Really well done. My little one was pretty apprehensive about starting kindegarten this year, so I searched Amazon for something to help make the transition from home to school a little easier. This book addressed all of her major concerns: What is a teacher like? What will the other kids be like? What do they do in school? When do we eat? And who do we eat with?

The discussion for parents at the back of the book assists adults in identifying and addressing our kids' concerns.

Really helpful. Well written and beautifully illustrated. I'd recommend it to any parent with kids just starting school.

Dianne Blomberg has written a book that will help break the generation gap between parents, grandparents and thier children. This book helps to prmote discusions regarding the topic and pure entertainment at the same time. It is obvious that Mrs. Blomberg must be a wonderful grandmother herself! This is a definate 5 stars!!!!!!!

This bok is a great book there is suspense at every turn and if you are looking for a thriller this is the book?! read I dare you

What a book to keep romance in the air for any age and let the young children have fun in sharing valentines! We always want to be creative with what they put their valentines in. This book has so many suggestions for boys and girls. We encorporated these for our valentine parties and for cards in general- such as birthday card holders. Suggestion: Purchase the complete set.

This is the second Fremont Jones mystery I've read. I ended up sitting in my bath after it got cold because I had to finish. The book starts out with the great earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco. In the uproar after the quake, Fremont has to track down all kinds of threads of several mysteries.

I like Day's ability to keep a multilevel plot going, and the realism of her characters. The only problem is at the very end she ties together all the plots and it just doesn't quite work. However, over all this book is wonderful I'd highly reccomend it.

Ms. Day really has a good thing going! This is a wonderful book to read. Ms. Day does not short change her readers. I can't say enough good things about this book. The discriptions of the Great Earthquake in San Francisco are great! You feel as if you are there, and how truly horrible it must have been to have been in it. The mystery and touch of romance are very well handled by Ms. Day too. Yes, among all the rubble, Fremont finds a murder to solve and some one to fall in love with. I like the way that Ms. Day leads you into the next book too. Letting the cast advance to new places and people. So that you are not stuck in a time warp. Keep going and moving Ms. Day. This is a great read.

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! .

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.

Boston is one of my favorite cities, and I visit it as often as possible. I was, therefore, very pleased that Fremont Jones decided to return to her native city to visit her ailing father in this latest installment of an excellent series of mysteries. The city itself is almost a character in the plot, and the author has done her homework quite well, for she has the geography of the streets down very well (I know, for I've walked many of them). She even stays at the Parker House, an elegant hotel in Fremont's day, and still an imposing one, where my wife and I stopped for a drink and some snacks one Saturday afternoon two months ago. The plot of the mystery is quite straight forward, and is solved expeditiously by our heroine at the end, as usual. It's a bittersweet book, for Fremont loses her beloved father, but does manage to attain justice, of a sort, at the conclusion. I await anxiously the next installment of her adventures.

I'm not going to bore you with another rendition of the plot of this book. Four other reviewers have done an excellent job. I will say that a reader should start at the beginning of this series to get the full enjoyment of this story. Fremont Jones is a wonderfully fleshed out character. Ms. Day is a wonderful and entertaining writer. She does a great job of characterization and plotting in her books. The author is also great at giving her books a good feel for the times. Weather it be, social, physical or emotional. The reader gets the added plus of comparing East and West Coast in this installment. Ms. Day is right, there is a vast difference between the two. May be next time Fremont can go to Southern California, once again there is a vast difference. It would be interesting to see Fremont's take on that one. The mystery in this installment is a good solid one. Who did what or did it happen at all? Then the why, Ms. Day as always does an excellent job of closing the plot and explaining the why of this story. Once again, I wholeheartedly recommend this book and series. One note to the previous reviewer, read "The Strange Files of Fremont Jones" to find out about the Fremont relation. One does not have to have children to have people related to them.

