Review by DrPatti8454 -- Arsenic and Old Men
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DrPatti8454
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Review by DrPatti8454 -- 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 by Glenn Ickler
This is a tongue in cheek, play on words, pun on pun, page-turner. Glenn Ickler is a storyteller, a wordsmith who describes his characters in such a way as to create humor in situations where others might find it uncomfortable. In other words, his characters let us in on the joke. I loved this book, and as such rate it 4 out 4 stars. If you are a fan of murder mystery, whodunit detective stories, this book would appeal to you. If you love suspect driven narratives with 4 or 5 red herrings, ala Agatha Christie, you will have to look elsewhere; however, if you prefer a story driven narrative, ala Robert B. Parker, this one is for you. This book is suspenseful, but not scary, bloody or gory, and it has some words that border on profane, but Ickler's language is appropriate to the situation in which his characters find themselves.
The story is narrated from Mitch Mitchell's point of view: he is an investigative reporter for the St. Paul Daily Dispatch newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This fact becomes an important part of the story when Dave Jerome, who was a former cartoonist from the same newspaper, had a death in the family. His Uncle Walter Jerome, who was the former editor of the aforementioned paper, died suddenly in his "cottage" on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His nephew, Dave, is Walt's only living relative and is expected to collect Walt's ashes, (scatter them), and settle his uncle's affairs as he has inherited all of Uncle Walt's possessions, (the cottage, a plot of land on Chappaquiddick Island, stocks, bonds and a very large investment portfolio). There is a third friend to round out the trio, (known as the three Musketeers or the three Stooges depending on the situation), by the name of Al Jeffrey, who also works with Mitch at the same newspaper as a photographer. Dave has asked his friends and their wives, (and Mitch's cat, Sherlock Holmes) to join him as he completes his familial duties, and to enjoy the warmer early Fall weather over the Columbus day weekend on Martha's Vineyard. They are all friends and have traveled many times together, including an adventure ten years prior that lead to some history with the town of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, its people (homicide detective), and its circumstances (murder). Some of which was good and some of which was bad. Glenn Ickler has set the reader up for a wild ride.
There are several juxtapositions cleverly and colorfully described in Arsenic and Old Men, the first of which is obvious; they are outsiders. If you are not local, you are an outsider, which means you have little to no local knowledge. Even islanders say, "I'm going to America" which means "off the island". This becomes all too evident when a Nor'easter hits. Islanders know that the Ferries don't run when the storm is approaching. Another example of this local knowledge becomes apparent in the first paragraph of the book which opens with a meeting held on a beach with Uncle Walt's lawyer, Richard Rylander, who greets them wearing nothing but a smile and a hardy handshake. Ickler uses his words carefully here when he writes, "where do you look?" followed by the attorney saying, "Call me Dick." Islanders know that this is a clothing optional beach. Imagine the surprise of the outsiders. [Can you trust a lawyer with no clothes on? Where would he hide his briefs?]
Another example is in the language: those that pronounce their "Rs" and those who do not. This distinction is not only true, but makes the story more authentic. This difference only intensifies the "outsider" aspect of the story. "They speak English here, but it sounds different." Ickler's description of his characters may come across as stereotyping, but these descriptions are meant to help the reader to get a mental image; like Ozzie, Walt's next door neighbor who is sitting on the front porch, in a white wicker rocker, drinking sweet tea, could be mistaken for Colonel Sanders. From this description, you know exactly what he looks like. And then there's Teddy (Kennedy, Roosevelt, Brewster), who is a throwaway, or throwback to hippy days. Teddy is a squatter, who lives in a tent (on Walt's property) wearing either a Speedo swimsuit or coveralls, his appearance alone only brings new meaning to the phrase "living rough". These are word pictures that when described make the reader see them vividly and in this way, Ickler creates empathy for or hostility toward the story's characters. And ALL the characters have qualities giving them depth to make them jump off the page. They are fully formed with names, physical descriptions, professions (or lack thereof) and back stories that don't get in the way of moving the story forward. This book is well paced and keeps the reader's interest focused on what happens next. In addition, the banter among the three friends lends itself to how well and how long they have known one another. It is also very punny, as in their use of puns.
