The Turquoise Shop

Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery #1

by Frances Crane, Enid Schantz (Introduction)

First published in 1941, this book introduced the sleuthing pair of Jean Holly (later Jean Abbott) and (Mr.) Pat Abbott whose adventures took them all over the globe. This novel is set in a fictionalized version of Taos, New Mexico.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Crime, Mystery Thriller, The United States Of America, American Fiction

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Frances 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.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. 3.5 stars. This is the first in a series that started in 1941, and now would be considered in the cozy genre. Jean Holly is the owner of the Turquoise Shop in the small town of Santa Maria, NM.. The shop is a hub for the locals and the gossip around town. It is quite an eclectic group of people to say the least! Pat Abbott has come to town on vacation (he's a PI) to try his hand at painting but is soon caught up in a death investigation of a mysterious man. There is much more to come and a budding romance between the two main characters as well. The society dame of the group is Mona Brandon who got to be very annoying for me. Quite the harpy, too much yelling.
My edition has a wonderful introduction by Anne Hillerman about the author & her inspiration for this series. I also liked her take on reading these mystery classics. The reason is a return to reading for pleasure, relaxed enjoyment and pure, stress-free entertainment. The Turquoise Shop provides a time travel experience back to a simpler and fascinating world.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the third novel in this series, The Yellow Violet, and loved it. So, when I had a chance to read the first novel in the series, I jumped at it. So glad I did!

Independent Jean Holly came to Santa Maria (a thinly veiled version of Taos, N.M.) eight years ago to become an artist; since then, she’s given up painting and opened a gift shop in the newly trendy tourist and artist mecca. When a loner named Arkwright has his throat slit, Patrick Abbott, tourist, wannabe painter and private eye, is on the scene to investigate.

I still wish author Frances Crane were better known, but, thankfully, American Mystery Classics is gradually re-releasing the novels featuring Jean and Pat. They’re not in order, but readers won’t care.

[Mir]

I just picked up a first edition of The Pink Umbrella at a library book sale, without knowing anything about it (the books were by-the-sack, so...). I guess I should track down the start of the series first. Never heard of Crane before.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in the Pat Abbott mysteries.

Pat Abbott has gone to Santa Maria, New Mexico for a holiday and to try his hand at painting. What he didn't expect was to arrive in the middle of a murder investigation!

Jean Holly's Turquoise Shop, clearing house for gossip and art ware, was the centre of the storm, and it was Jean herself who played an important part in helping Pat Abbott, the skilful detective, to the right solution.

I love this series, each book set in different locations around the world. With a good set of main characters, in well written and plotted mysteries.

There are 26 books in the series that started in 1941 and finished in 1965. They all contain a colour in the title. Some like the above title are available, due to reprinting a few years ago.

My edition was published in 1949 by Hammond, Hammond publishers in London, with its original UK dust jacket in a protective cover.

I have read about 9 books in the series, but that was a long time ago. And as I have a complete set, I thought it was high time that I read them all.

