Book Review: Uncle and Ants by Marc Jedel

The first of the A Silicon Valley Mystery series, Uncle and Ants is a fun, funny cozy mystery that kept me tapping the screen right to the end. The characters are unique and varied, well, mostly. At one point, Meghan meets Megan, and then I had to pay close attention! The similarity in names only adds to the quirkiness of the story.

Uncle Marty, who tells the tale in first person, ends up taking care of his nieces, Skye and Megan, while their mother, Laney, is in hospital after a strange vehicle accident. What follows is a zany array of crazy ants (Dorymyrmex insanus, to be precise), drones, Rover cars that drive themselves, attempted murder, milkshake testing, drug lords, Mrs. Quarles the horrible, Mrs. Kim the lovely, Mace Jackson the cop who used to be a…well, you’ll have to find that out on your own.

The plot is humorous to begin with, even though it hovers around keeping someone from killing Marty’s sister, Laney, but add in wit, sarcasm, puns, off-the-wall jokes, misunderstandings, and it rocks along hilariously. As Skye says to Marty at one point, “It’s a new thing, just go with it.” An enjoyable read. There are a few instances of language, but it is not gratuitous.

The second book in the series, Chutes and Ladder, is also up for purchase.