Midnight Confessions [Mass Market Paperback]

Candice Proctor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2002

With a gift for creating lush, evocative settings that instantly transport the reader to intoxicating places, Candice Proctor now turns her remarkable talents to the dazzling splendor of old New Orleans, where the air is fragrant with mock orange and sweet olive–and danger wafts on the gentle southern breeze. . . .

Widow Emmanuelle de Beauvais devotes herself tirelessly to the sick and injured of a grand city now occupied by the enemy. Then a night of unspeakable terror puts Emmanuelle at the center of a murder investigation and under the watchful eye of Yankee provost marshal Zachary Cooper. Although she despises the uniform and the war it represents, she finds the man who wears it impossible to resist.

Zach Cooper has never been bewitched by a woman. Even as Emmanuelle veils every truth with layers of lies, he finds himself undeniably drawn to her. Torn between passion and duty, Zach must uncover the dark secrets surrounding a series of murders that threaten to ensnare Emmanuelle in their menacing web. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Union occupation of New Orleans provides the backdrop for the latest novel from Proctor (Whispers of Heaven; Women, Equality and the French Revolution), a versatile author whose firsthand knowledge of the region and vivid descriptions infuse this story with a strong sense of place. A series of tragic incidents draw Emmanuelle de Beauvais, a widowed single mother and doctor who hates the occupying Union forces, and Zachary Cooper, a Union provost marshal, together. After witnessing the death of her old friend, Dr. Henri Santerre, Emmanuelle questions whether the arrow that killed him had really been meant for her. Her fear intensifies when other friends, also associated with the hospital, are murdered. Cooper initially suspects the self-possessed Emmanuelle of the crimes, but when a serious attempt is made on her life, Cooper's investigation takes him from the city's crowded docks to the homes of old aristocrats and even into a swamp to question a man renowned as a seer and an herbalist. The attraction between Cooper and Emmanuelle intensifies as they uncover a twisted web of passion and betrayal spun by those she trusts most. Proctor is in top form here. A gripping plot, arresting characters and a thoroughly researched setting combine to make this a remarkable read.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When Zach Cooper, the provost marshal of the Union forces occupying New Orleans in 1862, meets Emmanuelle de Bourdonnay in the course of a murder investigation, he is attracted to the beautiful widow only to discover that she withholds the truth from him, if not her body, even as those close to her continue to die. Despite her anti-Yankee feelings and grudgingly revealed secrets, Zach comes to love her, fears for her safety, ignores his suspicions that she should be a suspect, and single-mindedly pursues his investigation of those who have been involved with Emmanuelle and her work at the Hospital de Santerre. Although this is a superbly suspenseful historical romance, the book's real appeal is its mood, for which Proctor has an obvious gift. The reader actually feels weighed down by the heat, humidity, despair, corruption, superstition, sense of foreboding, and hatreds of old New Orleans. Even knowing that the two lovers will commit to each other doesn't lessen the drama leading up to the exciting--and to some extent surprising--ending. Mary K. Chelton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345447174
• ISBN-13: 978-0345447173
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,150,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An Air Force brat who grew up exploring castles in Spain and fishing in the mountains of Oregon and Idaho, Candy later worked as an archaeologist and earned a PhD in European history. She now writes the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series under the name C.S. Harris and coauthors a series of contemporary thrillers as C.S. Graham. Married to retired Army Colonel Steve Harris, she lives in New Orleans. Visit her webpage at www.csharris.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful murder mystery set in historic New Orleans., November 17, 2005

By 

N. A. Genovese (Southeast Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight Confessions (Mass Market Paperback)

Candice Proctor has beautifully weaved a suspenseful murder mystery set in 1862 New Orleans at the time it was occupied by enemy union soldiers under the command of General Benjamin Butler during the Civil War. Emmanuelle de Beauvais, French born and widowed, hates the union soldiers who have taken over her city.

The story begins with Emmanuelle and friend, Dr. Henri Santerre, visiting deceased relatives' tombs in the now famous St. Louis Cemetery. While there, Henri Santerre is murdered by a bolt shot from a crossbow.

Major Zachary X. Cooper, U. S. Cavalry, is assigned by General Benjamin Butler to investigate the murder. Zach Cooper wears the uniform and serves the war Emmanuelle abhors.

Being the sole witness to the murder, Zach interviews Emmanuelle. As the investigation progresses, the body count and the number of suspects increase. As enemies on opposite sides of the war, Emmanuelle's and Zach's mutual distrust keep complicating the budding romance that is trying to take root. As the distrust is slowly and painfully peeled away layer by layer, the sexual tension between them slowly escalates until they can no longer contain their long denied urges and desires.

Emmanuelle and Zach are realistically portrayed as dynamic characters who have deep seated demons with which they must grapple and closely guarded secrets which they must not allow to be revealed. Even the secondary characters are interesting, exciting, and realistic. My favorite is Captain Hamish Fletcher, a tall man "with a flowing mane of fiery hair and a splendid pair of handlebar mustaches" who served as a New York City police officer before the war. Captain Hamish is Zach's assistant in the murder investigation and serves as Zach's fact gatherer, gopher, and conscience and provides comic relief when the tension has mounted.

Every page is filled with suspense and intrigue and most chapters end with exciting cliffhangers that held me captive from the very first page to the absolute last page. Two-thirds of the way through the book, the plot reveals surprises that escalate an already suspenseful and exciting murder mystery to a new and higher level. Candice Proctor is truly "A Consummate Storyteller" as the book's cover describes her. This is the third book that I've read by Candice Proctor and it's not going to be the last. I can't wait to start the next one.

If you like murder mysteries, historical romance, suspense romance, or just a plain old good read, Midnight Confessions will satisfy. I highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, July 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Midnight Confessions (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first Candice Proctor book and I was pleasantly surprised. However, I wish she would have concentrated more on their romance than who killed who. Before I knew it, he was in love with her and he was much too understanding about the constant lying she did to him. There was a lot of beating around the bush when he was trying to get to the bottom of the murders also. Nobody would give him a straight answer and again, I thought he was much too understanding for being a provost marshal. But the story was good and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whodunit In New Orleans, July 3, 2002

By 

Nisha Glasgow "melissa_mom" (MCBH Kaneohe Bay) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight Confessions (Mass Market Paperback)

Ms. Proctor's books are generally well-written, her heroes are enigmatic and wounded, her heroines are complex and strong. In this suspenseful tale, we are given a rare glimpse into the world of Old New Orleans.

It kept me wondering who amongst the characters was the true killer and it may take you to the last few pages before you have an inkling of who it really is. I liked the way Ms. Proctor weaved the intricate tapestry of the Creole lifestyle and that of the Civil War time period together. The whole book has a nostalgic feel to it, almost reminded me of how I felt when I'd first read Gone With The Winds.

The only drawback I could see to this book is that the heroine lacks a certain depth to her and I couldn't get that feeling of being close to her. I didn't like her as much as I liked the other heroines from Night in Eden and September Moon.

It is still worth a read though it wont join Night in Eden and September Moon on my keeper shelf.