Review by KingK123 -- Arsenic and Old Men by Glenn Ickler

[KingK123]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Arsenic and Old Men" by Glenn Ickler.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Three close friends and their wives set sail for a journey to Martha’s Vineyard after the passing of Walt Jerome. Walt’s nephew, Dave Jerome brings his two friends Al and Mitch along to accompany him as he receives his inheritance. Dave not only inherits a patch of forest, a copious amount of money, and a cottage but also a murder case. Walt’s death is deemed as murder via arsenic poisoning, not a heart attack as everyone had suspected. The three, being employees of a St. Paul newspaper find the case intriguing enough to require their involvement. After their wives depart the island, the threesome work together in an effort to solve the case. This is the story of Arsenic and Old Men by Glenn Ickler.

The story is told through the eyes of Mitch, who though he is not personally affected by the murder, takes a deep interest. Mitch is a crime journalist who agrees to sell the story to his editor back in St. Paul. Reading the book from his point of view allowed all events to have an objective point of view. This kept the reader from bonding to the characters who met their demise and instead focus on the criminal investigation. It kept me invested in the actual results of who killed Walter, why, and if one of the three be next on the hit list.

A secondary plot that the author offered the audience would be one involving Martha, Mitch’s wife. Her Cape Verdean stepfather suffered a heart attack but was immediately afterwards accosted by ICE for a pending deportation. She consistently updated Mitch on her father’s condition and case, but this only exposed one of the flaws that is central to his character arc. Though Mitch knew of his wife’s predicament, he did not place her first on his list of priorities. He felt for her, but he needed to solve the case and complete his story before returning home. This goes to show that being a journalist is the most important thing to Mitch.

The author did a great job of connecting the two plot points without losing the original. Both were equally important to the flow of the story and it shows in the execution. The author also did a wonderful job at describing everything from a character’s appearance to scents. They included enough so that the audience could picture the scene, but not so many that the reader becomes lost in frivolous details. Every movement and slight mannerism was documented to enhance characterization.

I rate this book 4 out of 4. It is clear that this novel was professionally edited. I liked the way the author described every small detail with the characters. It made me feel as if I understood them more and in certain ways helped me, the reader, in my independent attempts to solve the murder mystery. I disliked the lack of empathy in Mitch, Dave, and Al the most. They all appeared to lack emotional connections to their wives, but this did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel. I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy murder mysteries. There is not an audience I would not recommend the book to.

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Arsenic and Old Men
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