Review by sbug13 -- Arsenic and Old Men by Glenn Ickler
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sbug13
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- Latest Review: Arsenic and Old Men by Glenn Ickler
Review by sbug13 -- Arsenic and Old Men by Glenn Ickler
[Following is a volunteer review of "Arsenic and Old Men" by Glenn Ickler.]
4 out of 4 stars
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A “few days off work” to settle his uncle's affairs becomes two weeks of mystery and confusion when Dave, accompanied by his close friends Mitch and Al, learn that his uncle's death was, in fact, arsenic related, instead of the natural causes originally reported. As his uncle was previously an editor for the paper that all three men work for, they are ordered to stay a little longer and get the story. But after another man is found dead from the same causes, they have to wonder – what is going on and who's next?
Arsenic and Old Men (Glenn Ickler) is one in a series of Mitch and Al mysteries. But don't let that deter you – no previous knowledge of the other stories is necessary to follow this one, and any questions raised by events mentioned from the other stories are quickly and clearly answered. The characters were engaging and fun, the descriptions clear so you can picture exactly what the author was (but not over the top), and the plot easy to follow The overall situation proves that whatever can go wrong will go wrong, to the point that it almost reads as a farce; the lighthearted humor and fatal sarcasm kept me chuckling. I was prepared for the ending to feel rushed, but was pleasantly surprised; while faster paced than the rest of the book had been until up to that point, it was well-paced and fitting.
I appreciated the healthy relationships this book portrayed as well, from the friendships the men share, to the interactions with their wives, who had to return home early on in the book. Not often in the fictional world have I seen regular phone calls home to the character's significant other just to have normal conversations about their days, and it was honestly very wholesome and pleasing. The support they offer each other is gratifying and I wish more books would normalize healthy relationships the way this one did.
There was nothing specific I disliked about this book. I do feel as if the subplot between Mitch and his wife felt forced and unnecessary to the story itself, other than to make it a little more interesting. And some of the jokes and dialogue were also irrelevant., but overall it it still ended up working out smoothly so I don't feel as if it was distracting enough to be an issue.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. The formatting on the kindle version was wonky and the paragraphs were split up in weird places, but I'm not going to take a star off for that, and there were only one or two grammatical errors I noticed. All in all, the book was well-edited and well-written, and no profanity with the exception of a few crude descriptions. This is the type of book I would share with my grandmother and compare notes with after. I would recommend this to readers who prefer a light, neat mystery with likable characters.
******
Arsenic and Old Men
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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A “few days off work” to settle his uncle's affairs becomes two weeks of mystery and confusion when Dave, accompanied by his close friends Mitch and Al, learn that his uncle's death was, in fact, arsenic related, instead of the natural causes originally reported. As his uncle was previously an editor for the paper that all three men work for, they are ordered to stay a little longer and get the story. But after another man is found dead from the same causes, they have to wonder – what is going on and who's next?
Arsenic and Old Men (Glenn Ickler) is one in a series of Mitch and Al mysteries. But don't let that deter you – no previous knowledge of the other stories is necessary to follow this one, and any questions raised by events mentioned from the other stories are quickly and clearly answered. The characters were engaging and fun, the descriptions clear so you can picture exactly what the author was (but not over the top), and the plot easy to follow The overall situation proves that whatever can go wrong will go wrong, to the point that it almost reads as a farce; the lighthearted humor and fatal sarcasm kept me chuckling. I was prepared for the ending to feel rushed, but was pleasantly surprised; while faster paced than the rest of the book had been until up to that point, it was well-paced and fitting.
I appreciated the healthy relationships this book portrayed as well, from the friendships the men share, to the interactions with their wives, who had to return home early on in the book. Not often in the fictional world have I seen regular phone calls home to the character's significant other just to have normal conversations about their days, and it was honestly very wholesome and pleasing. The support they offer each other is gratifying and I wish more books would normalize healthy relationships the way this one did.
There was nothing specific I disliked about this book. I do feel as if the subplot between Mitch and his wife felt forced and unnecessary to the story itself, other than to make it a little more interesting. And some of the jokes and dialogue were also irrelevant., but overall it it still ended up working out smoothly so I don't feel as if it was distracting enough to be an issue.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. The formatting on the kindle version was wonky and the paragraphs were split up in weird places, but I'm not going to take a star off for that, and there were only one or two grammatical errors I noticed. All in all, the book was well-edited and well-written, and no profanity with the exception of a few crude descriptions. This is the type of book I would share with my grandmother and compare notes with after. I would recommend this to readers who prefer a light, neat mystery with likable characters.
******
Arsenic and Old Men
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Arsenic and Old Men by Glenn Ickler
