Frances Crane Books in Order
Frances Crane has written 30 books, published between 1941 and 1968. The first book is The Turquoise Shop (1941) and the newest is Worse Than a Crime (1968). Publication order is the reading order below. 26 of the 30 books listed here are in the Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery series, which has its own page: Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery books in order.
- Books
- 30
- Published
- 1941–1968
- Pages on record
- 825 in 5 of 30 books
Colour is the organising device across Frances Crane's mysteries. Every Pat Abbott title carries one: The Turquoise Shop (1941), The Golden Box, The Yellow Violet, The Applegreen Cat, The Amethyst Spectacles, The Indigo Necklace, The Shocking Pink Hat. Crane (1890-1981) was an American mystery writer, and her first novel introduced the private investigator Pat Abbott alongside Jean, who later became his wife; the pair worked 26 cases. This catalogue holds 30 titles ending with Worse Than a Crime (1968), at a median of 159 pages.
How many Frances Crane books are there?
Frances Crane has 30 books, released between 1941 and 1968. 26 of them belong to the Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery series.
Frances Crane Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 30 Frances Crane books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119411892/4
- 219421592/4
- 319421592/4
- 419431592/4
- 51943–2/4
- 619441592/4
- 71944–2/4
- 81946–2/4
- 91946–2/4
- 101947–2/4
- 111948–2/4
- 121949–2/4
- 131950–2/4
- 141951–2/4
- 151951–2/4
- 161953–2/4
- 171953–2/4
- 181954–2/4
- 191955–2/4
- 201956–2/4
- 211956–2/4
- 221958–2/4
- 231958–2/4
- 241960–2/4
- 25The Reluctant Sleuth1961 · confirmed 2/41961–2/4
- 261962–2/4
- 27Three Days in Hong Kong1965 · confirmed 2/41965–2/4
- 281965–2/4
- 29A Very Quiet Murder1966 · confirmed 2/41966–2/4
- 30Worse Than a Crime1968 · confirmed 2/41968–2/4
Frances Crane series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
Frances Crane books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Standalone books
4 books4 Frances Crane titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Frances Crane books in order?
You only need to read Frances Crane books in order within the Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery series, which holds 26 of the 30 Frances Crane books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Frances Crane
Start with The Turquoise Shop (1941), the first Pat and Jean Abbott Mystery book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest Frances Crane book?
Worse Than a Crime (1968) is the newest Frances Crane book released so far.
Is there a new Frances Crane book coming?
No next Frances Crane book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Frances Crane at a glance
- Died
- Frances Crane died in 1981, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to Frances Crane on record dates from 1968.
- Release pace
- Frances Crane books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 825 pages across the 5 of 30 books with a recorded length, a median of 159 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Frances Crane books, 12 of 30, were published in the 1940s.
What the Frances Crane books are about
4 of the 30 Frances Crane books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: investigation is tagged on 2 of 4. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Investigation 2 of 4 books
- Murder 2 of 4 books
- Enquêtes 1 of 4 books
- Meurtre 1 of 4 books
- Mystery & detective 1 of 4 books
- Pat Abbott (Fictitious character) 1 of 4 books
- Private investigators 1 of 4 books
- Romans, nouvelles 1 of 4 books
- World War, 1939-1945 1 of 4 books