Counterfeit Christmas

Nancy Drew Files #102

by Carolyn Keene

When crime crashes in, Nancy finds that the money may be fake, but the danger is all too real!
Bess has gotten a real surprise for two crisp new twenties that turn out to be fake. Her aunt, who works at River Heights magazine, unwittingly passed them along, and Nancy's out to trace the funny money to is source. But there's one very big suspect Stuart Teal. He has looks to die for...and clearly has designs on Nancy.
Stuart may want to corner the market on Nancy's affections, but she can't afford to take the chance...especially when another top suspect is found dead. Drawn into a world where greed rules and life isn't worth a plug nickel. Nancy has no choice but to keep her eye on the bottom line. She's searching for a counterfeiter who fits the bill of a murderer.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Christmas, Fiction, Childrens

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.

Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.

Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may be only September, but Yuletide-themed media is usually good any time of the year...and this was no exception.

[Pastel Paperback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went into this hoping for a cute holiday mystery, but it seriously lacked Christmas content. It was mostly just pages and pages of counterfeit money explanations.

I mean, I should have known.

[Nancy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the originals when Nancy was really ahead of her time

[Bethany Wire · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my Nancy… not her cheating on Ned HELLO

[Nadine Keels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been revisiting this vintage YA mystery series that I first read several books from back in my adolescence. In search of a Christmas theme, I skipped way ahead to Book 102 here and decided to take another crack at this case I got into decades ago (but don't remember if I actually finished it back then).

This one isn't on the more action-packed side of The Nancy Drew Files. It hasn't got explosions or high-speed car chases, and the danger doesn't really ramp up until near the end.

Not unlike other books in the series, Nancy makes some silly mistakes for a detective with so much experience. And unsurprisingly, the culprits of the crime eventually explain the whole thing themselves.

Also, I imagine the writers of the series thought to keep Nancy's social life more "exciting" by throwing in new romantic interests for her whenever. But as it is in some other books in the series, the result is that Nancy shows herself to be a bad girlfriend, getting involved with yet another guy while her boyfriend Ned is away.

Eeesh.

Nevertheless, the read did tickle my nostalgia bone with mentions of VCRs and personal CD players, cordless phones and beepers and answering machines. And Nancy has to avail herself of certain resources she wouldn't have to today; it isn't like she can just whip out a cell and look up info real quick on a search engine.

Yep. Even for the mysteries in the series that aren't my favorites, the old-fashionedness of it all still draws me in.

Note:
• intended for readers aged 12 years and up
• some violence, including murder

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a super fun mystery set at Christmas, perfect to read at this time of year. This is my first Nancy Drew Files book and I was not disappointed. It kept my interest the whole way through. I liked the descriptions of Nancy's outfits, and I really liked how she can kick a door down! Is there anything Nancy can't do? I'll have to read more of these cute stories to find out.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always love my Nancy Drew. Rereading one of my childhood books.

[Chen Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I wanted to be a detective when I was a kid, and reading Nancy Drew books was like opening old files of unsolved mystery cases.” ~ Chen Pink, reviewer of ‘Christmas Counterfeit’ (Nancy Drew Files #102)

Instead of saying why I loved this book like a first-time reader, I believe that in this state, rereading the Nancy Drew series from teen to adulthood, it only makes sense to leave a review on why I reread this book based on the following points:

• The character of Nancy Drew is a role model for her intuition, courage, and analytical intelligence, which made me embody myself as a detective in the story.
• The plot in this story left me wondering how many people out there might be printing counterfeit money, and I might have one in my purse.
• It makes me escape into the world of investigation during the Christmas season when people are in a festive mood but might be holding counterfeit money.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Counterfeit Christmas (1994) by Carolyn Keene. This is a fun type of mystery aimed for the female teen crowd mostly. Counterfeit money turns up in town and son Nancy and her gang are on the case. This is not designed to be read by anyone over late stage puberty. I am well past that time frame and so the book reads like an average script for a humdrum Scooby-Doo episode.
And yes, there are cute guys in this thing as per the required “Love Entanglement” part of the scenario, so, if this is your kind of thing, go for it. You could do worse.

[Simonne Serrano-Frey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entering any chapter books I read to my daughter now. This was a fun little story that I read to her over the course of December. Nothing too scary for a newborn but just enough to keep me interested.

[K.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bess gets given some counterfeit money over Xmas, Nancy yet again falls for another guy while solving the case

[Allison]

This is the silliest Nancy I have read yet loved it

[Carolyne Hinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good left me in suspense the whole time!

[Kristin]

DNF 28%.

Another example of a cursed Nancy Drew Christmas book! Not very Christmasy at all. Unless you want to know how to print money…

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counterfeit Christmas is full of intrigue and deception when Bess is accused of counterfeit!