Familiar Obsession

Intrigue readers' favorite crime-solving cat is back in New Orleans in "Familiar Obsession." Five years ago, Liza Hawkins' fiance, Duke Masonne, disappeared and was presumed dead. Now she sees him everywhere. On the street. Outside her apartment. Liza is afraid she's losing her mind. Mike Davis has come to New Orleans to discover what happened to him before he was found beaten half to death in a train car five years ago. Can a feline detective bring these two together to solve the mystery of their mutual pasts?"Familiar Obsession" is a story whose strongest parts come in its second half. The first 100 pages are a bit slow moving; it takes f..o..r...e...v...e..r for the main characters to meet. The hero and heroine don't have their first conversation until page 90, something sure to drive some readers nuts. Most of the confusion of the first 100 pages wouldn't exist if the two simply talked to each other (as the ever-perceptive Familiar points out). It is a lack of communication at its most annoying. Their first meeting comes so late that most readers won't expect a full-fledged romance. They won't get it. When the main characters finally reunite, they're back in love in the blink of an eye and the mystery becomes the focus of the rest of the book. That isn't exactly a bad thing. Burnes handles the mystery with her usual expertise, as she offers a range of suspects and motives, and deftly drops clues and information. She also includes one of her hallmarks, a juicy antagonist who keeps interfering with the leads' investigation at the wrong moments. It's always fascinating to see how the author fully integrates Familiar in the story, when some writers can't seem to come up with enough for two characters to do and as usual, the cat proves wiser than any of the human characters. The final fifty pages feature some clever plotting, good twists and another nail-biter of an ending. What started out as a three-star book finished as a four for me. Romance readers may have their quibbles, but "Familiar Obsession" should delight mystery readers and Familiar fan's alike.

Our Kitty HERO is at it again, Fun, Interestingly well crafted mystery. Plenty of"Red Herrings" to keep you guessing. A great job of discribing the area of New Orleans with it's colorful, streets, resturants & surrounding climes. As always the wonderful Familiar, ala Cat Dectective...

Intrigue readers' favorite crime-solving cat is back in New Orleans in "Familiar Obsession." Five years ago, Liza Hawkins' fiance, Duke Masonne, disappeared and was presumed dead. Now she sees him everywhere. On the street. Outside her apartment. Liza is afraid she's losing her mind. Amnesiac Mike Davis has come to New Orleans to discover what happened to him before he was found beaten half to death in a train car five years ago. Can a feline detective bring these two together to solve the mystery of their mutual pasts?"Familiar Obsession" is a story whose strongest parts come in its second half. The first 100 pages are a bit slow moving; it takes f..o..r...e...v...e..r for the main characters to meet. The hero and heroine don't have their first conversation until page 90, something sure to drive some readers nuts. Most of the confusion of the first 100 pages wouldn't exist if the two simply talked to each other (as the ever-perceptive Familiar points out). It is a lack of communication at its most annoying. Their first real meeting comes so late in the book that most readers won't expect a full-fledged romance. They won't get it. When the main characters finally reunite, they're back in love in the blink of an eye and the mystery becomes the focus of the rest of the book. That isn't exactly a bad thing. Burnes handles the mystery with her usual expertise, as she offers a range of suspects and motives, and deftly drops clues and information. She also includes one of her hallmarks, a juicy antagonist who keeps interfering with the leads' investigation at the wrong moments. The tension, at least in the suspense portion, remains at a high level throughout the book. It's always fascinating to see how the author fully integrates Familiar in the story, when some writers can't seem to come up with enough for two characters to do and as usual, the cat proves wiser than any of the human characters. The final fifty pages feature some clever plotting, good twists and another nail-biter of an ending. What started out as a three-star book finished as a four for me. Romance readers may (justifiably) have their quibbles, but "Familiar Obsession" should delight mystery readers and Familiar fan's alike.