Customer Reviews

Murder Gone Minoan (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

PLOT: When a millionaire's priceless ancient Minoan statue disappears, he enlists the aid of Prof. Westborough to recover it. The site of the theft is an island retreat built to mimic a palace in the ancient town of Knossos and shortly after Westborough arrives he is present when a body is discovered floating offshore. Isolated due to georgraphy and lack of telephone service, Westborough agrees to help the local police by being their "spy" among the house guests, one of whom was obviously the murderer of the corpse found in the sea. Originally published in 1939.

REVIEW: An okay golden age mystery, although Clason's florid writing style is way too close to euphuism, with too many references to ancient personages (for example when describing the size of a cave he says "it appeared large enough for Polyphemus to have imprisioned Odysseus and his unlucky mariners") and drawn-out descriptions. The mystery is okay, the identity of the killer not obvious, and although Minoan cultural facts are thrown about helter skelter, some are actually interesting.

I'm not sure what Amazon's asking me to do: write a book review or report on a sub-contractor's work. A+ in both departments for this charming mystery, which I wanted for the setting details (and enjoyed learning about the author). The book arrived in perfect condition, very quickly.