In July 2005, Lily Safra claimed that her life had been "stolen" by the book and had her lawyer, Anthony Julius, demand that the publisher should recall the book and destroy unsold copies. Julius' letter indicated that Safra "regarded the book as defamatory". As English defamation law puts the burden of proof on the defendant, Arcadia Books complied, indicating that they were too small a company to fight the looming legal battle. The author, however, denied that she had used Safra's life as a template and claimed that it was based on characters of her own family, including her cousin Blanche, a double murderess. A countersuit ensued with Lady Colin Campbell demanding compensation for lost income. She did not prevail.
