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."
"Robbins’ characters are compelling, his dialogue is dramatic, and his style is simple and straightforward." —The LA Times
In a raging sandstorm, two men with their pregnant wives fatefully meet in the desert: Samir Al Fay, a Muslim doctor whose son will be named heir to the Prince of Beirut; and Isaiah Ben Ezra, a grizzled Jewish militant Zionist heading to the Promised Land. The women give birth—Samir’s unconscious wife delivers a stillborn girl, Ben Ezra’s wife dies delivering a healthy boy. Transcending their differences, Ben Ezra gives his son to Samir. Only these two men know the truth of the boy’s origin, and Samir vows to raise him as his true son—naming him Badyr.
Years later, Badyr—now known as "The Pirate"—has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful Arabic entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Educated in the West, Badyr is more western than Arabic—but remains grounded in his perceived heritage and distrustful of Jews. The Pirate is seemingly invincible, and with his looks, charm, and unending supply of money, no woman can resist him. But two women have power over his fate: one a long-lost love, another obsessed with the search for her missing father.
However, it’s not just Badyr’s heart at risk. A web of political intrigue, corruption and terrorism threatens the business empire he worked to build, and he is drawn into a shadowy world of decadence, passion, and betrayal. Soon Badyr must decide whom he can trust, risking his life, family and fortune in that decision—and finds allies in the most unlikely of places, shocked by the reality he discovers.
From the author of The New York Times #1 best-seller The Carpetbaggers comes a compelling tale of decadence, luxury, greed, and international intrigue set against a backdrop of Middle East oil and global terrorism. The Pirate was later adapted into the star-studded CBS miniseries featuring Anne Archer, Eli Wallach, Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Armand Assante and more.
In The New York Times #1 best-seller The Carpetbaggers, readers were introduced to Jonas Cord, a man who wanted it all—and got it when his father died and the Cord fortune became his. But everything wasn’t enough, and Jonas wanted more…
Now the compelling sequel, The Raiders, continues the electrifying saga of the Cord family. When Jonas makes some regrettable business decisions that attract the wrath of the Las Vegas mob, he flees to Mexico where he reconnects with an old lover and a son he never knew he had. Soon father and son are locked in a deadly struggle for control of the family’s fortune—with much more than money on the line.
In this novel of decadence, betrayal, lust, and unimaginable wealth, Harold Robbins once again proves his power to shock, inspire, and above all else, entertain.
From the author of The New York Times #1 best-selling novel The Carpetbaggers comes a hard-edged look at the seductive, high-stakes and often hypocritical world of religious revivalism and televangelists.
Spellbinder is the story of a genuine and charismatic believer simply known as "Preacher," who returns from the foxholes and horrors of Vietnam with a simple goal: to spread the word of peace, love and charity. He immediately attracts a following as he moves from California communes to small surfing towns. "The Church," as his mobile flock is now known, is a culture that centers as much on sex and drugs as prayers, sacraments and salvation.
Despite a growing following, The Church is bordering on broke. As they reach what is surely the end of the line in Texas, a powerful billionaire witnesses Preacher and likes what he sees. Promising a platform where Preacher can reach millions at once—not dozens—Preacher takes the leap into the new world of mass broadcasting the gospel.
Before long, Preacher becomes one of the most powerful televangelists in the country, making influential friends and building a vast empire as the newest religious superstar. He finds his new success and status as "the" rock star entertainer of big-top religion intoxicating. Deep inside, however, he realizes that he’s become just another "over-the-airwaves" televangelist selling everlasting salvation for an earthly price.
With a burning conscience, he knows that he must make a gut-wrenching decision: preserve his empire to continue to spread the word or make the ultimate sacrifice to expose the hypocrisy that surrounds him.
With five weeks on The New York Times best sellers list, this groundbreaking Harold Robbins novel tackles the culture of televangelism and big-money churches head-on. With a message that is still relevant today with reality TV shows like Preachers of LA, Spellbinder showcases the opulence and narcissism of these supposed men of God.