If you like the review and would like to read reviews on other books I have read, visit my blog at www.finalchapterreadersgroup.wordpres...... like, comment and follow.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly awful, just barely readable. | This is truly terrible writing quality, as the whole thing is Dick-and-Jane-level sentences. Direct quote: "I opened the door. The house looked gay and friendly. There was a bright fire flashing on the colorful rugs and pictures. I could smell the spicy smells of dinner. Apples were being cooked, and ham." The entire book is written like this, like a ten year old wrote it before they learned about complex sentences. Most of the people who live in Santa Maria are sociopathic, there's no reason for any one of them to put up with the behavior of the others, let alone intentionally seek out social time with them, and Jean is an absolute moron. Second star only because I did struggle through to the end, and am vaguely curious to know how Crane kept getting published, did she improve that much in the rest of the series? I assume she didn't become less of a bigot.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right now is a time in my life when all I need is a cozy mystery that I can get lost in. Enter The Turquoise Shop by Frances Crane. Our heroine, Miss Jean Holly, runs the aforementioned shop in a small New Mexican town, where rather than everyone knowing everything about everyone else, the inhabitants tell lies and keep secrets like the best of them. Aside from several murders, there is a counterfeiting subplot and an unidentified corpse that keep the story rolling. My favorite element was the budding romance (really more like a flirtation at this stage) between Jean and Patrick Abbott, a detective "on vacation" and trying to become an artist (the fictitious Santa Maria is something of an artist's colony). Mona Brandon, the rich soap opera villainess, tries to own the town and everyone in it. She is deliciously bad--and while you might not want to know her, she's fun to read about. All in all, an entertaining mystery if not an intellectual challenge, and a soothing read for when you need such a thing.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 bk 123. I first came across Frances Crane's detective novels in the 1990's at a used bookstore. These were the paperbac.k editions done in paper that was flocked and falling apart and smelled a bit whiffy. The intertwining of a couple very much in love and each very independent involved in solving crime fascinated me and I kept searching for them, but only found a few. Fast forward to last week when Bookbub advertised the 2nd in the series and I learned there were 26 books in the series. Instead of purchasing the cheaper #8, I went right to #1 and thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Jean and Pat Abbott, how they met, and the first murder they were involved in together. It doesn't read like a first novel but rather one well composed by an experienced mystery author. The notes by Penzler were very informative (Crane was kicked out of Nazi Germany because she wrote unfavorably of Hitler.) Well done book, now to start book #2.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Turquoise Shop (1941) is the first book in Frances Crane's Jean Holly [later Abbott] and Pat Abbot mystery series. Jean Holly is the owner of The Turquoise Shop, selling silver and turquoise jewelry and a few paintings here and there. Patrick Abbott is a handsome private detective from San Francisco who has come to Santa Maria, New Mexico on an artistic holiday. He wants to take up painting as a hobby--or so he says. But is it just coincidence that he has arrived just in time for a murder and some counterfeit bills to trickle through town?

Mona Brandon swooped down upon Santa Maria a few years ago--dominating everyone with her money and her manner. And everyone included her artistic husband who had disappeared several months prior to Abbott's arrival. Did he grow tired of his bossy wife and head for parts unknown? Or is his the body found murdered in the desert and made unrecognizable by the turkey vultures. Suspicion falls upon Carmencita Dominguez--a woman of Mexican descent who had lived in a cabin with the man who called himself Arkwright and who has been identified as the body in the desert. She was prosecuted by Mona Brandon a few years ago for allegedly stealing a diamond bracelet. Rumor has it that Tom Brandon, Mona's missing husband, was infatuated with the girl and had returned to Santa Maria to live with her.

But if Arkwright was Tom Brandon, why would Carmencita kill him? And if she didn't, then who did? The local sheriff, Jim Trask consults Abbott on the case--finding Jean Holly's shop with its cozy fireplace to be an ideal spot to talk things over. When another murder happens--this time at Mona's expensive hacienda on the outskirts of town--Trask and Abbott are faced with even more questions and suspicion gets evenly spread among the artistic crown in Santa Maria. The spotlight of scrutiny focuses first on Mona and then on her handsome Indian chauffeur Luis. Fellow artist Michael O'Hara, town gossip and resident poet Gilbert Mason, and Jean's good friend Daisy Payne all fall under suspicion as well. But who benefits most--and does it have anything to do with the counterfeit twenties passed at Jean Holly's shop?

This is a fairly solid series opener. Good introduction to our main characters, Jean and Pat, and an interesting and eclectic group in the supporting cast. These are definitely on the softer side of the private eye genre, especially with the addition of the budding romance between Jean and Pat. There are lots of red herrings and Pat keeps the clues fairly close to his chest, but the mystery is intriguing nonetheless. A good read for those looking for a bit of mystery and a light touch.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Stephen Biller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read with quirky characters! There was a surprising urgency not often found in older books. The setting gave me a glimpse into a world I knew nothing about...the New Mexico art scene pre-WW2!

[Sue F · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery, with a bit of 1940s awkwardness…

The Turquoise Shop is the first in Frances Crane’s Patrick and Jean Abbott series, set in a fictional New Mexico artists’ colony, Santa Maria, which has some notable similarities to the town of Taos, where Crane lived. The book was written in the 1940s, and unfortunately this shows in the depictions of the various inhabitants of the area, the “Indians”, the “Mexicans”, and the “Anglos”, who are casually stereotyped – both as ethnicities, and in some cases as individuals - in a manner that feels unacceptable today. (This is mitigated ever so slightly by the fact that Crane skewers more than one “Anglo” too…) But there’s also a nice little puzzle to solve that wouldn’t be out of place today: was that dead guy out beyond the outskirts of town really the town doyenne’s missing husband? And was the follow-on death of his girlfriend really suicide? And surely it wasn’t a coincidence that their remote cabin burned down? We get to watch as Sheriff Trask and aspiring artist Patrick Abbott, who clearly is not just an aspiring artist, figure things out, with a bit of help from Jean in her shop on the Santa Maria square.

