Table of Contents
Prologue: Lost in the Fog 1
Part 1 Life Before Banier
1 The Founder 9
2 The Heiress and the Consort 26
3 Poor Little Rich Girl 45
Part 2 Banier Enters the Scene
4 Portrait of the Artist 57
5 Such Good Friends 77
6 Dark Roots 95
7 A Generous Man 104
8 The Christmas Visitor 109
9 The Ambitious Monsieur Sarkozy 116
10 The Whistle-blower 122
Part 3 The Bettencourt Affair
11 The Opening Salvo 141
12 Sibling Rivals 159
13 Sarkozy Joins the Fray 164
14 Metzner's End Run 173
Part 4 The Net Spreads Wider
15 The Butler Did It 185
16 Behind Closed Doors 195
17 The Woerth Affair 207
18 Filthy Rich 215
19 Banier's Année Terrible 221
20 The Fixer 228
Part 5 The Endgame
21 Bordeaux 247
22 Hardball 254
23 A President in the Crosshairs 264
24 Banier Strikes Back 271
25 Life and Death 275
26 The Reckoning 280
27 The Eye of the Beholder 298
28 The Wheels of Justice 308
29 Farewell to Paradise? 317
30 The Verdict 323
Epilogue: Adieu, Liliane 331
Cast of Characters 333
Acknowledgments 339
Notes 341