Diary of a Confessions Queen [Kindle Edition]

Kathy Carmichael (Author)

Book Description

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2000 KB
• Print Length: 242 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1605420956
• Publisher: Medallion Press (February 1, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004ASOQ3K
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,021 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

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

By Jeannie Zokan

Format: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!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

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

By Juli D

Format: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.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars fun wacky suspense thriller February 5, 2010

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Paperback

Seven years ago in Kansas, Dan Crosby vanished without a trace. His wife Amy, who writes fictional "confessions" articles for True Lies magazine, has not heard a word from him since he disappeared. She prepares to file a legal motion declaring him dead so she can move on with her life and collect his life insurance before she loses their home

However, Amy receives a note from an extortionist demanding she gives him or her $2000 or the blackmailer will prove Dan is alive. Used to taking on the roles of the made-up characters whose confessions she writes about, Amy refuses to pay the blackmailer. Soon afterward, her home is broken into and vandalism begins. Police Detective Brad Tyler, who worked her husband's missing person's case to no avail and Dan's friend Jerome Keller try to help the almost widow. When someone murders Jerome, Amy becomes the prime suspect in his murder and under suspicion for doing away with her husband; though his corpse was never found.

Filled with an eccentric cast especially the lead female, whose opening commentary of "My husband took out the garbage and never came back", sets the tone for a fun wacky suspense thriller. Although the killer is over the top of Mount Sunflower, fans will enjoy the antics of a heroine who plays the roles of her true confession characters and the cop fixated on her.

Harriet Klausner

More About the Author

Bestselling author Kathy Carmichael resides on the west coast of Florida with her Scottish husband, two not-so-wee sons, two cats and a huge collection of dust bunnies. Kathy writes award-winning romantic comedies and humorous mysteries. Her Texas Legacy Romantic Comedy series is a reader favorite.

Kathy's romantic comedy, Hot Flash, was named by the American Library Association's Booklist magazine as one of the Top 10 Romance Fiction titles for 2009. Kathy loves hearing from readers. Visit her at KathyCarmichael.com