Customer Reviews

The Strange Files of Fremont Jones

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a devoted mystery and series readers who chanced upon this book while browsing. Now after sometime and having read more books in the series, I am so happy to be acquainted with the author Dianne Day.

Set in San Francisco in the early 20th century, the author has written about a feisty woman character, Fremont Jones, who not only thinks differently than her contemporaries but abandons her Brahmin Boston home to seek her own life halfway across the country. Starting out as a typist, Fremont Jones quickly becomes involved in a mystery when she is approached by a Chinese man who is found and his files mysteriously stolen from Jones' office. Fremont who takes her name from her pioneering relative John Fremeont is a woman living in the early 20th century with a 21st century feminist attitude. The mystery which hold one's attention is nothing compared to the relationships which Day creates and will have readers eagerly waiting to pick up the second book in the series.

The Strange Files... is a great concept. It is a fun-to-read blend of historical atmosphere, mystery and romance. Living in San Francisco myself, I love to read about what the city used to be like. The authenticity of the streets, locations, weather etc. makes it all the more enjoyable. I'm hooked on this new heroine.

This is a very strong debut of a new female protagonist, a woman struggling against the boundaries placed on women in her time (turn-of-the-century America). A step away from disaster at any moment, Fremont Jones sets off to redefine herself and to face life on her own terms. Fortunately for us, her own terms includes a strong dollop of adventure, romance, and gritty details of life for a woman alone in those times. This book is a rather quick read, but a very satisfying one. Its sequel, Fire and Fog, is even more satisfying as we see the character mature and settle in to the rhythms of life in San Francisco only for them to be thoroughly disrupted by the Great Quake. This is truly a writer to watch!

Caroline Fremont Jones is a college educated Bostonian in the early years of the 20th century. Her father has recently married a woman that she dislikes. That woman has her nephew in mind for Caroline's husband. She has vowed never to marry, so when her father and Augusta are on their honeymoon, she leaves for San Fransisco. She changes her name to C. Fremont Jones and starts a typing business. Things are going well, she has a new friend, a young lawyer named Justin Cameron, an excellent landlady, Mrs O'Leary, and a mysterious neighbor, Michael Archer.

Strange things begin to happen. A mysterious stranger with a resemblence to Edgar Allan Poe, drops off a manuscript to be typed. He seems to be afraid of something or someone. His tales are very strange. Then, a leader of the Chinese community, Li Wong, asks her to type a letter for him. Shortly afterward he is murdered, and his family needs the information in the letter, which has disappeared. Justin is becoming an infatuation, which Fremont doesn't want given her vow, and Michael Archer seems to be following her. Something is very wrong and she is determined to get to the bottom of it all.

This is a very good series. The time period and the characters are all very vivid. You almost feel that you are in the San Francisco of that time. The plot and mystery have many twists and turns and the ending is satisfactory. The next book should be even better!

I selecteed this book by virture of recommends by Amazon, in the section if you liked this book, you will like..I read Carolyn Hart, Sharyn McCrumb, and light mysteries. Dianne Day wove an interesting plot, and introduced me to an unusual young woman sleuth, livng in 1905 San Francisco. I look forward to other romps with Freemont Jones.

A very fun book, very enjoyable: a character you can sympathize with, some good local color, some nice plot turns. The author's background in romantic literature helps her make Fremont Jones more believable as a person. There's an even heavier dollop of gothic horror.

Highly recommended if you want a fun read, like San Francisco and-or enjoy period mysteries with spunky female detectives (I do).

The book does have flaws. It's well written but not a classic. Some of the plot turns seem a bit abruptly convenient and quite a bit of the action builds character but doesn't do much for the plot. But it's fun enough to push it above average and make it worth the read.

Fremont Jones is a refreshingly spirited young woman who becomes involved in solving two mysteries in turn of the century San Francisco. This book is a lot of fun to read; it's well written with snappy, entertaining dialogue. I thought it fell apart a bit at the end, though. And, as might be expected, in trying to include two completely disparate mysteries in one novel, both of them end up getting short-changed. I wonder why she didn't just make it into two novels--either of them would have been sufficient if she had gone more deeply into the characters involved. Great read, though--very absorbing, and goes by quickly.

The events in the book reflect historical accuracy, but the characters are definitely not stereotypical of the time. The main character, Fremont Jones, is a feminist who defies the traditional roles that the era cast women in, and instead leaves home, starts a typewriting business, and refuses to marry. Along the way, she becomes a private detective, falls in love, and gets in one scrape after another. Her best friend is a rebellious young Chinese woman who defies her family's command to marry, and instead runs away to attend Stanford University and then to practice the ancient Chinese art of Mysticism, passed on to her by her grandmother.

Fremont's love interest may or may not be a Russian spy, but he stirs feelings in Fremont that proper young women in the early 1900's should not be feeling, let alone acting on. The landscape of California, and particularly San Francisco, is a character unto itself, and the author does a brilliant job of conveying the excitement, the danger, and the beauty in the City by the Bay.

I thought that this was one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. There were enough unconventional plot progressions to make things unpredictable - important to an avid mystery reader. I would highly recommend the book to a friend.

Ms. Day did let things fall apart just a tad at the end; a few of the plot developments were left unresolved, which is a major pet-peeve of mine. The personal connection between Perry and two of his stories was explained, but not the connection between him and the one about the priest/lover. Why did Michael follow Fremont to Perry's house at the end? Did Michael come from that Russian area up north by the light house, or not? The question was raised but not answered. And if so, had he heard about the missing women? I would have liked to have heard Fremont telling Michael about Perry's stories, and it would have tied the two mysteries together nicely. And I think Fremont should have gone ahead and published Perry's book for him, then told about it's success.

How refreshing to have a strong female protagonist going against convention. Addictive from page one to page 257. The book caught my eye because it takes place in turn of the centruy San Francisco--so nice to have a novel set so close to home. The characters are engaging, and the hint of romance makes it all the more delicious.