The Bohemian Murders

Fremont Jones #3

by Dianne Day

Forced to leave San Francisco after the earthquake of 1906, Fremont Jones follows her heart to the bohemian beach community of Carmel where she befriends a local artist and signs on as a temporary keeper of the Point Pinos Lighthouse. When a velvet-clad corpse washes in on the tide, Fremont is off on a new quest. When she's attacked and robbed and the artist helping her turns up missing, she realizes she is perilously close to the truth. And that the next body to drift in on the tide might well be her own.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Romance, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Dianne Day was born in Mississippi in 1938.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fremont's relationship with Michael is really rather annoying in this one. And I'm not sure which of the two of them I'm more frustrated with. The previous book doesn't exactly end with them all happily ever after, but Fremont decided to move south "with" him after he tells her that he actually likes her more than friend and definitely not in a fatherly sort of way. But this book opens with him being deliberately obtuse; changing everything about himself that Fremont knows and loves (including his name) and then getting upset with her for not being more accepting. And he's pissed at her for not being able to just leave things alone...but that's supposedly what he liked about her in the first place, so what's that all about? On her side, she keeps flinging passive-aggressive insults about his behavior and being pretty obtuse herself when he actually bothers to come by to see her, but she never actually manages to sit down and tell him point blank what's bothering her or what her expectations are. His behavior strikes me as quintessential midlife crisis and her's as youthful inexperience with interpersonal communication...but those excuses don't make their interactions any less frustrating to read. And yet all that is explained away with the epilogue; go figure.

The mystery seemed mostly like an instrument for plot movement; no one really seems to care what's going on except Fremont...though I guess that's par. The one thing that really seemed to be missing in this one is believable motive.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one I like almost as much as Fire and Fog. For some reason Day is just really able to bring her settings alive for me. This one takes place in Carmel at an artist colony, and Fremont takes a post as tmporary lighthouse keeper at the Point Pinos lighthouse. Naturally a dead body washes up on the shore and she must figure out who dunnit! Also, Michael Archer's acting all crazy and wants to be called Misha--huh??? Totally ridiculous fun. But I pretty much just stop with this one and read the first three over and over again instead of rereading any of the rest of the series. They kinda just go downhill from here.
———
Okay, soooooooo I did not like this one as much this time as I apparently used to.

[Lynne Tull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fremont Jones is growing on me. She has actually matured since the last book. Thank goodness! She is still stubborn and head-strong. I can deal with that. Fremont makes her living by typing for people. So, Ms. Day takes the as an opportunity to entertain us with stories that Fremont is typing. As far as I can tell the stories do not relate to the mystery at all. There were two in this book. One was a short story and the other a novella. They were both good stories, but I am not sure why she wants to do this...unless it is to add more pages to the book. I am not going to tell you what I really liked best about this book because it would be a 'spoiler'. Now, did that entice you to read 'Fremont Jones'? If not, I will reveal all after the next book: 'Emperor Norton's Ghost'.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one as much as the first two. Have yet another in the series coming via the library. Freemont Jones is a delightful character and through her story we get an interesting look into the California coast in the early 1900s and social norms of the day.

[Gail Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

continuing to laugh out loud with the Fremont Jones series of light mysteries with the heroine with cheek and exceptional language
http://www.learn-english-today.com/id...

[Janifowose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Freemont Jones book. She finds a dead body, gets caught up a mystery, gets injured, and solves said mystery.

[Jennifer Klenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the devastation of the San Francisco earthquake, Fremont suffers a second personal disaster where she loses every possession she had left (destroyed by the bad guys in "Fire and Fog"). So she relocates south to Pacific Grove (home of Dianne Day, the author) at the suggestion of Michael her sometimes romantic interest. Things arenʻt going that well with her typing business or with Michael who has turned bohemian rather than spy. When a soul sister feminist lighthouse keeper asks her if she would be willing to be the temporary lighthouse keeper while this regular keeper takes an extended sabbatical, she goes for it. She is paid and she gets a nice place to live. She has to keep the log and watches out the big windows at what is happening in the ocean beyond. I love her daily reports. She sees a floating body of a dead woman and thus begins the next mystery. I was intrigued by the setting in and around Monterey. I eventually visited San Francisco due to my interest inspired by both Fremont Jones and Tales of the City. I also wanted to visit Monterey due to this book. Fremont travels back and forth by horse and carriage through some woods on her way to visit Michael and the other artists in a little community of Carmel. Solving the mystery has most of the essential action in the woods and in Carmel which I assume now bears little resemblance to what it was like then. As usual I enjoyed the setting and the background details as much or more than the mystery. Not very demanding and that was what I needed.
I am heading to Monterey soon by train to spend 3 days there. Thanks to Fremont Jones (and Big Little Lies) and the few hours I spent there once many years ago on a road trip. I canʻt wait to see the windswept cedars and walk the beaches.

