Review of Arsenic and Old Men

[Tarie07]

[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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Arsenic and Old Men: A Mitch and Al Mystery by Glenn Ickler is a thriller that investigates crimes related to exactly what the title says; arsenic and old men. Warren Mitchell, also known as Mitch, Dave Jerom, and Alan Jeffrey have flown to an island of Martha’s Vineyard in Oak Bluffs after Walt, Dave’s uncle, was found dead by his housekeeper.

Mitch is an investigative reporter at St Paul Daily Dispatch, Al is a photographer at the same paper, and Dave is a freelance cartoonist. They’re accompanied by their wives for what is supposed to be a few days' vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. At first, Walt is said to have succumbed to a heart attack. The autopsy later proved he had died of arsenic poisoning. The ladies head back to Minnesota while Al and Mitch are ordered to stay and cover Walt’s death by Don, their boss. Dave also remains behind since he hasn’t been given his uncle’s remains. Dave, Al, and Mitch visit a woodland Dave has inherited and find a man named Teddy squatting there. A few days later they found Teddy dead in his tent. An autopsy revealed he had been poisoned with arsenic. Are these two murders related? Will the three musketeers, as they called themselves, be able to solve the murders before the police can?

Glen Ickler did a great job at character development. There were not many characters and which allowed me to have the names of each character at the tip of my mind without having trouble remembering. Every character, no matter how small, was important for the ultimate storyline. There were a lot of twists and turns which made the book very captivating. At one point I would think I have guessed the killer right, and then the next minute the author would prove me wrong. That was provoking me to read and read as much as I can without putting the book down, trying to figure out who the culprit was.

Writing from Mitch’s point of view was wise, considering he was the investigative reporter. Every title for each chapter was befitting. It felt like a chapter summary in very few words. I enjoyed the endless humor of the characters, even though they were going through some serious times. I loved the friendship that Mitch Dave and Al shared. It was amazing how they always stuck together and helped Dave get through the loss of the only family he had left. I also applaud Glenn Ickler for partially talking about recovering from being an alcoholic. Those struggling with this issue could see it is possible to get sobber.

However, there were two things I did not like. Firstly, there was a time when the book got confusing, in chapter six to be precise, Walt’s lawyer had gone to see Judge Benjamin with Dave and some of his friends. The author mentioned that Al was left behind with Carol, Al’s wife, and Martha, Mitch’s wife, but during the confrontation with the judge, Al was part of the conversation. Secondly, the book was slow-paced at the beginning. It felt like the author was dragging his storyline and it might have put me off had I not been a bit patient. I’m glad I was patient though because it paid off.

I found a single minor error and it proves the book was professionally edited. The vocabulary was not too heavy. I did not have to waste time looking up word meanings and it saved me a great deal of reading time. The author’s plots were unpredictable and I never imagined the culprit to be who they actually turned out to be. That was a winner for me because books that are predictable are off-putting. Arsenic and Old Men: A Mitch and Al Mystery deserves nothing less than 4 out of 4 stars despite the above-mentioned dislikes.



Lovers of mystery and thrillers definitely need to check this book out. The book contains profanity but mostly borderline. There is very little sexual content and it makes the book suitable for young adults. There is no major discussion of any religion, making it suitable for readers of all religions.

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Arsenic and Old Men
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[Unosthetic]

I'm excited to investigate arsenic and old men, I bet that will be adventurous. Thanks for the great review.

[Tarie07]

I'm excited to investigate arsenic and old men, I bet that will be adventurous. Thanks for the great review.

It is an interesting adventure that will keep you captivated. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Astral Magi]

Mystery and adventure sounds like a good way to spend a lazy weekend. Thank you for a great review.

[Prisallen]

This sounds like a wonderful mystery. The problems you mentioned should be easily fixable, especially the issue of Al being where he shouldn't have been. Thank you for an interesting and informative review!

[Tarie07]

Mystery and adventure sounds like a good way to spend a lazy weekend. Thank you for a great review.

This book doesn’t lack mystery wise. I appreciate you commenting.

[Tarie07]

This sounds like a wonderful mystery. The problems you mentioned should be easily fixable, especially the issue of Al being where he shouldn't have been. Thank you for an interesting and informative review!

I felt like that was an easily avoidable error. Other than that, it is a great book. Thanks for commenting.

[Kaushiki Parihar]

You said to lovers of mystery to check this book out and I will definitely do that.This seems an intriguing investigation crime thriller. Thanks for the great review.

[Tarie07]

You said to lovers of mystery to check this book out and I will definitely do that.This seems an intriguing investigation crime thriller. Thanks for the great review.

I'm confident you won't be disappointed. Enjoy the read.

[NancyDrew12]

This novel sounds interesting! I wonder what the three musketeers discover. Thank you for your detailed review!

[Tarie07]

This novel sounds interesting! I wonder what the three musketeers discover. Thank you for your detailed review!

Check out the three musketeers for yourself and they won't disappoint you. Thanks for your comment

[markodim721]

It's great that the characters are well developed, that there aren't many of them and that the plot is realistic. Thanks for the reading recommendation.

[Tarie07]

It's great that the characters are well developed, that there aren't many of them and that the plot is realistic. Thanks for the reading recommendation.

The character development was indeed on point. Thanks for commenting.