The Invisible Heiress by Kathleen O'Donnell Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The
Invisible Heiress
by
Kathleen O'Donnell
Genre:
Psychological Thriller
“Dark,
disturbing, deliciously inappropriate.” –
Leslie Wolfe, best-selling author of The
Watson Girl.
From
two-time Book of the Year finalist Kathleen O’Donnell comes a
gripping psychological thriller filled with unexpected twists.
A
psychiatric patient with a dark secret
Preston
Blair, a blogger with a dark sense of humor, is committed to a
private psychiatric hospital, accused of a shocking crime. Her father
Todd’s influence as a D.A. has kept her from prison, but her sanity
remains on a knife-edge.
A
therapist with an agenda
Preston’s
therapist, Isabel, is too preoccupied working her latest con on a
rich, married, sadomasochistic secret lover, to care about Preston’s
problems, even when Preston tells her that her socialite mother,
Harrison Blair, had committed an unthinkable crime herself years
before—one that might help explain Preston’s own misdeeds.
A
shocking secret that begs to be told
When
Preston’s absent husband, Brendan, suddenly turns up and tries to
prove her innocence, tragedy strikes. Preston’s convinced her
parents were involved, but it turns out to be much more complicated.
As Preston delves deeper into the mystery, her head clears and a
devastating event that she had long erased from her muddled mind
comes rushing back.
A
killer that cannot be stopped
Stumbling
onto video evidence, which exposes a killer’s greed and lust for
power, Preston finds her own life is in danger from a surprising and
once trusted source. She discovers that the truth hurts. It just
might be the death of her.
Fans
of Gillian Flynn and Jessica Knoll will love Kathleen O’Donnell.
Preston
I
don’t know which scene satisfied me most—my posh parents waiting
in the concrete-walled visitors’ room or me deposited in front of
them by a uniformed guard. They
sat across from me at the Formica-topped table. My father’s face
was tight, eyes damp. Seeing him distressed kicked a dent in my smug
demeanor, so I stopped looking at him, my eyes ping ponged toward my
mother. Despite the sordid circumstances, she shone, her beauty
ferocious, perhaps highlighted even more by the dour surroundings.
Thick hair still a perfect shade of bombshell blonde, skin pale but
flawless despite time’s march, the blue of her eyes a perpetual
shock. So
entranced I forgot to insult her. Almost. “My
incarceration poses a real problem for you. Doesn’t it, Mother?
Harrison Blair doesn’t sully herself with the downtrodden.” She
shifted backward then forward quick. “You’re
the
problem, Preston. Downtrodden? That’s how you think of yourself?
You—” “Harrison,
Preston,” Dad said. “Please. Let’s start right. Preston, your
mother and I haven’t seen you in so long. Though God knows I’ve
tried. Let’s all make a real effort.” He
paused, probably to steel himself for objections in stereo. None
came. Dad
continued. “You’re not incarcerated. You’re hospitalized. Your
new therapist what’s her name.” He squeezed his eyes shut like
her name had been tattooed inside his lids. “Um, she, Isabel, says
you’ve made some headway, participating in therapy now.” “Might
as well,” I said. “That’s
the spirit. Won’t be long until you’re back home. You’re doing
so well considering how difficult, well you’re done with that part
of the, uh, the rehabilitation.” “You
mean the sweating, shaking, puking, padded room part?” I said. “You’re
sober. That’s all I meant.” My
mother’s eyes popped like a kidnapper just yanked the hood off her
head. “Sober?”
she said. “Doesn’t that term apply to alcoholics? Surely they
have another term for homicidal, drunken pill add—” “She’s
clean, Harrison. That’s all that matters.” Dad
kept yanking on his tie. I thought he might hang himself with it
right before our eyes. “All
that matters?
Is that your idea of a joke, Todd?” “Nice
dye job, Dad. Only you’d believe those stupid commercials. So
natural no one will—” “Darling,
stop,” he said to Mother. “Of course sobriety’s not all but
it’s a start. I think, we
think
enough time has passed. We should jumpstart our family therapy.” “We
who?” I said. The
guard took a step forward, disapproving of my elevated tone. My
father waved him back. “Not
Mother,
I’m sure.” “Well,
Isabel thought—” “Just
because I’m in the cuckoo’s nest doesn’t mean I don’t have
rights,” I said. “Isabel shouldn’t talk to you at all about me.
I’m an adult. She’s my
shrink.
Confidentiality too big a word?” “Shrinks. Therapy,” Mother said. “In my day you poured yourself a scotch
and got on with it.” “You
don’t pour yourself anything. You hire that out,” I said. “Family
therapy’s part of the deal,” Dad said. “The judge insisted—” “You
own
the judge. We
don’t
have
to
do anything. Remind him, Mother.” “You
should kiss Judge Seward’s robed ass,” she said, hissing like a
stabbed tire. “You’d be someone’s bitch if not for his mercy.” “You
mean, if not for your
money.
Don’t pretend you did shit for me. You did everything for yourself,
Mother, to stop the gossip. That’s what you do.” With
both fists, Dad twisted the tie he’d finally managed to take off. “Preston,
we hoped something good could come out of—” “Todd,
the only good that could possibly come out of this mess is if Preston
stays hospitalized
for
the rest of her natural life.” “Harrison,
please. We agreed—” “You
agreed.
With no one but yourself.” “Hate
to break up the party but I’m ready to go back to my room,” I
said more to the guard than my parents. “Wait,
Preston,” Dad said, peering around the room, looking for his spine.
“It doesn’t feel like it now, but here’s a chance for you and
Mom to, I don’t know what, start again, improve your relationship,
even a little. That’s what we all want, isn’t it?” “Steady
on, Dad. The devil comes dressed as everything you want.” I
let the guard take my arm, turned in time to see Mom lean her head
back enough to dab at the scar under the collar of her ivory silk
blouse, a scarlet line cut across her throat, not quite ear to ear, a
vicious permanent necklace.
Kathleen O’Donnell is a wife, mom, grandmother and a recovering blogger. She currently lives in Nevada with her husband. She is a two time Book of the Year finalist for her debut novel The Last Day for Rob Rhino. You can find short stories and blog posts on her website.
Convince us why your book is a must
read.
It’s not your run of the mill
mystery/psychological suspense novel. At the risk of over using the
word -- it’s unique. Preston is a blogger who blogs to try to
figure out how her life ended up in the pisser, her followers try to
help even though she’s snarky and bitchy. Her blog is a stand-in
for her interior monologue, which I’ve never seen used in another
novel. Her back and forth with her followers makes it more of a
conversation than a thought process. The blog posts are irritating,
outrageous, tender and sad all at the same time. And did I mention
they’re funny? Badly behaved, funny people are a hoot to live
vicariously through. Ultimately, this novel is an unexpected love
letter to mothers and daughters disguised as a psychological
thriller. Let’s face it. What’s more psychotic than familial
relationships?
Do the characters all come to you at
the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
I usually start with one or two
characters. Then add as I go. But usually I delete characters as
opposed to add before all is said and done. I’ve never once had a
story all worked out in my mind before I start. I just write.
Whatever story I start with is rarely what I end up with.
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