Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing book!
Review: Emperor Norton's Ghost is the fourth book I read in the Fremont Jones series written by Dianne Day and I'm afraid to say I didn't care for this title too much. Compared to the first two books, The Strange Files of Fremont Jones and Fire and Fog, I found this mystery rather dull and almost boring. Even some of the more poignant scenes between Fremont and her aging father did little to pique my interest in this book and I really had to force myself to finish this title.For those readers familiar with Dianne Day's books, please understand that Fremont is still as feisty as ever and still thwarting any marraige proposals from her lover Michael Kossof. And she most certainly will continue to endear herslf to you but the rest of the book falls short. When a new friend enters Fremont's life and Fremont attends a seance with this woman, once again Fremont finds herself helping out another person. Fremont's friend Frances McFadden unfortunatly is tightly controlled by her domineering husband and seeks out a medium to add something to her otherwise stilted life. But when she and Fremont attend a seance and there are some bizarre happenings, Frances prevails upon Fremont to find out more about the evening and the other participants. Afraid for Frances' life, Fremont begins investigating the world of mediums and almost within two weeks two well known Bay area mediums are found dead. Now Fremont along with Michael and Wish, the friendly cop Fremont met in Fire and Fog, unearth a tale which includes empty graves, a rather shady character posing as a doctor and Wish's own mother who is almost as feisty as Fremont. But the most baffling plot of the book are instructions from Emperor Norton, the self proclaimed Emperor of the United States and Defender of Mexico, who died many years before. Despite how I felt about this title, I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Death Train to Boston. Fremont Jones and the other characters found within these pages are much too unique to stop reading about without another chance.
Rating: 
Summary: Fremont and Spiritualism
Review: Fremont and her partner in life and business, Michael Kossoff are now running an investigative business, J & K and sort of sharing a duplex with the office on the ground floor. Their former policeman friend Wish Stephenson is working for them. Fremont has made friend who doesn't care for her unusual lifestyle, Frances McFadden. Frances is an abused wife with an interest in Spiritualism. While at a seance with Fremont, she finds herself taken over by a spirit. The medium orders her out of the building, but later asks for a visit. Fremont and Frances arrive at her house to find her murdered and very recently. Fremont of course wants to investigate and to save her friend, but Michael counsels her to be cautious. In the midst of all this, Fremont's father is coming for a visit without his despised wife Augusta. Michael tactfully leaves town. Another medium is also murdered and Fremont wonders if it is a trend and if Frances' brutal husband is involve. The two plotlines of this novel blend beautifully. The murder mystery was a little more difficult than most, maybe because I was distracted by Fremont's reunion with her father. This is the best of the series so far.
Rating:
Summary: Fremont and Spiritualism
Review: Fremont and her partner in life and business, Michael Kossoff are now running an investigative business, J & K and sort of sharing a duplex with the office on the ground floor. Their former policeman friend Wish Stephenson is working for them. Fremont has made friend who doesn't care for her unusual lifestyle, Frances McFadden. Frances is an abused wife with an interest in Spiritualism. While at a seance with Fremont, she finds herself taken over by a spirit. The medium orders her out of the building, but later asks for a visit. Fremont and Frances arrive at her house to find her murdered and very recently. Fremont of course wants to investigate and to save her friend, but Michael counsels her to be cautious. In the midst of all this, Fremont's father is coming for a visit without his despised wife Augusta. Michael tactfully leaves town. Another medium is also murdered and Fremont wonders if it is a trend and if Frances' brutal husband is involve. The two plotlines of this novel blend beautifully. The murder mystery was a little more difficult than most, maybe because I was distracted by Fremont's reunion with her father. This is the best of the series so far.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I am not really a mystery fan but was attracted to this book by it's title. As an avid student of San Francisco history I expected I might enjoy it, if only to pick apart all the historical inaccuracies! Was I ever wrong! Dianne Day obviously has done her research as her version of pre-earthquake San Francisco is right on! Not only was it accurate but it actually makes the period come alive. She gets the big things right, and the little things as well. For those who love mysteries and San Francisco this book is a must read. I enjoyed seeing the world I had read about for so many years brought to life, and in such refreshing ways. I look forward to reading all of the Fremont Jones Mysteries!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I am not really a mystery fan but was attracted to this book by it's title. As an avid student of San Francisco history I expected I might enjoy it, if only to pick apart all the historical inaccuracies! Was I ever wrong! Dianne Day obviously has done her research as her version of pre-earthquake San Francisco is right on! Not only was it accurate but it actually makes the period come alive. She gets the big things right, and the little things as well. For those who love mysteries and San Francisco this book is a must read. I enjoyed seeing the world I had read about for so many years brought to life, and in such refreshing ways. I look forward to reading all of the Fremont Jones Mysteries!
Rating:
Summary: Fremont Jones does it again
Review: I enjoy reading books in a series about mysteries, particularly if the protagonist is a character that appeals to me. So it is with Fremont Jones, the intrepid heroine from San Francisco in the time of the Great Quake. The stories are light and breezy, with enough mystery in them to hold my interest from beginning to end. They're fun to read, and don't involve a lot of effort. Good books to relax the mind with in between ones of more weight and importance.
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: 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: 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.
| 
