Miami Psychic: Confessions of a Confidante [Hardcover]

Regina Milbourne (Author), Yvonne Carey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2006

Medium meets Miami Vice as top Miami psychic Regina Milbourne divulges her true stories of working for some of Miami's most controversial public figures, and her thrilling, sometimes life-threatening encounters with Santeria, Candomble, Voodoo, mal occhio, curses, and Wicca. From protecting killers and bringing back the dead, to thwarting dangerous maids meddling with black magic, Regina Milbourne has seen it all. And after fifteen years as a practicing psychic, she's also ready to turn her back on the gift she's had since drowning in a public swimming pool at the age of twelve. Versed in Voodoo, Wicca, and Santeria (to name a few), Milbourne tells the stories of her years as a local psychic in Miami, Florida, as well as her meetings with some of her city's most controversial figures. Part cult priestess and part psychiatrist, she's been involved in the lives of some of society's most degenerate, and most powerful, citizens. And even dealing with death, murder, and corruption on a daily basis, she's stood by her promise to dedicate her life to anyone who seeks her help. In "Miami Psychic: Confessions of a Confidante", Regina Milbourne comes clean with her stories of the tangled lives and horrors within the tainted business of psychics, hoping to somehow lighten the burden she's carried all these years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Psychics and their abilities make for good television: their dreams and visions can easily be translated into colorful onscreen visuals. In print, however, the mystical quality doesn't always translate. Regina Milbourne's experiences in South Beach, with the help of journalist Carey, have been rendered clinical and distant, as in such expository passages as, "I am a certified professional tarot and palm reader, astrologist, clairvoyant, and medium. The money I charge reflects how much the client can afford and the work involved." Even though this psychic claims to help her often desperate clients achieve their goals-among them having an orgasm or bringing back the dead-the author's emphasis on putting a monetary value to prayer, homespun mixtures and spells, or how to charge $12,000 to help someone have a baby come across more as con tactics than spiritual pursuit. It's more than a little dispiriting that a subject so intrinsically fascinating should be so lacking in magic-time and again, Milbourne's gift is reduced to a cash transaction. Lacking the heart or soul necessary to conjure up much excitement, this memoir illuminates just how lucrative the psychic profession can be, but little more.
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About the Author

Regina Milbourne, a practicing psychic for more than fifteen years, first realized her gift two weeks after drowning in an unattended swimming pool when she was 12. With only a sixth grade formal education, and half her life spent as a practicing psychic, she is coming clean to leave her past behind. Yvonne Carey has worked in journalism for over a decade and is a regular contributor to the Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel. She is known for her articles on the entrenchment of Santeria and Voodoo culture and the diverse culture of South Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st ed edition (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060849703
• ISBN-13: 978-0060849702
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,677,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worse than a con: dull, dull, dull...., July 14, 2006

By 

G. Pillson "georgiepillson" (Tilling on Rye) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miami Psychic: Confessions of a Confidante (Hardcover)

The real issue with "Miami Psychic" isn't the news trickling out from south Florida that "Regina Milbourne" has a far more....colorful... past than even this volume's neon cover might have you think (ranging, if the papers have it right, from standard fortunetelling scams to jewelry theft), but that neither of the credited authors apparently has much ability to tell a story. Frankly, a "real" tell-all sounds like it would have been much more interesting than this grab-bag of portentous anecdotes. What are reputable publishers doing putting stuff like this out?

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars these reviews are fake and, July 31, 2006

By 

Lnacen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miami Psychic: Confessions of a Confidante (Hardcover)

this author is a fake psychic and everyone is aware of this.The publishers didnt even know the REgina Milbourne isnt her real name. The wonderful reviews are an atempt from her staff to save the book

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea., August 26, 2006

By 

Jessica Clark (Central Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miami Psychic: Confessions of a Confidante (Hardcover)

I am most definitely a believer. I am not going to claim that the author is a fake or a fraud. However, I had two large problems with this book.

The first is that I find it horribly unbalanced that the author chose to speak on behalf of psychics throughout the book. "Psychics don't..." this and "when a psychic..." that. Not all psychics share the same belief system, and not even a majority of them follow the author's religious beliefs. For the author to speak on behalf of them is similar to her speaking on behalf of all Gypsies everywhere: inappropriate in daily talk, but outrageous in print. The psychics I know personally would never, ever, do the horrible things the author is responsible for in this book. Their morals prevent them from casting spells to control another's free will, which include love spells. It's too bad her faith in God didn't deter her from mind control.

My other problem with the book is the many spelling and grammar errors through it. How many editors were responsible for this book? Not one did his or her job.

Overall, I found the book too full of religious dogma, too excusatory of the author's actions [help! God's gift corrupted me and made me walk away from God!], and very, very hypocritical. If your message is that we should all turn to God, lead good lives, and follow the Christian way, maybe you should steer clear of penning sensationalistic, corrupt books full of sin and debauchery.