Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing entry in an otherwise stellar series.
Review: I really enjoy the Fremont Jones series, particularly the characters and the historical setting. But the plotline of this book was simply too thin. Dianne Day has fallen into the lazy mystery writer's trap - the solution to the case is "The murderer was a lunatic!" The reader plods through myriad clues and tangents only to have everything suddenly wrapped up in one swift, unconvincing chapter.I also fear that the Fremont Jones character is losing some authenticity. She is an atypically progressive woman for the time period, yet everyone who meets her seems to love her. Everything she does/attempts works out just perfectly (i.e., her guise as a man - so successful that her own lover doesn't recognize her), and her every problem solves itself easily (i.e., her money situation). I much preferred the Fremont of the first two books - a woman who was struggling to make ends meet, to find her way in the big city. She seems to have lost some humanity. I hope that the next installment in this series shows Dianne Day returning to form and giving us the Fremont Jones we want to read about.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I wish I would have read the reviews before I bought this book. It is very disappointing. I'm from San Francisco and was expecting realistic descriptions of living in the city in 1908. Instead, one dimensional descriptions were provided. I also must add that the main character, Fremont Jones is a total fantasy...a 1990's woman living in 1908! A very unbelievable and annoying theme which distracted me from the mystery. I won't be buying any more Dianne Day novels. For those looking for a more realistic mystery set in 1906 San Francisco check out The Trembling Hills by Phyllis Whitney.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I wish I would have read the reviews before I bought this book. It is very disappointing. I'm from San Francisco and was expecting realistic descriptions of living in the city in 1908. Instead, one dimensional descriptions were provided. I also must add that the main character, Fremont Jones is a total fantasy...a 1990's woman living in 1908! A very unbelievable and annoying theme which distracted me from the mystery. I won't be buying any more Dianne Day novels. For those looking for a more realistic mystery set in 1906 San Francisco check out The Trembling Hills by Phyllis Whitney.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Great Installment!
Review: Ms. Day does it again! I just love this series. I want to thank the author, Dianne Day for all the entertainment and pleasure she has given me. Ms. Day works hard to bring us a very accurate history in her settings. In this one, she has brought a little known period of America's history to the front, and done an excellent job with it. She also tackels a most modern issue in this one, with the problems of the times this book is set in. I'm so glad that Fremont and Michael are so progressive thinking. If they weren't I would have hated them and this book. But I loved the book. I hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Installment!
Review: Ms. Day does it again! I just love this series. I want to thank the author, Dianne Day for all the entertainment and pleasure she has given me. Ms. Day works hard to bring us a very accurate history in her settings. In this one, she has brought a little known period of America's history to the front, and done an excellent job with it. She also tackels a most modern issue in this one, with the problems of the times this book is set in. I'm so glad that Fremont and Michael are so progressive thinking. If they weren't I would have hated them and this book. But I loved the book. I hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Bohemian Murders but still lacking
Review: The first two books I found interesting and really enjoyed Fremont Jones. I again found the relationship between Fremont and Michael lacking. Didn't even really necessary to include him in the book. He really didn't add anything to the story. I really enjoyed the introduction of the two new characters very much. How somehow they will stay around and have more development in the future. I was a little disappointed since I already think that I can tell what the story of the next in the series will be comprised of. Seemed very obvious to me. I found the plot lacking and at times again boring, the supernatural plot could have been interesting, but dragged and the ending seemed too incredible to believe. I bought this one in hardcover think I will have to wait in the future to read about Fremont's further adventures,( since I am interested in her characture and the period) until it is released in paperback
Rating:
Summary: This has quickly become one of my favorite mystery series.
Review: This is another marvelous entry in the Fremont Jones series. Once again the author creates a full sense of place, and her main characters continue to develop into even more interesting people. This time the story is about psychic phenomena and the people who pursue the paranormal. It's nice that the author does NOT make fun of either the people or the pursuit! A tension-filled and interesting twist on murder and familial abuse.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and original
Review: Thououghly delightful;the best yet in a series which keeps getting better and better. As a native San Franciscan whose grandmother lived through the 1907 earthquake, the descriptions in the book ring true. The heroine, investigator, Fremont Jones is refreshingly original. The plot is fast moving and the story peopled with memorable secondary characters. I look forward to more from the talented Ms.Day and the delightful Ms.Jones and company.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and original
Review: Thououghly delightful;the best yet in a series which keeps getting better and better. As a native San Franciscan whose grandmother lived through the 1907 earthquake, the descriptions in the book ring true. The heroine, investigator, Fremont Jones is refreshingly original. The plot is fast moving and the story peopled with memorable secondary characters. I look forward to more from the talented Ms.Day and the delightful Ms.Jones and company.
Rating:
Summary: Freemont Jones Is back in her best adventure to date
Review: Three years have passed since the 1906 earthquake and its aftermath nearly destroyed San Francisco. However, the city has made a remarkable recovery in its efforts to be rebuilt. Private investigators Freemont Jones and her lover Michael Archer return to their adopted home to live and work together. Freemont is an odd woman. Rarely does one see such an independent female willing to ignore society by not marrying the man she lives with and who prefers working in a dangerous occupation. Freemont accompanies her only female friend, Frances McFadden, wife of a wealthy but abusive businessman, to a seance. When the medium invites Frances to a private session, Freemont also comes. However, when they arrive at the medium's home, they find the woman dead. Freemont starts an investigation that leads her into an ethereal world of charlatans, con artists, and one killer whose target is the city by the bay's most renowned clairvoyants. This fourth entry in the Freemont Jones historical mysteries is the best novel in a series that already boasts three superb tales, including a Macavityy Award winner. Dianne Day brilliantly fleshes out her characters so that the audience can feel for them while understanding their motivations. The cadence and vocabulary of the dialog matches the vernacular of the era while the resiliency of the San Francisco residents adds much depth to the novel. The who-done-it is complex and will also sustain reader interest. EMPEROR NORTON'S GHOST contains enough elements from different genres to appeal to a wide range of readers, including those who love mystery, historical, and mainstream novels. Harriet Klausner
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