[Rita Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two in the series. It felt very slow moving with too much about the scenery and weather and not enough about Fremont actually doing something to solve the mystery. And the long excerpts from the novella she was typing as part of her typewriting business seemed pointless. Also, Michael/Misha just roamed around behaving badly and vanishing from time to time. The explanation for his behavior, which comes at the very end, doesn't really explain things very well.

[Cyn McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fremont has taken on a job as the temporary keeper of the lighthouse on Point Pinos, at the southern point of Monterey Bay. A body washes ashore, and of course she ends up stirring up a lot of trouble as she tries to identify the woman. It was really interesting reading about the area when Carmel-by-the-Sea was just a tiny artists' community and most of the Seventeen Mile Drive went through forests instead of past golf courses.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 2 out of 5]

x. 1907. Round n round. Jones sees corpse first from lighthouse job; artist Phoebe ids actress, vanishes. Jones wants Michael, so does Artimisia, her nudity, dream story typed by Jones adds heat. Typo 12.11 I'm. IS I'm 15.9 fraugnt IS fraught

[Lori Tart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though still a good read, I found the third volume of this series was less interesting and fun than what I'd read so far. That said, it is an integral part of Fremont's growing set of detective skills.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book I read by this author and I'm not sure if I will read another. I didn't care for the relationship between Fremont and Michael and the main plot didn't hold my attention.

[Mica P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

not good

[Olivermagnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

1109

[Jeanene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually picked this up because I thought it was set in Cardiff as opposed to Carmel, though both are in California, Cardiff is local to me and I was interested in reading something set locally.

It did have some interesting elements. I liked the main character, Fremont Jones, a single woman trying to make her way in the world (set just after the San Francisco earthquake) after she lost everything in said disaster.

I liked the Bohemians in Carmel, I liked the mystery, I liked the little bits of other stories incorporated into the work (Fremont is a typist and we get a couple of stories from the pages she's typing)

But-- there were things about Fremont I didn't care for, much like Harry Potter, she doesn't like to share information, which of course leads to worse troubles, and I hate that as a character trait when it over used to introduce plot complications.

I also couldn't stand her love interest, he was whiny and annoying, and it was made quite clear that he would be a fixture in the other books of the series.

And although I enjoyed the added stories, one seemed pointless, the other too provocative and neither of them felt like they were written by someone else. Since the book is in first person, it just felt like Fremont was telling a story in her own words rather than sharing something written by another.

I doubt I'll pick up any of the other in the series.

[Minh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fremont Jones novels are a curious mix of Mystery and Romance. At first I assumed that Fremont, having set up shop in San Fransisco would have happily settled there and would have somehow managed to embroil herself in mysteries each novel. Instead we got a series about a woman's life, which unlike most fiction series tumbles up and down. Poor Fremont has dated murderers, been made homeless, had men attempt to rape her, all while trying to date one Michael Archer.

After leaving for Carmel with Michael at the end of book 2, we find that Michael has embraced the bohemian lifestyle becoming Misha, a leather clad drunken hippy of a man. Fremont unable to embrace this new lifestyle with as much enthusiasm as Michael finds herself in a nearby town dividing her time between her type writing service, and her job as lightkeeper.

Upon the discovery of a young actress' body in the water, Fremont becomes determined to find out what happened to her and is frustrated by the lack of co-operation from not just Michael, but from the majority of the town.

