Author: Benjamin W. DeHaven

ISBN: 978-0-989912686

Michael Enzo is a ghost writer of over 108 books. He writes for movie stars, politicians, and business leaders. According to the Forward, Enzo was “a ghost, a philanthropist, a con man, a devout Catholic, a gigolo, a savior, an heir, a common man, a writer, and an addict. He defrauded an industry for almost 20 years by exploiting people’s insecurities and profiting from them.”

Michael Enzo has mysteriously disappeared. The last anyone saw of him, he was at a federal building. Perhaps it is not so surprising that a master of deception would have a multitude of enemies, that his crimes would eventually catch up with him, and that he would find a way to allude the law. What is surprising—and ironic—is that a prolific writer of self-help books would also be responsible for the ruin of many people. One of those unfortunate souls is the author of this book, Benjamin DeHaven. 

To get revenge, DeHaven paired up with Enzo’s abandoned wife, Susan, to uncover and publish his personal journal, which Enzo had hidden. Therefore, it is all true. The Forward says so.

That is the premise of this fictional story that exposes excerpts from Enzo’s diary and tales of what he was really like. 

Rather than being a journal full of insider secrets about the celebrities he’s written for and filled with writerly stories, it consists mainly of regrettable events that took place while on drunken binges or high on drugs, or with friends who were.

The women in the book, which include DeHaven’s current girlfriend, his high school girlfriend, his college girlfriend, his mother, and Enzo’s wife, all have the name of Susan. Is this the author’s way of showing how he views all women as the same, a sort of sexual profiling? 

Through all the cons and drunken binges, there are glimmers of compassion, such as when DeHaven gives a lost teenage prostitute all the cash in his pocket without taking advantages of her “services.” Not so for Michael Enzo who appears to be a psychopath. One wonders if Enzo would even care if he discovered that his sins have been exposed to the world by his former friend DeHaven, who is trying to ruin him by doing so.

This is a quick read and would be enjoyed by those who prefer writing that is way far out of the box. Readers also should not be offended by R-rated language and themes.

Follow Here To Purchase Confessions of a Self-Help Writer: The Journal of Michael Enzo