In addition to the mysterious happenings, Crane’s descriptions of the high-desert Southwest were spot-on, which added considerably to my enjoyment of The Turquoise Shop. And who remembers the days when half-dollar coins existed and you could buy a calf (yes, a young cow) for a dollar. I don’t, but it’s fun to ponder. So there were positive things to enjoy about the contemporaneous 1940s setting as well. Oh yeah, and how could I forget – the author’s bio up front ever-so-blithely mentions that Crane was “invited to leave Nazi Germany in the late 1930s, after writing a number of unfavorable articles about Adolf Hitler”...wow!

All-in-all, I found The Turquoise Shop to be a fun and quick cozy mystery, and I enjoyed it enough that I’ll be watching for later books in the series to come out as e-books. I’m giving it a four-star rating, which for me is a solid “read-this-book” recommendation. However, if you think you’d be offended by some of the 1940s attitudes, you might enjoy other books more. And finally, my thanks to the publishers, American Mystery Classics, and to Edelweiss, for the review copy.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrifically written whodunit, set in 1941 artsy New Mexico. The fictional Santa Maria was based on Taos, Crane’s hometown during several years, and the novel is an interesting portrait of the small town and its artist colony near the border.

The plot is a tad murky, but features a dead man in the desert who might have been the disappeared husband of rich bitch Mona Brandon, a counterfeiting scheme, and a paranoic poet troublemaker. Our heroine, 26-year-old Jean Holly, owns a jewelry shop, The turquoise shop, which everybody has a habit to drop into and which functions as the town’s gossip center. When investigator on vacation and wannabe artist Patrick Abbott drops into town and gets pulled into the mystery, she becomes his investigative sidekick as they start dating. A couple of suicides? Murders? happen and it’s up to our investigative duo to help the sheriff, Trask, to solve the mystery and find the killer.

I loved Crane’s sophisticated prose and atmospheric descriptions. On one hand it’s very dated in its descriptions of “Indians”, “Mexicans” and “Anglos”, on the other hand it’s a true snapshot of the time. The sometimes very short chapters gave an illusion of space and set a slow pace which evoked the setting perfectly.

This is apparently the first novel in the series of the later married crime-solving duo Jean and Pat, and I’m sufficiently interested to try to rout out some more. Kudos to Otto Penzler for republishing this in the American Mystery Classics series!

[Ruthiella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jean Holly runs an antique jewelry and a souvenir shop in the fictional Santa Maria, a small town and artists’ colony the high desert of New Mexico. Set in the 1930s, Jean’s shop doesn’t do much business in the winter, when the events of the book take place, but it is a gathering place for locals who like to chat with Jean, knowing that she knows how to keep a secret. When a reclusive man is murdered, the town is all a twitter with the news. Some think he was wealthy Mona Brandon’s estranged husband. Interesting that the victim had been living with Mona’s former maid, Carmencita Dominguez, who spent a couple years in prison because Mona successfully prosecuted her for theft. However, everyone knows Mona did it for revenge because her husband had a thing for Carmencita. The local sheriff is on the case, but he also consults with a tourist and would-be artist who just happens to be a detective, Pat Abbot. The sheriff and Pat include Jean in their discussions about the case. Is this because she’s such a good listener? Or also because Pat finds her attractive? Hmmmm.

This was a debut mystery from an American Golden Age Crime Fiction writer I’d never heard of before. All France Crane’s books featuring Jean and Pat Abbot have been now been re-issued by Otto Penzler, which is pretty neat. I liked the small town quirkiness of Santa Maria. Considering when it was written, there are some typical attitudes towards and depictions of non-white Americans but it’s not too egregious.

