Diary of a Confessions Queen [Paperback]

Kathy Carmichael (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Confessions writer Amy Crosby has put her life on hold for the last seven years after the disappearance of her husband, Dan. In writing for True Lies Magazine, guilt-ridden Amy takes on the abilities her fictional characters confess to, such as the time she thought she was psychic after researching clairvoyants. With fatalistic acceptance of the craziness in her life, she uses humor to cope; but when the home Dan bought for them is about to be foreclosed, her only answer is his having him declared legally dead and using his life insurance policy. Her home is safe—that is, until she receives a blackmail note. Equal parts mystery and humor, this novel is sure to keep readers guessing—and laughing—until the end.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sprightly humor and eccentric characters invigorate this chick lit cozy from romance writer Carmichael (Hot Flash). Amy Crosby, a struggling true confessions author, is about to have her husband, Dan, who disappeared from Independence, Kans., seven years earlier, declared legally dead when she receives a blackmail note. The blackmailer, who claims Dan is alive, wants $2,000 or else. Amy's refusal to comply leads to further threats, break-ins, and vandalism, including the destruction of her deceased grandmother's teacup collection. Amy accepts help from, among others, Det. Brad Tyler, a cop who worked on Dan's missing persons case, and Jerome Keller, a friend of Dan's she's been kinda sorta dating. When Jerome's found floating in the local river, dead from blunt force trauma, Amy becomes the prime suspect in his murder. The action builds to a shocking finale, though the killer's identity strains credulity. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* It’s been seven years since wisecracking confessions writer Amy Crosby’s husband, Dan, disappeared, and now, she’s about to lose her house. Amy’s only way out is to have Dan declared legally dead so that she can collect his life insurance. But someone doesn’t want her to do that. Threatening notes begin appearing in Amy’s home, and soon, her secret intruder is doing more than leaving written messages. Police detective Brad Cooper is worried about the blackmail letters and the break-ins, even if Amy’s wealthy, would-be fiancé has taken steps to increase the security of her home. With two men interested in her and someone out to get her, Amy has more to deal with than any woman should. Carmichael (Hot Flash, 2009) has created a thrilling whodunit in her trademark sassy, breezy style. Readers will enjoy her unique blend of humor and suspense. --Shelley Mosley

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Medallion Press (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605420956
• ISBN-13: 978-1605420950
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,023,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning comedy author Kathy Carmichael resides on Florida's west coast, along with her Scottish husband, two not-so-wee-sons, and a bevy of cantankerous felines. Kathy's women's fiction/romantic comedy, HOT FLASH, was named as one of the Top 10 Romance Fiction titles for 2009 by the American Library Association's BOOKLIST magazine.

A popular guest lecturer, Kathy presents seminars to writers and readers. Prior to becoming an author, Kathy worked in advertising, as a paralegal and as a communications consultant. She tended bar while in college, where she served drinks mixed with advice. This gave her a unique glimpse into people's lives and motivations, which she uses in her writing.

Despite rumors to the contrary, she has never been recruited by the CIA or the other CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Kathy loves hearing from readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down!, February 14, 2010

By 

K. Stoker (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Diary of a Confessions Queen (Paperback)

Diary of a Confessions Queen has to be one of the best mysteries I have ever read. Most times when I am reading mysteries, I figure out "whodunit" very early in the book and just read on to verify I was right. That was not the case with Carmichael's mystery. It had me guessing to the very end. That combined with the laugh out loud humor made the book very hard to put down.

Definitely buy this book and buy copies for your friends as well!

P.S. I read HotFlash as well! Another great book worth buying!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kathy Carmichael's Quirky Confession, September 13, 2010

By 

Julianne D - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Confessions Queen (Paperback)

Amy is an author who writes what are known as confessions. But Amy has bigger problems than mere deadlines: her inventor husband Dan disappeared seven years ago without a trace, and suspicions of his death linger in the air. With the income from Dan's inventions dwindling fast, her home is about to go into foreclosure, and Amy has no idea how to save it. Further complications arise when she finds an odd blackmail note stating Dan isn't dead, yet demanding only $2,000 for the secret of his whereabouts. With the note, the whole tragic question has come back to haunt her, and her surrounding support group doesn't quite know what to do with this, but for Brad, a cop, who wants to make sure Amy doesn't become the blackmailer's next victim. With his help, and that of her intrepid friend Sue Ann, Amy begins piecing together the clues, old and new, to the mystery of Dan's disappearance, and of his current state of mortality.

Then an amorous friend, Jerome, starts taking over Amy's life a bit more than she's comfortable with, and her quirky mother in law decides to hold a séance in order to contact Dan's spirit. Which is when things start to get really strange.

With article deadlines looming, and being knee deep in her own investigation into Dan's disappearance, it is all just more trouble than Amy can't deal with. And now, the killer has gotten bold, if the break-ins and ever more-disturbing incidences he targets at Amy are any clue.

Why is this happening, and who is doing all this? Is it Jerome, who has his own designs on Amy? Is Fred, Dan's rival in the inventor's market, to blame? Is Dan's mother to blame? With Brad's help, and Sue Ann's, Amy hopes to find out, before the killer comes calling again, with more in mind than just blackmailing, or scaring the beejesus out of the poor confessions author.

With Diary of a Confessions Queen, Kathy Carmichael has produced another quirky offering, while kicking the spook factor up a notch more than her readers expect. But the result is just another in her line of treats: a comical and entertaining mystery suitable for any lover of the genre. Picture something along the lines of Inspector Clouseuo, Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, with the spunk of Lisa Unger's heroine Isabel Raines (Die for You), rolled up into a lead character blessed with a wildly kooky imagination that adds fuel to her investigation.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cherchez la femme, y'all!, April 19, 2010

By 

Jeannie Zokan "Jeannie" (Gulf Breeze, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diary of a Confessions Queen (Paperback)

Kathy Carmichael's book is a delight. I enjoy her story line, her humor, and her fresh voice. Here are two classic lines from "Diary of a Confessions Queen." "All I wanted was to be left alone so I could go hide in my bathroom and have the nervous breakdown I'd been delaying," and, "That was when I recalled that Gayla Mullen had always been the type of woman who talked in exclamation marks and italics."
I highly recommend this whodunit. I love a book that makes me feel like I've made a new friend, and this one fits the bill. I'm just sorry it's over! Lucky for me, I have Carmichael's "Hot Flash" to look forward to!