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Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery #10
Murder on the Purple Water
Pat and Jean Abbott, holidaying in Key West, are again available when murder occurs and a fishing craft, with two unexpected guests, provide many motives and suspects. Jean keeps the situation complicated by letting her curiosity get the better of her commonsense, which may give the reader a runaround but will entertain him.
Cover art by Denver Gillen.
Cover art by Denver Gillen.
- GenresMystery
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
11 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Frances Crane
48 books16 followersFrances Kirkwood Crane was an American mystery author, who introduced private investigator Pat Abbott and his future wife Jean in her first novel, 'The Turquoise Shop' (1941). The Abbotts investigated crimes in a total of 26 volumes, each with a colour in the title.
She died in an Albuquerque, New Mexico nursing home, where she had spent the previous few months because of ill-health. Her ashes were scattered across her home town of Lawrenceville.
Frances Crane, author of the colorful Pat and Jean Abbott mystery stories, was born in Lawrenceville, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, she travelled in Europe. While living there in the 1920s she began contributing to magazines, including The New Yorker, in which her satirical "Mrs. Craig-Higgs" pieces from England appeared. Her articles did not prevent her from expanding into mystery fiction, a genre in which she found great success on both sides of the ocean.
Mrs. Crane spent a good part of her life traveling the world, living for extended periods in the places that provided the settings for many of her mysteries. San Francisco was one of her favorite cities and the home of the Abbotts. Her love for that cosmopolitan center was reflected in Thirteen White Tulips, The Amber Eyes, The Man in Gray, and others. Similarly, her fascination with Tangier was evidenced in The Coral Princess Murders (1954), and her love of New Orleans in The Indigo Necklace (1945). Paris, Louisville, Texas, and many other interesting locales were also backgrounds for her mysteries.
From 1941 to 1965, Mrs. Crane completed 26 novels featuring the Abbotts, whose adventures were broadcast in two radio series in the 1940s and 50s, Abbott Mysteries and Adventures of the Abbotts.
She died in an Albuquerque, New Mexico nursing home, where she had spent the previous few months because of ill-health. Her ashes were scattered across her home town of Lawrenceville.
Frances Crane, author of the colorful Pat and Jean Abbott mystery stories, was born in Lawrenceville, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, she travelled in Europe. While living there in the 1920s she began contributing to magazines, including The New Yorker, in which her satirical "Mrs. Craig-Higgs" pieces from England appeared. Her articles did not prevent her from expanding into mystery fiction, a genre in which she found great success on both sides of the ocean.
Mrs. Crane spent a good part of her life traveling the world, living for extended periods in the places that provided the settings for many of her mysteries. San Francisco was one of her favorite cities and the home of the Abbotts. Her love for that cosmopolitan center was reflected in Thirteen White Tulips, The Amber Eyes, The Man in Gray, and others. Similarly, her fascination with Tangier was evidenced in The Coral Princess Murders (1954), and her love of New Orleans in The Indigo Necklace (1945). Paris, Louisville, Texas, and many other interesting locales were also backgrounds for her mysteries.
From 1941 to 1965, Mrs. Crane completed 26 novels featuring the Abbotts, whose adventures were broadcast in two radio series in the 1940s and 50s, Abbott Mysteries and Adventures of the Abbotts.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 27, 2023
Murder on the Purple Water was an interesting late 1940s/Golden Age detective story. I wavered between 3 1/2 and 4 stars but dropped to 3 for a rating. The ending put me off a little. Otherwise for atmosphere and pretty classy writing I’d have rated it higher.
My book actually had a more “tasteful” cover but I prefer the tackier one shown here. It suits. Looking a little like a grown up Nancy Drew, the heroine and voice of the novel is a little like someone out of Perry Mason or Nick and Nora from The Thin Man. Nice banter. Terrific Key West post-war setting.
Frances Crane was one of those women who needed money and turned to writing mystery stories… a tradition going back into the 18th century. She had a background in writing articles for The New Yorker then went on to great success with 26 mysteries. Unfortunately she’s pretty well unknown today. I’ll give her another try. I like her style and hopefully there’ll be a better ending next time.