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT

Patrick Abbott, a private investigator from San Francisco, on vacation and staying at the Warner Dude Ranch, walks into Jean Holly's gift shop. So begins their long-term relationship and their involvement into the murder investigation of Albert Arkwright. It is believed by some that he is the husband of Mona Brandon, the wealthy landowner living in Santa Maria. She lords it over the town's inhabitants, owning much of their property. She plays games with people, such as her in and out of purshasing $500 worth of silver jewelry for Christmas gifts from Jean's shop. Mona is also in love with Michael O'Hara, who pretends to love his wife, but she is being slowly killed. O'Hara is an artist. Luis Martinez, an Indian, has been taken on (adopted in some rumors) by Mona. Abbott has also committed to an FBI friend to be on the watch for conterfeit currency. Some of that money ends up in Jean's shop. It leads to the sheriff and Abbott finding the site of the counterfeiting and determining that Arkwright was involved. He is not Mona's husband, who is found in South America. O'Hara was the artist who produced the plates for the counterfeiting. Arkwright was a man named Simkavitch.

A good beginning to a long-standing series during the 40s.

[Kidlitter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always meant to read the Pat and Jean Abbott books and now they are being reissued I was planning to start off with that particular feeling of keen anticipation that starting a new series can bring. I was a bit disappointed by Jean and Pat - she is a passive and pert protagonist with zero instincts for figuring out whodunnit and little deep knowledge of the native art she sells. Pat is one of those detectives who won't allow anyone, especially the reader, to catch him in the act of detecting. But how he does love to show up and lord it over Jean with how much more he knows than her about what's really going on in her community! The book is a period piece of mid twentieth century New Mexico with minor representation of the Indigenous and Hispanic population. Some good atmosphere comes through, particularly in capturing the odd dynamics of an artistic set caught between crass commercialism, and aspirational values of art and nature. But the misogyny expressed by all and sundry towards heiress Mona, particularly by jealous Jean, leaves a bad taste. I will read the next one but not with high hopes.

[Jennybeast · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up as an Advanced Reader's Copy thinking, hey, sometimes I really dig period writing, especially mysteries -- there's something cool about reading a book from the past where you get an entirely different world view and setting.

In this case, not only did I not click with the characters -- honestly, it reads more like a trial report or a newspaper article than a novel -- but I have reached a point where I just can't deal with the inherently patronizing attitudes of the White main characters to the non-White and Indigenous characters who surround them.

To be fair to Frances Crane, I think her characters would have been seen as progressive for her time period, and they are less overtly racist or insulting than Dorothy Sayers or some of the other recent period writers I've been reading. Unfortunately, that isn't sufficient for me anymore.

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was...fine. Enjoyed aspects of it, but felt like it was a little slow-paced and there were a few things that niggled, as often with a book written in the 1940s, particularly that the love interest detective refers to the main character as "child" once which is just hugely cringey.
The setting was probably the best part, it's New Mexico which is very unusual for a golden age mystery and I enjoyed it a lot. Most of the characters were reasonably interesting, although one of the major plot points near the end is totally nonsensical and never really explained.
The references to a whole load of characters as just "Mexicans" seems a bit simplified for modern readers, but again, that was probably the attitude when the book was written.
I wouldn't rush to read the rest of the series, but it was an OK book - 2.5 stars for me, rounded up to 3.

[Giselle Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series that was written in the 1940's. It came through as a return at the library and the title and new cover art intrigued me plus the fact that it is set in New Mexico. The forward is written by Anne Hillerman and after reading that I knew I'd enjoy this new to me duo.
The book did not disappoint and I'm now requesting through I'll's at my library more of the titles in the series.
When you read it you do need to read remembering that this was written in the 1940's when things were very different than the 21st century but the setting, characters, and writing are all excellent and if you can find a copy I would suggest reading it!

[Nicholas George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taos, New Mexico (called "Santa Maria" here) is the setting for this 1940s mystery, and what's surprising is that, other than the main character Jean having no telephone, the story could have taken place today. Taos is much larger now, of course, so the conceit of everyone in town knowing everyone else's business probably wouldn't seem very accurate, but the sleepiness and art culture still ring true. The characters are nicely drawn, but even though the two main characters--Jean and Pat--ultimately get married, their "romance" is definitely on a slow burner here (it's only in the last paragraph that we sense Pat's true feelings for Jean).

