Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Pat and Jean Abbott are vacationing in Laguna Beach when they are approached by a distant relative of Pat’s to come and visit their California home, Black Cypress for a few days. Despite Jean being totally weirded out by Pat’s eccentric long-lost cousin who issues the invitation, Pat agrees that they should at least say hello to the matriarch of this branch of the family tree, Mrs. Stryker, while they are in state, before the family returns to their main house in Hawaii.

So, with much trepidation, Jean is persuaded by Pat to visit Black Cypress and pay their respects to Mrs. Stryker; when they get to the gloomy estate, they are greeted by the volatile Mrs. Stryker, who vacillates between effusive smothering praise on her only son or being in a virtually catatonic state. Mr. Stryker, a little too hearty and valuable, tries to laugh at his wife’s behavior and confides to Pat and Jean that he thinks her catatonic state is just a cry for attention and has called in a doctor to tend to her illness. Until she’s seen by a doctor, Pat and Jean should just humor her whims. In the meantime, Mrs. Stryker is looked after by her Japanese man-servant.

The rest of the household consists of Stryker’s son, who is broody and ill at ease. He is hounded by two young ladies for affection, and there is a bevy of cousins and friends making up the rest of the party; supposedly surrounded by friends and his loving family, the young man appears to be greatly agitated, and his father worries that he is on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Jean, having met all of these batty relatives wishes to leave Black Cypress proto, however, it’s now very late at night and Mr. Stryker invites them to spend the night, which Pat accepts. They are shown to a little bungalow on the estate where they hear cryptic conversations between lovers and see young Mr. Stryker prowling around the grounds.

Jean is restless and goes for a walk, she observerse Mr. stryker pricking Mrs. Stryker with a needle while she is in her catatonic state and is frightened. When she returns to the bungalow she and Pat are attacked in the night by someone weilding a small dagger.

Feeling like something fishy is going on a Black Cypress, Pat decides to extend their visit to investigate his strange relatives. However, he and Jean nearly lose their lives in a fire and a thwarted kidnapping attempt before the dark secrets hidden by the Stryker family are uncovered.

The Review

Black Cypress was a wild ride! Next time you dread a family reunion, read this book, and you’ll be glad you’re not a member of the Abbott clan. There’s murder, love triangles, people pretending to be crazy, actual crazy people, knife fights, kidnappings, a ritual suicide, and more that basically all take place over 72 hours, so hold on to your hats and keep your wits about you.

There are several mysteries to be untangled: what is going on with Mrs. Stryker? Is she faking her illness? If so, why? Is her husband, who isn’t the jolly saint he seems, doing something nefarious to her? What’s going on with her creepy, devoted servant? Mrs. Stryker has a lot of people who would want her dead so that her vast fortune would be dispersed amongst their relatives.

Why is the younger Mr. Stryker so morose? Is he worried about his mother? Is he worried about which girl to marry? Does he just hate California and desperately wish to go back to Hawaii? Does he hate his meddling matriarch and wish her dead so he can inherit?

So many love stories and triangles are causing impaired blood in this house- you’ll think you’re on “Grey’s Anatomy.” There’s also some illicit kissing and planning that Jean has no problem eavesdropping on. Jean is positively thrilled by all the hanky-panky, having a ball shadowing everyone, and being a downright gossip. The love triangles muddy the mysterious waters and flesh out Jean’s character- if she’s going to be held at Black Cypress against her will, she will be the nosiest snoop for miles around.

Jean Abbott, really steals the show in this book, since the book is written from her point of view, the reader gets unfettered access to her snarkiest thoughts and unrestrained opinions on the Abbott clan. She’s hilarious, pouty, and downright unkind at times which is quite the change from the usual sickly sweet long suffering wife that populates books. Jean, too clever and headstrong for her own good is getting out of Black Cypress alive even if that means sacrificing Pat to his own family.

Pat Abbott, staid, laid back, and fairly nonchalant through the whole mystery, is fascinated by all the oddities around him. He plays the straight man to Jean’s more roughshod approach. By the book and working within the law, he never puts his nose out of joint because he has Jean do the dirty work of her own volition. They make a great team and since this is pretty far into the series run, I am curious what their dynamic was like in early cases.

Like Jean, I was suspicious of everybody at some point in the book. Crane did a really good job of laying down a garden path of suspicion and then dropping a clue so that I switched my opinion completely and went down another tack and then another. I did eventually figure out what was going on, but only a few pages before the heroes of the story. This is a twisty, thrilling mystery, and I can’t wait to read more of Pat and Jean’s adventures.

I will say that this book has some definite downsides: the first is the weird slave-like relationship Mrs. Stryker has with her Japanese manservant. His depiction is not flattering and is, at times, racist. Poor mental health is played for laughs several times in the book, which is not great. I’d also like to warn readers that there are multiple suicides and a lot of suicidal ideation that are talked about in the book with varying degrees of sensitivity. Black Cypress might not be for all readers. However, I think the flaws are contained in this story and will not detract from other books in the series.

I really enjoyed Black Cypress and, despite its flaws, am itching to read other books in the series. If you’re a fan of romantic mysteries, I think this oft-forgotten cozy PI story would entertain and delight you.