam he’s been chasing, Maryann Flood, is none other than the love of his life who has repeatedly broken his heart, Marja Fluudjincki.
Does he set aside his personal feelings for the sake of justice, or fall under Maryann’s seductive spell, betraying his life’s work? Knowing that Maryann is unafraid to use seduction to get what she wants, will Mike fall prey to her charm and violate his solid sense of justice?
Harold Robbins presents a vision of post-WWII New York that is as common now in shows like Revenge as it was then—a stark reminder that corruption, greed, and vengeance are timeless. Spending 12 weeks on The New York Times best sellers list, this novel tells a sizzling story of sexuality, power, and lust that inspired the 1977 Golden Globe®-winning miniseries of the same name.
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Carpetbaggers comes a novel of passion, intrigue, power, and money. With 11 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, The Dream Merchants provides a fascinating look at the early days of the world’s most glamorous industry—Hollywood. It was the latest "gold rush"—when ambitious, if unscrupulous, men and women flooded California to turn cinematic dreams into reality, regardless of the moral cost.
Johnny Edge, a former carnival barker, schemes and plots his way to the top while Peter Kessler turns his back on a staid life of small-town stability to stake his fortune on the movie business. Beautiful starlet Dulcie Warren is willing to use her sexuality and to play dirty to get to the top, if that’s what it takes. When the lives of these three ambitious, determined characters collide, they have the potential to build a dream—or shatter one.
"He is still recognizable as the playboy-novelist who—spurning nice reviews and a different kind of reputation—happily wrote about money for money, and about sex for sex." —The New Yorker