This book is very well edited, (only two typos). The ONLY thing I liked LEAST about this book is that it had to come to an end. Speaking of its ending, which occurred more abruptly than I would have liked, (but was not devastating enough to downgrade my rating), I merely attributed this to the welcome possibility of this book becoming part of a series. I highly recommend Glenn Ickler, and am a fan of his writing style and 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 by Glenn Ickler
This is a tongue in cheek, play on words, pun on pun, page-turner. Glenn Ickler is a storyteller, a wordsmith who describes his characters in such a way as to create humor in situations where others might find it uncomfortable. In other words, his characters let us in on the joke. I loved this book, and as such rate it 4 out 4 stars. If you are a fan of murder mystery, whodunit detective stories, this book would appeal to you. If you love suspect driven narratives with 4 or 5 red herrings, ala Agatha Christie, you will have to look elsewhere; however, if you prefer a story driven narrative, ala Robert B. Parker, this one is for you. This book is suspenseful, but not scary, bloody or gory, and it has some words that border on profane, but Ickler's language is appropriate to the situation in which his characters find themselves.
The story is narrated from Mitch Mitchell's point of view: he is an investigative reporter for the St. Paul Daily Dispatch newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This fact becomes an important part of the story when Dave Jerome, who was a former cartoonist from the same newspaper, had a death in the family. His Uncle Walter Jerome, who was the former editor of the aforementioned paper, died suddenly in his "cottage" on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His nephew, Dave, is Walt's only living relative and is expected to collect Walt's ashes, (scatter them), and settle his uncle's affairs as he has inherited all of Uncle Walt's possessions, (the cottage, a plot of land on Chappaquiddick Island, stocks, bonds and a very large investment portfolio). There is a third friend to round out the trio, (known as the three Musketeers or the three Stooges depending on the situation), by the name of Al Jeffrey, who also works with Mitch at the same newspaper as a photographer. Dave has asked his friends and their wives, (and Mitch's cat, Sherlock Holmes) to join him as he completes his familial duties, and to enjoy the warmer early Fall weather over the Columbus day weekend on Martha's Vineyard. They are all friends and have traveled many times together, including an adventure ten years prior that lead to some history with the town of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, its people (homicide detective), and its circumstances (murder). Some of which was good and some of which was bad. Glenn Ickler has set the reader up for a wild ride.
There are several juxtapositions cleverly and colorfully described in Arsenic and Old Men, the first of which is obvious; they are outsiders. If you are not local, you are an outsider, which means you have little to no local knowledge. Even islanders say, "I'm going to America" which means "off the island". This becomes all too evident when a Nor'easter hits. Islanders know that the Ferries don't run when the storm is approaching. Another example of this local knowledge becomes apparent in the first paragraph of the book which opens with a meeting held on a beach with Uncle Walt's lawyer, Richard Rylander, who greets them wearing nothing but a smile and a hardy handshake. Ickler uses his words carefully here when he writes, "where do you look?" followed by the attorney saying, "Call me Dick." Islanders know that this is a clothing optional beach. Imagine the surprise of the outsiders. [Can you trust a lawyer with no clothes on? Where would he hide his briefs?]
Another example is in the language: those that pronounce their "Rs" and those who do not. This distinction is not only true, but makes the story more authentic. This difference only intensifies the "outsider" aspect of the story. "They speak English here, but it sounds different." Ickler's description of his characters may come across as stereotyping, but these descriptions are meant to help the reader to get a mental image; like Ozzie, Walt's next door neighbor who is sitting on the front porch, in a white wicker rocker, drinking sweet tea, could be mistaken for Colonel Sanders. From this description, you know exactly what he looks like. And then there's Teddy (Kennedy, Roosevelt, Brewster), who is a throwaway, or throwback to hippy days. Teddy is a squatter, who lives in a tent (on Walt's property) wearing either a Speedo swimsuit or coveralls, his appearance alone only brings new meaning to the phrase "living rough". These are word pictures that when described make the reader see them vividly and in this way, Ickler creates empathy for or hostility toward the story's characters. And ALL the characters have qualities giving them depth to make them jump off the page. They are fully formed with names, physical descriptions, professions (or lack thereof) and back stories that don't get in the way of moving the story forward. This book is well paced and keeps the reader's interest focused on what happens next. In addition, the banter among the three friends lends itself to how well and how long they have known one another. It is also very punny, as in their use of puns.
This book is very well edited, (only two typos). The ONLY thing I liked LEAST about this book is that it had to come to an end. Speaking of its ending, which occurred more abruptly than I would have liked, (but was not devastating enough to downgrade my rating), I merely attributed this to the welcome possibility of this book becoming part of a series. I highly recommend Glenn Ickler, and am a fan of his writing style and Arsenic and Old Men.
******
Arsenic and Old Men
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Lily White Lie by Connie Chappell
