LANTERNS OF DEATH

Ickler’s latest Mitch and Al mystery finds the duo and their cartoonist friend, Dave, investigating the killing of a lawyer and his spouse in New England.

St. Paul, Minnesota–based Daily Dispatch reporter Warren “Mitch” Mitchell, photographer Al Jeffrey, and freelance artist Dave Jerome return to Martha’s Vineyard to testify in the trial of the two financial planners accused of poisoning Dave’s uncle—following the events of Arsenic and Old Men (2018). Although Dave was laid off from the newspaper two years ago, the trio still travel and solve mysteries together; they refer to themselves as Alexandre Dumas’ swashbuckling heroes, the Three Musketeers, but others refer to them as three “stooges.” As they begin their trial preparations, a visiting St. Paul defense attorney and his wife are murdered in a cabin belonging to a judge. Much to the annoyance of local police detective Manny Gouveia, Mitch, Al, and Dave decide to pursue the story. Meanwhile, as the trial unfolds, a lack of clear-cut evidence leaves the verdict very much in doubt. Ickler writes with a light touch—too light, perhaps, as he’s given to superfluous details that slacken the pace, as when Mitch narrates, “ ‘I have bad news and good news,’ I said to City Editor Don O’Rourke at six-fifteen (Eastern Daylight Time) Monday morning.” It also strains credulity that a reporter would be assigned to cover a trial in which he’s a key witness—and that another reporter covering the story would be related to the prosecutor. But after 15 books, Mitch, Al, and Dave have an easy, engaging camaraderie; the banter is fitfully amusing and the profanities, mostly mild. Some nifty action scenes, including one involving playing chicken with an oncoming airplane, liven things up along the way.

An easygoing diversion that will please fans of the series despite its flaws.