Emperor Norton's Ghost : A Fremont Jones Mystery [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Doubleday (1998)
• ASIN: B0010F0AWW
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and original, October 29, 1999

By 

MysteryI Love "Edie Jean" (Portland area, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emperor Norton's Ghost (Fremont Jones Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, August 13, 2000

By 

History Freak (Oakland, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emperor Norton's Ghost (Fremont Jones Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

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!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freemont Jones Is back in her best adventure to date, June 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Emperor Norton's Ghost: A Fremont Jones Mystery (Hardcover)

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