Harold Robbins - godfather of the airport novel - changed the face of publishing with racy classics like The Carpetbaggers. But as he embraced an international playboy lifestyle he frittered away millions on fast cars, loose women and high living and, a master of the tall tale, he remained a mystery to even his closest friends. Andrew Wilson has written the first biography of a man whose pursuit of fame and fortune reads like a narrative of one of his novels.