I'm not going to bore you with another rendition of the plot of this book. Four other reviewers have done an excellent job. I will say that a reader should start at the beginning of this series to get the full enjoyment of this story. Fremont Jones is a wonderfully fleshed out character. Ms. Day is a wonderful and entertaining writer. She does a great job of characterization and plotting in her books. The author is also great at giving her books a good feel for the times. Weather it be, social, physical or emotional. The reader gets the added plus of comparing East and West Coast in this installment. Ms. Day is right, there is a vast difference between the two. May be next time Fremont can go to Southern California, once again there is a vast difference. It would be interesting to see Fremont's take on that one. The mystery in this installment is a good solid one. Who did what or did it happen at all? Then the why, Ms. Day as always does an excellent job of closing the plot and explaining the why of this story. Once again, I wholeheartedly recommend this book and series. One note to the previous reviewer, read "The Strange Files of Fremont Jones" to find out about the Fremont relation. One does not have to have children to have people related to them.

Dianne Day has created a great series, with a fascinating character and excellent local color and history of the San Francisco Bay area.

The Bohemian Murders, even more than previous books, shows her background in gothic romance-suspense, and in fact the book almost falls as much into that catagory as into the mystery genre.

I thought the ending was daring, if not particularly satisfying, with quite a few loose ends and unanswered questions left dangling in my mind.

But it was still, overall, an enjoyable book. If one is a murder mystery fan, I might suggest starting with The Strange Files of Fremont Jones. This might be a good introduction for romance or gothic suspense fans.

I'm sitting here scratching my head and wondering what happened or failed to happen in this book. Since I gulped down both of Dianne Day's previous books featuring the wonderful character Fremont Jones, its as if I came to a grinding halt while reading this book. Perhaps if I only read this book without the others I would have rated it higher but knowng how much I enjoyed the first two books have altered my opinion of this book.

Following Michael, her love interest to Monterey and the bohemian artist colony there, Fremont takes a job as a lighthouse kepper. And sure enough she is on duty when a young woman's body washes up on shore. As if that wasn't enough, Michael is now calling himself Misha and not only has a new group of artist friends, but also a new lady friend on his arm.

The descriptions of the artist's colony, like Day's descriptions of San Francisco from the early 20th century, were vivid and informative, and the relationship angle between Michael and Fremont is more intriguing, overall something was missing from this latest entry into this series.

I found the Bohemian Murders, the third in the Fremont Jones Mysteries, to be more intriguing than the last Fire & Fog. Although the atmosphere of San Franciso was delicious, I was glad for a change of scenery when Fremont moves her typing business to Carmel and finds herself frustrated with both a love interest who suddenly changes, and a mysterious body that washes ashore close to the lighthouse for which she is temporarily keeping watch.

I think Fremont grows up in this novel. Anyone who has been fascinated by the work of lighthouse keepers will love this book. It's the perfect setting for a mystery.

Day adds flavor to the Carmelites by introducing colorful characters all distinct in their 'bohemian' artistic ways. From the 'Twangy Boys' - Tom, Dick, and Harry, to artistic Artimisia, Day throws in so many wacky characters that the novel keeps you guessing to the end, about several things. . .

Truthfully, the real reason to pick this book up is the for the romantic tension between Michael and Fremont!

It's 1963 and Clara Barton, "The Angel of the Battlefield," is in Hilton Head, SC, awaiting the Union forces' attack on Charleston. She prepares her supplies, falls in love with a married man and has an affair, and becomes a sleuth, tracking down the psychotic who has stalked her and terrorized the community.

Barton is one of my heroes, so I enjoyed seeing what Day did in her fictionalization, even if it doesn't ring true with what I already know about her. I also adore the South Sea Islands area of the U.S., and Day more than does justice to the natural beauty of the area and its people. A nice subplot has Barton helping a young black boy become literate and find a future. The horrors of our Civil War are also brought to life well.

But the book's pace is too slow, and Barton's bodice-ripping romance is a bit amateur. Any reader of the murder-mystery genre will find the stalcker entirely predictable.

Get it at the library.