My book actually had a more “tasteful” cover but I prefer the tackier one shown here. It suits. Looking a little like a grown up Nancy Drew, the heroine and voice of the novel is a little like someone out of Perry Mason or Nick and Nora from The Thin Man. Nice banter. Terrific Key West post-war setting.
Frances Crane was one of those women who needed money and turned to writing mystery stories… a tradition going back into the 18th century. She had a background in writing articles for The New Yorker then went on to great success with 26 mysteries. Unfortunately she’s pretty well unknown today. I’ll give her another try. I like her style and hopefully there’ll be a better ending next time.
October 8, 2023
Entry number ten in the Pat and Jean Abbott mysteries find our bantering couple on a fishing vacation in Key West with their friend, Captain Bill Jonas of the New Orleans police. They've booked Cy Martingale's charter boat for a few days of deep sea fishing, but before they even get a chance to get onboard, Martingale's boat becomes the scene for murder and the Abbotts and Jonas are reeled into the investigation. Jonas is friends with police chief and since the chief is deep in the swamps on a fishing trip of his own and the department is already dealing with a double killing, the New Orleans captain is asked to manage the investigation until the local chief returns.
The fishing party booked just prior to the Abbotts consisted of the host Dixon Whitehead, a millionaire who doesn't much explain where those millions came from; Stephen Ashley, an artist--or so he says--whose work Whitehead has been supporting; Julia Deane, the lovely young woman whom Whitehead thinks he'll marry; her mother Katherine Deane, a beauty in her own right; their friend Priscilla Braden, a wealthy woman who bought the Deanes' home when the family needed money; and two gatecrashers--Gerald Deane, Katherine's estranged husband, and Zada Corday, Martingale's niece and Gerald's current "other woman."
Whitehead's party seemed doomed to fail from the start. Zada realized immediately that they hadn't been invited (despite what Gerald told her) and spent the day in a sulk, refusing all efforts by the others to smooth things over. Martingale is none too happy to see his niece hooked up with Gerald--a drunk and general louse, nor to see his friend Katherine have to endure her drunken husband's presence. Gerald arrived with several drinks already under his belt and got progressively drunker and more offensive as the day went on. When he finally goes below to sleep it off, everyone is relieved and the day gets slightly better when Dixon and Priscilla land a few sailfish. The party doesn't even mind when Gerald stays below after the boat returns to dock. But when Captain Martingale goes below to finally deal with his drunken passenger, he finds Deane dead--stabbed with a fish knife.
Martingale doesn't like the police, so, thinking he might avoid official bother, he calls his friend Pat Abbott and asks him to investigate. But Abbott doesn't want to get on the wrong side of the law and forces the captain to call in the police--who, as mentioned, turn to Abbott's friend Captain Jonas. With the suspects telling lies or disappearing altogether, Jonas and the Abbotts have their hands full. And just what is Ashley doing skulking around? Does he really work for Whitehead or does he have an agenda of his own? Our detectives will need to find out before they can solve this one.
This is one of the more tightly plotted of the Crane mysteries. Jean does a bit of her dashing off into trouble antics, but not as much as in some of the stories. She is up to form when it comes to deciding who the killer is--that is to say, every time a new clue comes up she changes her mind and this time she's sure, by golly. It's always fun to see how her logic is going to work...and whether or not she winds up being right (usually not...but she occasionally picks a winner). I'm sure some will be offended by racial references in this story, but it's important to note that Crane always puts such references in the mouths of characters we are not supposed to like and she uses events to underline the fact that her main and more likeable characters do not feel that way. And, in fact, that right-thinking, more civilized people do not feel that way. This isn't surprising from a woman who was expelled from Germany for her anti-Nazi actions during the 1930s and who wrote articles afterwards criticizing the regime.
