ORGASME~MADE IN FRANCE

In his first novel, Robert H. Miller draws on his experience in the fashion and fragrance industries to produce a cast of richly developed characters, and then weaves them in an intricate plot of intrigue, blackmail, and murder.

Miller’s explosive thriller begins with the creation of Orgasme, the first perfume by Jean-Pierre Armand, who bursts to the forefront of the world’s leading fashion designers under the tutelage of Philippe Chaudée, his lover and cunning, driven business manager. Propelled by Bryan Thomas, President of Aberdeen, Ltd., its manufacturer, Orgasme becomes a huge success in Europe and, later, the United States.

With U.S. customers clamoring for more product than is available, Joe Regalia, a small time player in the import-export business, approaches his boyhood friends, Tony Marino—now head of the largest crime family in New York—and Sam Risen—outwardly a respectable attorney, but secretly, Tony’s silent partner—seeking financing to import Orgasme from France and distribute it through the gray market in the United States.

But Sam sees a way to use the gray market to launder the Organization’s illicit income, and forces Joe to manage the new venture, though allowing him to share only the gray market profits. Motivated by greed and envy, and unbeknownst to his partners, Joe decides to also sell counterfeit Orgasme.

Leading the fight against the gray market and counterfeiting, Bryan attracts the wrath of Sam, who is concerned about the publicity affecting the Organization’s money laundering operation.

Meanwhile, seething with life long resentment believing he is the real genius behind Jean-Pierre’s success, Philippe is secretly moving ahead with plans to establish a new fashion house under his own name to sponsor young aspiring designers—with or without Jean-Pierre’s concurrence.

Paris, New York, Washington, and Zurich provide the principal backdrops for this complex unfolding drama in which backstabbing and murder are always in fashion.

As a young boy, I was always absorbed in books abouthistory--particularly that of the United States--and geography, yetstill managed a healthy appetite of sports and a weekly outing to themovies. Later, I developed a great fondness for musical theater, at onepoint picturing it as a future career choice. But alas, as I grew olderand realized I was not that talented, I became more serious about thefuture.
Fortunately, I wound up in a creative segment of the business world, which provided me the opportunity to travel the globe,stimulated my interest in world history and opened avenues intoentertainment and politics. I found a home in the fashion industry andserved as President of Charles of the Ritz Group, Ltd., then a whollyowned subsidiary of Squibb Corporation, where I also served on its Board of Directors. Here, I was deeply involved with well-known fashiondesigners, Yves Saint Laurent and Gianni Versace; Hollywood stars, Linda Evans and John Forsythe; and because of the success of the perfume,Opium, wound up in Washington meeting with senators, representatives and administration officials to obtain relief from gray market goodsflooding the United States in the early 1980's.
After my retirement, I wrote two novels based on my many years of experience in the fashionindustry, and continually pursued my interest in history. Following ashort break to write a non-fiction book on the relationship of taxes and jobs, I spent much of my time these past several years studying thebiblical account of the rise of Christianity from the varying narratives of religion, history and archaeology. The results of that research were a source of information and inspiration for my wife, Leslie SchweitzerMiller, in writing her first novel, DISCOVERY.
Now my interest is inpublic policy on issues that affect the United States such ashealthcare, taxes, job creation and foreign affairs, about which I willbe commenting periodically (see rhmiller.com).