Fire and Fog and Fremont Jones

I loved this book even more than her first. Nothing has made the 1906 earthquake as real as this book. Dianne Day sets such a wonderful atmosphere that it feels too real to want to leave.

It's the Great Quake in San Francisco and there's our Fremont Jones with the mysterious Michael Archer in the midst of it all. Dianne Day instantly became one of my favorite mystery writers when I read "The Strange Files of Fremont Jones." (Start with that one, by all means!) This one is just as "can't put it down, can't turn the page fast enough" as that one was. I can't find proof, but I'm of the opinion that Dianne Day is Laurie King. (Start with "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" and see what I mean.) At any rate, they write in a similar manner, and both are excellent. TRY THEM!Oh, yeah. ... She lives through the Quake. Hence, sequels abound! .

Having previously read Dianne Day's first book (The Strange Files of Fremont Jones) featuring the feisty sleuth/typist, I couldn't wait till I returned to San Francisco to find out what Ms. Jones was up to. And Dianne Day ceratinly amused this reader with her next tale set during the San Francisco Earthquake.Because of severe damage to the boarding house where they lived, fremont and her friend Michael must find other living arrangements. Elusive Michael, who Fremont suspects is a spy retires to the Presidio where he has a room, while Fremont finds herself living with a new acquaintance with a rather strange story. As the city returns to its former vitality, Fremont discovers an assortment of valuable antiques in a storage area of her office builkding, is kidnapped by a Ninja, learns more about Michael and even manages to eke out a living as a typist.Much as I enjoyed the first book, I found this read to be even better. As I read this book, I felt as though I was there in San Francisco and could not only feel the rumbling but see the fog and smell the smoke.

This book, a sequel to the debut "The Strange Files of Fremont Jones" was a true page-turner. I literally read it all in a single day, finding every opportunity and staying up MUCH too late in order to finish it. Day's sleuth, Fremont Jones, lives in San Francisco, CA, around the time of the Great Quake, which takes place during the setting of this book. Her recounting of the mysteries which unfold in the chaos resulting from the quake renders the events of that time and the reality of what it must have been like to live through the quake compelling and real. Her characters are likeable and frustratingly real -- all the more so because they react in ways we have all seen ourselves react. I can't wait to read her subsequent novels featuring the intrepid Fremont.

Fremont Jones is rudely awaken by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake at the beginning of Fire and Fog. It is only the beginning of the troubles San Francisco and Fremont face in this witty, engrossing book. Somehow, Dianne Day manages to make Fremont's travails seem like adventures. Fremont is such a fearless, resourceful woman that she never seems like a victim. After all, this is a woman who defies conventions without apology, and accepts the challenges thrown her way without complaint.It is 1906, and Fremont is a feminist, an atheist, and runs her own typewriting business. She also cares deeply -- about the welfare of her friends, about helping others, about justice. Her principles are not subject to negotiation, but she keeps an open mind about her views on less important subjects, like automobiles. Fremont isn't perfect (which would make her nauseating), but she is completely engaging and likable. San Francisco is the perfect setting to allow such an unconventional character to get some acceptance.The setting (historically and geographically) is nicely drawn, without the author ever falling prey to "show-off" syndrome. That is, she does not lecture the reader, showing off the fruits of her research. The portrait of the time and place feel genuine, and the writing is elegant but never stuffy. This is the first Fremont Jones book I've read, and I read it without knowing anything about the plot beyond the earthquakes and fire. I recommend reading it this way, so you can be as surprised by everything as Fremont is. I'm now reading the first book in the series, The Strange Files of Fremont Jones, and it is very good so far. There is some wonderful foreshadowing of events minor and major. The foreshadowing is yet another indication of the fine writing.The author has obviously pondered the meanings and symbolism behind events like fire and earthquakes. These phenomena in a sense are more flagrant, larger-scale versions of the horrors of violence committed by people. People and ! nature may wreak havoc, and induce fear and suffering, but they cannot destroy hope.Fremont encounters both natural and human-caused destruction -- and the latter is sometimes creepy. Yet it feels like Fremont is having an adventure, not being tortured. She's always brave, and even finds time to entertain thoughts of romance. I highly recommend Fire and Fog.