Clyde B. Clason, creator of Professor Theocritus Lucius Westborough, has produced several books with unusual backgrounds for the ingenious murders the mild little professor solves. In MURDER GONE MINOAN the author presents a completely believable Minoan background, and substantiates it with a large bibliography.

Alexis Paphlagloss, department-store magnate, had created an island kingdom off the coast of California, and succeeded in identifying himself with the Minos, ruler of ancient Crete. He had built a magnificent rambling palace in the style of the original Knossos, where he lived with his wife, his daughter, his stepson, assorted servants, and a heterogeneous group of guests; and most important to him, his chryselephantine statue of the Lady of the Golden Serpents. It was the disappearance of this priceless statue that led the Minos to call on Professor Westborough.

When a theft develops into murder and a young woman is being pursued by three young men; when a wealthy, strong willed man obviously loathes his charming young wife; when a kidnapped goddess can be held for ransom and practical jokes include deadly poisons and Indian relics, then is the time when Lucius Westborough forgets about the salacious history of some of the Roman emperors and gets down to sleuthing in earnest.

This is the most exciting of Mr. Clason's stories, and furthers the Westborough tradition of unusual books unusually presented.