Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empress Bianca | 2008 | Lady Colin Campbell | Buy |
Lady Colin Campbell’s sole novel, Empress Bianca, appeared in 2008 after a complicated publishing history. The book follows Bianca Barrett, an ambitious woman who moves through the upper reaches of international high society, leaving a trail of dead husbands and stolen fortunes behind her. The story blends social satire with crime fiction, drawing on Campbell’s own familiarity with the world of wealth and privilege.
The novel originally faced a defamation claim from heiress Lily Safra, who argued the protagonist was based on her. The publisher recalled the initial edition, and a revised American version was released with changes to seventeen specific details. The controversy only added to public interest in the book.