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an American Mystery Classic reprint of a 1941 book. As Anne Hillerman warns in her fine introduction, it is difficult in places due to the casual, acceptable (then) bigotry and stereotyping. Eighty years on, I take it as progress that this grates the ear and sensibility of the modern reader and creates a great deal of dissonance. The story itself is a good mystery, and while this is the first in a long-running series with some beginner rough edges, clues, denouement, and repetition, it is a worthwhile read nonetheless.

[Suzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main pro for me for The Turquoise Shop was the setting. I'm familiar with Santa Fe from visiting my grandmother when I was growing up and this book definitely does a good job evoking a sense of place. The store also reminds me a bit of the shop that some family friends ran.

Beyond that I found the writing to be a bit meh and the racism towards all the people of color defintiely brought the book down a star for me. The edition I read did have a brief foreword that mentioned that the book referred to the Native Americans as "Indians" and the Latino people as "Mexicans," but didn't mention or give any context to the pervasive stereotyping that goes on in the book. The main characters do have a more respectful attitude that some of the background characters, but even they say and think some quite questionable things at times. While many books of this era have these issues, it bothered me more than usual in this book, maybe because as an American I am more familiar with these particular racial dynamics and also because it just ran throughout the book due to the setting.

I wonder whether Pat ends up taking more of an active detective role in future books? I found her intellect to not be presented in as favorable a light as say Harriet Vane or Agatha Troy, both of whom I adore. She seemed nosy and invested in what was going on, but kind of hapless in how she went about her investigations to me.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been today's Taos and the house/museum that was the model for the one in this book, I could definitely feel the 1940s vibe in this first Pat & Jean Abbott mystery. It was a fun start to a long series and I enjoyed the mystery as well as the "slow burn" start to the relationship. A lot of quirky artist colony types with enough unpleasant characteristics to keep me guessing as to who the murderer was and their motives.

[SusanA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written ‘cozy’ mystery with enough plot twists to keep me happy. Written in 1941 and recently reissued. Thank goodness Anne Hillerman wrote the intro (on the reissue) or I would never have seen this! Yep, some non-woke, 1941 language, but nothing offensive, just the way it was.

Set in a fictional town that is probably old Taos, it’s a pretty entertaining read.

[Claire Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many things about this book that haven't aged well - I have read a lot of these (both the British & American ones), and this was by far the most noticeable on that front. However, once I got past the first handful of chapters it did become surprisingly readable.

[William N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I miss this?

Somehow I stumbled onto this series. Never heard of it, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. If this first volume is any indication, I will be enjoying the rest for a long time!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few jumps in the story where I had a hard times understanding what happened but overall, I really loved this book.

[Jeff Bleyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The New Mexican setting, based on the Taos area where the author resided, was the primary draw for me given my familiarity with the area.

[Golden Age of Detective Fiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars!

My review here:
https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...

[Nicholas Cantacuzene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the setting and most of the characters but the plot/ending felt a little flat/corny.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Turquoise Shop was the first in a lengthy series featuring Jean and Pat Abbott, this being the episode in which they meet cute. All the books in the series have a color in the title and many occur in different cities. It's charming, giving the very real sense of a small arts town called Santa Maria (think Taos, NM). The mystery isn't even the main part of the story, its the people and place that win the reader over. I'm sure the novel was progressive for the time, but still contains commonly accepted attitudes from 1941. Despite that it does reflect the indigenous and Spanish heritage of the Southwest. Don't know why I'm always disappointed that ideas weren't better then, though they're not always that much better now. The romance works into the story well with no spoiling of the broth. Although it was published in 1941, there's no sense of the impending war. They may be arduous to find, but I'd like to read more installments in the series.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Pat Abbott met Jean Holly. I'd read the second book in the series (rare for me to start out of order, but I was able to get a hold of it first) and enjoyed it so I decided to go back to the beginning.
Jean lives in a town pretty much run by a rich woman, Mona Brandon. Her husband has been missing for a long time and the gossip buzzes about whether the body of a drifter could have been the man himself. Mona is not well-liked using her money to control the town and having had a popular Latino put in jail for "stealing" a diamond bracelet. But now there are more people dying and shots are even flying in Jean's direction.
Great characterization, moves a little slower than modern mysteries but, if you can relax and enjoy the ride, it's a great read.