Misha? I was pretty surprised at this rapid transformation and I guess what I really liked was although you could've just put down the series after book 2, Dianne Day has managed to keep things interesting enough for us to wonder past the seemingly happy endings.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book, author and series (of which this is not the first in the series) by the LibrarySuggester of LibraryThing. Although not as individually compelling as some heroes/heroines of other mystery series, Day's Fremont Jones does grab your attention and take you for a turn-of-the-century ride.[return]Set on the Monterey Peninsula shortly after the great 1906 San Fransisco earthquake, Fremont Jones finds herself temporarily the keeper of the Point Pinos lighthouse. As such she spies a body floating in the bay during one of her daily watches. The body of a woman is brought ashore, but left unidentified by the locals and the medical examiner- until Fremont gets involved. The oddball artist community in Carmel, the suave Braxton Furnivall, and an assortment of other characters moves the story along on shear personality alone. Somewhat predictable towards the end, it is nevertheless a fun and engaging read.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bohemian Murders set in Pacific Grove, California and Carmel, California in 1907, finds the main character, Fremont Jones, acting as a substitute lighthouse keeper. During her duties, she observes a body in the ocean and calls for assistance from the police. Once the body is dragged from the waves, Fremont discovers the body to be that of a woman wearing a fancy red dress, with half of her face eaten by crustaceans. So begins Fremont's search to find the mysterious woman's identity and to ensure the woman receives a decent burial. As a result of her snooping, Fremont Jones encounters much animosity and even violence to her.
I found much to enjoy in this book, including information learned about the area and its history. However, I felt the ending was somewhat rushed and I was not fully satisfied with the story's conclusion. Overall, I would recommend this book. It did make me interested in reading more stories about Fremont Jones.

[Goose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Third time is not the charm, when it comes to the Fremont Jones series by Dianne Day. Though I would give it 2 & 1/2 stars if you could give half stars on goodreads. Maybe I'm getting tired of Fremont & her off/on flirty relationship with Michael. Maybe the new "not San Francisco" setting bothered me. I'm not sure why but I just found this one lacking. The long flashback at the beginning of the book, that helped introduce all the characters, could have been written or structured better. The novella that Fremont was typing was so bad that I'm surprised she didn't fall out of her chair with laughter. I really liked the character of Phoebe and was excited when she showed up, but then she quickly disappeared. I will still read the next book in this series and I hope it is a trice better than this and I hope it returns this still interesting heroine to San Francisco.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books have some really charming elements, but I hate the way that the events of the last two have kept Michael Archer largely out of the picture. It was especially bad this time around because of the heavy jerk-factor. I guess the author was trying to keep some tension between them, but having Fremont so isolated during her investigations makes things less interesting for me. The "short story within the story" parts also don't work all that well.

The ending held promise, but I had similar feelings about the end of the previous one. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered the third book in the series thinking that I remembered what happened in the second. The unfolding of the book led me to believe that something happened in book two led her to leave San Francisco and move to Carmel. I finished the book and not sure that I feel as if I know the true reason why she had to move ... she did something that "shamed" her in society. The Carmelites in this book may be the ancestors of the "hippies" of the 1970s. There is mystery, romance and some history in this series, and I could see it as a mini-series for television.

[RachelAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand that Fremont's been burned by Justin and is hurt by the implication that the man she fell in love with is "a mistake," but I spent most of the book wanting to shake her and tell her just to hear what Michael had to say. As with the last book, I was disappointed that there just happened to be two criminals in what seemed to be a single case. Nonetheless, the writing was solid, and the characters are quite enjoyable.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Fremont Jones and am so glad there are three more books in the dear departed Dianne Day's series! However, so many authors feel the need to relocate their main characters from the central locale & it drives me crazy! Of course I enjoyed reading about Carmel & Pacific Grove, I truly missed the hustle & bustle of Fremont in San Francisco! Glad she will be heading back there in the next novel.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am wishing I hadn't dragged my feet so long in reading this book, though as one can see by looking at the start and end dates, paper books are slow going for me much of the time. I'm sure that is a big reason why so much time elapsed between books. But, as with the previous books in this series I very much enjoyed it and am looking forward to finishing the next one so I can then get the rest in ebook form :-)

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fremont Jones has moved to Pacific Grove after the San Francisco Earthquake. Beside her typing business, she takes a job as lighthouse keeper for six months as the permanent keeper takes a leave. She spots a body floating in the bay and no mention of the body is found in the newspaper and then the body disappears from the morgue. Fremont promised the body a "Christian" burial and she investigates. As mysteries go, this is a lightweight, a nice respite between heavier readings.

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story a little more than the first one. The addition of her substituting as a lighthouse keeper was a nice twist, considering her attraction to lighthouses in the first book. The story was interesting and I didn't see that particular ending, or rather combinations of endings, coming.

And Michael . . . sigh.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. A light mystery, Fremont Jones moves to the Carmel and Monterey area after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake where she is a typist and a part-time lighthouse keeper. A woman’s body washes up in the surf, and Fremont pursues the death. I liked the characters and the historical aspects of the settings. An enjoyable read.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Fremont is a substitute lighthouse keeper. An unidentified lady washes up on the beach. Murders occur and she solves them. A very enjoyable read. Calm. Good to read after reading a book that is more intense.