Innocent Spouse: A Memoir

What would you do if, just weeks after your spouse’s sudden death, you found out he was keeping secrets?

Carol Ross Joynt was a successful TV producer and award-winning journalist in Washington, D.C. Her husband, Howard, owned a legendary restaurant in Georgetown. They had a young son, a happy marriage - a seeming fairy-tale life. But Howard’s sudden death changed everything. Carol was shocked to discover that her husband had secrets - financial secrets - including a $3 million debt to the IRS that still had to be settled. Carol was responsible for repaying the debt, unless she could prove she knew nothing about Howard’s fraudulent dealings and convince the government she was an innocent spouse.

With no time to grieve, Carol was forced to immediately learn to manage her family’s legal and financial responsibilities, run Howard’s restaurant, hold her own career together, and raise their son as a solo parent. As she picked up the pieces and coped with her sadness and anger, she learned to become self-sufficient. Poignant, eye-opening, and at its core uplifting, Innocent Spouse is ultimately an inspiring story of strength and newfound independence in the face of loss and betrayal.