While perhaps not technically a mystery, Dianne Day's new novel about Clara Barton is a richly drawn account of one indomitable woman's determination to serve her country during one of the darkest periods in its history. Set on Hilton Head Island, SC, during the Union occupation in 1863, "Cut to the Heart" rings with the authenticity we've come to expect from Ms. Day, whose Fremont Jones novels brought turn-of-the-century San Francisco so vividly to life. She has captured the lush, steamy landscape of the Lowcountry so completely you can almost smell the dank pluff mud of the marshes and hear the constant whine of the insects.
Accurate as well is Day's portrayal of the Sea Islands' recently freed black population, abandoned and forgotten by their white masters who fled inland ahead of the victorious Union Navy assault. Untrained to survive on their own, the former slaves are suffering from malnutrition and the many diseases riding on the fetid air of the swampy marshlands.
Enter Clara Barton, self-appointed "Angel of the Battlefield" and future founder of the Red Cross. Sent to the garrison on Hilton Head to await the next battle, Clara finds herself drawn to the plight of the local people. While she struggles to understand their lyrical Gullah language and strange blend of Christianity and ancient magic, Clara defies the military medical establishment by treating them as best she can. She enlists the aid of a young black teenager named Erasmus, whose thirst for learning stirs Clara's hope for his people's future. Together they gather and stockpile the wagonloads of donated supplies which have earned her the unique battlefield pass she carries.
Drawing on meticulous research into private letters and diaries, Ms. Day provides us with a fascinating, although fictionalized, vision of this revered woman. In her liaison with Col. John Elwell, the married commandant of the Hilton Head post, we discover a Clara Barton as passionate about love as she is about her mission. Stalked by a demented doctor who is obsessed with a revolutionary medical experiment that requires an increasing number of live "specimens," Clara soon finds herself enmeshed in a bizarre chess match with a faceless nemesis who may be much closer than she thinks. As local blacks -- both adults and children -- begin disappearing, Clara Barton turns sleuth and, in the process, may have unwittingly delivered herself into the hands of her tormentor.
The mystery may be thin, but this well-written historical novel is certainly loaded with suspense as well as a stunning ending. It is well worth the reader's investment

The author of the wonderful "Fremont Jones" series has made a dramatic move in writing CUT TO THE HEART and yet that same "you are there" sense of place and time that makes the Fremont Jones' series so great makes this book great also.
I admire the research, the time and the effort that went into this book and respect Ms. Day all the more for it.
Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross, an image in my mind since childhood, is brought to vivid light and the vague ideas I had are embued with life thanks to this book.
Bravo to Ms. Day. I look forward to where she turns her pen next.

"Death Train to Boston" jumped off the shelf and into my arms. I was so pleased with the previous Fremont Jones stories that when I saw this book was finally out I nabbed it instantly, but I was very disappointed. Where was the mystery, the intricate characters, or even an adventure. I couldn't believe the train ride was over within the first 10 pages and when we did board the train again with Michael and Li I couldn't understand what Ms. Day was attempting to acheive in adding the mysterious stranger from Michael's past to the mix. I was even more disappointed to see Fremont in such a demour, passive light that I will probably get the next book out at the library, if I read it at all. I cannot convey my disappointment in such colorful characters being strung along in such a pointless story.

Michael Kossoff and Fremont Jones are on a train that suddenly explodes. The train explosion and their unseen foe fade to the background while you become wrapped up in Fremont's injuries, her being held hostage by a group of Mormons, Michael's search for Fremont, Meiling's transformation back into the Chinese culture to name but a few. Then toward the end of the book, the women in the Mormon group did an about-face, and seem to simply fade away and the train foe reappears. There were too many loose strings to make this the typical Dianne Day mystery. The motivations for the characters' actions and reactions were unclear and seemed to come from nowhere. I'm a huge fan of Ms. Day and will continue to read her mysteries, but this one was not up to par.

One of the things that makes the Fremont Jones mysteries so interesting is that the characters are constantly evolving. Another is that the locations often change as well; thus, we're spared the routine similarities between novels in other series. In this, the fifth installment, Fremont and her partner/lover Michael are seperated by an explosion on board a train, while on a case. Fremont is kidnapped by a menacing Mormon intent on making her the sixth of his wives. With both legs broken by the explosion, she must resort to her wiles and powers of persuasion to escape from his clutches. We are back in Study In Scarlet country here. Meanwhile, Michael Kassoff searches desperately for Fremont, while simultaneously eluding an old enemy, and trying to determine who is so deter- mined to kill them that he'd blow up an entire train. Also, he must put up with the wiles of Fremont's friend, Meiling, who has her undergone a few changes of her own. Great fun, as are all the Fremont Jones myste- ries. This is a worthy continuation in an inter- esting series.