A highly enjoyable, quick-pace mystery.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
The fishing party booked just prior to the Abbotts consisted of the host Dixon Whitehead, a millionaire who doesn't much explain where those millions came from; Stephen Ashley, an artist--or so he says--whose work Whitehead has been supporting; Julia Deane, the lovely young woman whom Whitehead thinks he'll marry; her mother Katherine Deane, a beauty in her own right; their friend Priscilla Braden, a wealthy woman who bought the Deanes' home when the family needed money; and two gatecrashers--Gerald Deane, Katherine's estranged husband, and Zada Corday, Martingale's niece and Gerald's current "other woman."
Whitehead's party seemed doomed to fail from the start. Zada realized immediately that they hadn't been invited (despite what Gerald told her) and spent the day in a sulk, refusing all efforts by the others to smooth things over. Martingale is none too happy to see his niece hooked up with Gerald--a drunk and general louse, nor to see his friend Katherine have to endure her drunken husband's presence. Gerald arrived with several drinks already under his belt and got progressively drunker and more offensive as the day went on. When he finally goes below to sleep it off, everyone is relieved and the day gets slightly better when Dixon and Priscilla land a few sailfish. The party doesn't even mind when Gerald stays below after the boat returns to dock. But when Captain Martingale goes below to finally deal with his drunken passenger, he finds Deane dead--stabbed with a fish knife.
Martingale doesn't like the police, so, thinking he might avoid official bother, he calls his friend Pat Abbott and asks him to investigate. But Abbott doesn't want to get on the wrong side of the law and forces the captain to call in the police--who, as mentioned, turn to Abbott's friend Captain Jonas. With the suspects telling lies or disappearing altogether, Jonas and the Abbotts have their hands full. And just what is Ashley doing skulking around? Does he really work for Whitehead or does he have an agenda of his own? Our detectives will need to find out before they can solve this one.
This is one of the more tightly plotted of the Crane mysteries. Jean does a bit of her dashing off into trouble antics, but not as much as in some of the stories. She is up to form when it comes to deciding who the killer is--that is to say, every time a new clue comes up she changes her mind and this time she's sure, by golly. It's always fun to see how her logic is going to work...and whether or not she winds up being right (usually not...but she occasionally picks a winner). I'm sure some will be offended by racial references in this story, but it's important to note that Crane always puts such references in the mouths of characters we are not supposed to like and she uses events to underline the fact that her main and more likeable characters do not feel that way. And, in fact, that right-thinking, more civilized people do not feel that way. This isn't surprising from a woman who was expelled from Germany for her anti-Nazi actions during the 1930s and who wrote articles afterwards criticizing the regime.
A highly enjoyable, quick-pace mystery.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
March 4, 2021
The mystery is tight, the characters are interesting, and the humor is dryly 1940s. Crane gives us married couple Pat and Jean Abbott who trade quips and make trenchant observations to unravel some complicated mysteries. I love that you get striking descriptions of places, clothing, attitudes, food, and drink from the period, usually with no distraction from the story. However, Murder on Purple Water did spend a whole paragraph on how to make the supreme Key Lime pie, a bit much for even someone with my predilection for sweets. Crane also has an interesting take on prejudices of the time. She may have characters express the biases against people of color taken for granted even more so in the ’40s, but they usually fall to really despicable individuals. And, interestingly, when Jean Abbott admits to herself that she prefers “friendly brown faces” to the mysterious, reserved black one of a man of Caribbean descent, the author undercuts that view by having Jean realize the dark man with whom she feels uncomfortable is actually a heroic person of integrity. Of course, would you expect anything less of a woman who was kicked out of Nazi Germany for exposing their prewar, violent anti-Semitism to her news readers back in the States?
January 22, 2013
Pat and Jean Abbott are vacationing on Key West with their friend, Captain Bill Jonas of the New Orleans police. When their favorite fishing boat captain finds a body on his boat, he appeals to Pat to cover up the case--like many native Key Westians in those days, he distrusted the understaffed police department. Pat won't cover up, but he will find the murderer.
August 28, 2024
5/5 stars!
My review here:
https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...
My review here:
https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews