Review by Jenbliss5280 -- Arsenic and Old Men
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Jenbliss5280
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Review by Jenbliss5280 -- Arsenic and Old Men
[Following is a volunteer review of "Arsenic and Old Men" by Glenn Ickler.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Arsenic and Old Men is an example of mystery novels at their finest. Glenn Ickler does a wonderful job of integrating comedy and an artful plot that guides readers through an engaging and overall, fun murder mystery. The novel is both intriguing and laid back and feels like a mystery you’d want to binge read on the beach or a comfy armchair on a rainy day. I was impressed by the first chapter and was along for the ride until the very end.
The book is set in Martha’s Vineyard and centers around a fun and dynamic cast of characters. The three couples start their adventure on the Vineyard as a two-in-one vacation where they are relaxing on the beach and enjoying the scenery but also helping Dave take care of the estate of his uncle who recently died of a heart attack. The three couples’ vacations take a turn when the police declare Dave’s uncle’s death as murder when they discover arsenic in his bloodstream. The men get tied up in the mystery when Mitch, a reporter, and Al, a photographer with the same newspaper, are told to follow the story so readers back home in St. Paul, Minnesota can follow along with the murder investigation. The wives go back home to Minnesota and the book follows the investigation’s twists and turns along with Mitch, Al, and Dave.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for a variety of reasons. Ickler does a fantastic job of bringing the reader along with the main characters and provides enough clues that readers can create their own theories while leaving enough mystery that you are looking forward to the next chapter. The characters are developed extremely well as this is one of several books written by the other about the same trio of characters. You can tell that the characters have a relationship with each other, but you are not lost if you have not read Ickler’s other books. Ickler does a great job of explaining enough backstory while keeping the characters fresh.
Humor is one of Ickler’s strong points throughout the book. He ties in plays on words in a similar vein as the title in every chapter. The characters have great banter back and forth and the interactions they have feel genuine and like something you could imagine three friends would say to each other. For example, Mitch tells Dave to sit on the corner of a desk while they look something up on a computer “if he doesn’t get too cheeky.” And Al chimes in with “You don’t mind if we butt in?”. This type of fun play on words brings a lot of character to the trio and makes you feel like they are not just characters, but real people investigating a crime.
After reading Arsenic and Old Men, I give the novel 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed every chapter and it truly felt like a plot you would see in a movie or on TV. The story was well developed and the book extremely well-edited; I found only two small errors in the whole work. I think that anyone who enjoys mysteries would enjoy this book. It is not action-packed but is puzzle-packed with lots of clues and suspects. I would choose books by this author to read anytime and thoroughly enjoyed every page of Arsenic and Old Men.
******
Arsenic and Old Men
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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Arsenic and Old Men is an example of mystery novels at their finest. Glenn Ickler does a wonderful job of integrating comedy and an artful plot that guides readers through an engaging and overall, fun murder mystery. The novel is both intriguing and laid back and feels like a mystery you’d want to binge read on the beach or a comfy armchair on a rainy day. I was impressed by the first chapter and was along for the ride until the very end.
The book is set in Martha’s Vineyard and centers around a fun and dynamic cast of characters. The three couples start their adventure on the Vineyard as a two-in-one vacation where they are relaxing on the beach and enjoying the scenery but also helping Dave take care of the estate of his uncle who recently died of a heart attack. The three couples’ vacations take a turn when the police declare Dave’s uncle’s death as murder when they discover arsenic in his bloodstream. The men get tied up in the mystery when Mitch, a reporter, and Al, a photographer with the same newspaper, are told to follow the story so readers back home in St. Paul, Minnesota can follow along with the murder investigation. The wives go back home to Minnesota and the book follows the investigation’s twists and turns along with Mitch, Al, and Dave.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for a variety of reasons. Ickler does a fantastic job of bringing the reader along with the main characters and provides enough clues that readers can create their own theories while leaving enough mystery that you are looking forward to the next chapter. The characters are developed extremely well as this is one of several books written by the other about the same trio of characters. You can tell that the characters have a relationship with each other, but you are not lost if you have not read Ickler’s other books. Ickler does a great job of explaining enough backstory while keeping the characters fresh.
Humor is one of Ickler’s strong points throughout the book. He ties in plays on words in a similar vein as the title in every chapter. The characters have great banter back and forth and the interactions they have feel genuine and like something you could imagine three friends would say to each other. For example, Mitch tells Dave to sit on the corner of a desk while they look something up on a computer “if he doesn’t get too cheeky.” And Al chimes in with “You don’t mind if we butt in?”. This type of fun play on words brings a lot of character to the trio and makes you feel like they are not just characters, but real people investigating a crime.
After reading Arsenic and Old Men, I give the novel 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed every chapter and it truly felt like a plot you would see in a movie or on TV. The story was well developed and the book extremely well-edited; I found only two small errors in the whole work. I think that anyone who enjoys mysteries would enjoy this book. It is not action-packed but is puzzle-packed with lots of clues and suspects. I would choose books by this author to read anytime and thoroughly enjoyed every page of Arsenic and Old Men.
******
Arsenic and Old Men
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Gardening With Guns by AJ Wootton
