Frances Crane was an American author, born in Lawrenceville, Illinois, who became well-known for her mystery novels. After graduating from the University of Illinois and completing her graduate studies at the University of Chicago, Crane traveled extensively in Europe. While living there in the 1920s, she began contributing to magazines such as The New Yorker, where her satirical "Mrs. Craig-Higgs" pieces from England were published. These writings did not deter her from expanding into mystery fiction, a genre in which she found great success on both sides of the ocean.
Crane's most popular series was the "Pat Abbott" mystery series, which featured private investigator Pat Abbott and his future wife Jean. The series began with her first novel, 'The Turquoise Shop' (1941), and continued for a total of 26 volumes, each with a color in the title. Crane's own experiences living in various parts of the world greatly influenced her writing, and her love for cities such as San Francisco, Tangier, New Orleans, and Paris was reflected in the settings of her mysteries.
Frances Crane was an outspoken liberal and spent time in Nazi Germany, where she mocked Hitler's speeches and tried convincing restaurant staff she was Jewish. Due to her actions, she was later expelled from the country. After returning home as a divorcée and in need of money, she began writing detective fiction. From 1941 to 1965, she completed 26 novels featuring the Abbotts, whose adventures were also broadcast in two radio series in the 1940s and 50s, "Abbott Mysteries" and "Adventures of the Abbotts." Crane died in an Albuquerque, New Mexico nursing home, and her ashes were scattered across her home town of Lawrenceville.