Familiar Christmas (Fear Familiar, Book 11) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #542) [Mass Market Paperback]

Caroline Burnes (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373225423
• ISBN-13: 978-0373225422
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,160,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time to Curl Up with a Holiday Classic-to-be, November 28, 1999

By 

Penny Griffin ([e-mail]) (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Familiar Christmas (Fear Familiar, Book 11) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #542) (Mass Market Paperback)

Caroline Burnes' Fear Familiar books have always been thoroughly captivating, so it's saying something that "Familiar Christmas" might be the most charming book the series has had to offer. Throw in the fact that it's also an excellent romantic mystery and holiday tale and Burnes' accomplishment is even more remarkable.

Sylvie West has never been a big fan of the holiday season. It doesn't look like that's about to change when she's kidnapped from her job in a toy store by a gunman dressed as Santa Claus. Hunter Semmes insists that Christmas is about to be ruined by those determined to get their hands on his new toy invention--so determined they might harm children to do it. Sylvie's head tells her Hunter has to be a madman; her heart isn't quite so sure. And with just three days til Christmas, there's no time to waste finding out who the true threat is.

Burnes manages to find the right balance between light and dark elements, suspenseful action and holiday warmth in a tale that never fails to delight. The characters are in a constant state of motion, yet Burnes is still able to develop them into three-dimensional characters we truly care about. Hunter and Sylvie are both strong, intelligent people, and I appreciated how, with one big exception, there wasn't a multitude of distrust and misunderstandings--just smart thinking and working through the situations thrown at them. These two were using their heads, and I liked them that much more for it. The mystery is consistently surprising, where no one is what they seem to be. The ending alone is packed with twists until the final villain is revealed. And of course, there's the intrepid feline detective Familiar, as entertaining as ever. The scenes with the credit card alone were wonderful.

Truly original, first-rate entertainments like this don't come along very often. It doesn't matter if this is your first encounter with the series or your twelfth, don't miss out. Heart-tugging and action-packed, "Familiar Christmas" deserves to become a holiday classic.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Familar Christmas, January 14, 2000

By 

Sue Casto (Tulsa, Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Familiar Christmas (Fear Familiar, Book 11) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #542) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a very good book and I really enjoyed it. I love all of her Familar stories. You start to feel that the cat is really talking and finding all the clues. I hope we see a lot more of these books.