Steven Helmer Publications

I discovered M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series pretty much by accident a couple years ago and the Scottish police constable quickly passed Hercule Poirot as my favorite fictional detective.

I am a few chapters away from finishing the most recent book, Death of an Honest Man, and, when I looked to see if there was going to be another one after this one, I was shocked and saddened to learn Beaton passed away in December.

I honestly never thought this would be the case about someone I never actually met in person, but I'm pretty bummed out about it. In fact, I've been reading the book a little bit slower now because, with it likely being the last one in the series (at least from what I can tell), I want to savor it while I can. May she rest in peace.

I missed getting a photo of the cardinal that landed literally two seconds after I turned my camera off this morning. But, here are some photos taken of the bird feeder in my front yard.

Synopsis: While attending to the android double he designed, scientist Tom Trimble is accidentally launched into space at the speed of light and travels back in time to Medieval England where he meets a beautiful maiden and saves King Arthur's kingdom from the evil Sir Mordred.

Who's in it? The movie stars Dennis Dugan, Jim Dale, Sheila White, Kenneth More and Ron Moody.


Review: My wife and daughters decided to go out shopping and, since I was home by myself for a couple hours, I decided to finally watch this movie on Disney Plus. I faintly remember seeing this film when I was younger (about 5 or 6) but didn't remember much about it. After seeing it again, I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting.

The plot itself was relatively simple and mostly involved Trimble (Dugan) trying to convince people he wasn't some sort of monster while using modern technology and science to avoid being killed before ultimately gaining Arthur's (More) trust just in time …

Synopsis: When Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is asked to investigate reports of a ghost in a castle owned by a retired police superintendent, he assumes it is just someone pulling a prank. But, when he and his constable, Charlie Carson, find the body of a well-known and outspoken atheist in the tower, he once again finds himself looking for a murderer.


Review: After enjoying Death of a Nurse, I decided to check out the remaining Hamish Macbeth books at the library so I can finish up the series (or at least be caught up if/when another book comes out). I finished this book last night and found I loved it.

The mystery in this book was surprisingly complex. When the first body was discovered, my first thought was the police superintendent who called him was somehow responsible. But, as the book progressed, it was pretty obvious that wasn't necessarily going to be the case. There were just too many other potential suspects ranging from smugglers to religious zealots and potentially an angry …

Synopsis: Shy high schooler Bird Fitcher enjoys photography and is thrilled when one of her friends gives her a vintage Polaroid camera he purchased at a yard sale. However, when the people begin to die shortly after she takes their photo, she begins to suspect there is something evil attached to the device and has to work quickly to stop it before it kills her and her friends.

Who's in it? The movie stars Kathryn Prescott,Tyler Young, Samantha Logan, Keenan Tracey and Priscilla Quintana.


Review: I haven't had much luck picking horror movies lately so, when I picked out this one Friday evening, I definitely had some doubts about it, especially since it only had a PG-13 rating. However, as it turns out, it was actually quite a bit better than I was expecting it to be.

I'm not saying this movie was perfect. I thought the characters were a bit one-dimensional and, for a high school "loner," Bird (Prescott) seemed to have an awful lot of friends. Plus, I'm pretty s…

Synopsis: When Lochdubh Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth meets a new nurse, Gloria Dainty, he is instantly attracted to her and, under the pretense of visiting her wealthy employer, James Harrison, follows her home and ultimately convinces her to have dinner with him. What Hamish doesn't know is Gloria is leading a less-than-honest life and, before they have their first date, he winds up investigating her murder.


Review: After being somewhat disappointed by the last Hamish Macbeth book I read, I was honestly a bit hesitant to start this one. However, I did manage to read it over the course of the past few days and, after finishing it last night, did think it was pretty good.

I think the thing I liked best about this book was the fact there wasn't an obvious killer. This hasn't been the case with some previous mysteries in this series and I found I enjoyed not knowing, for sure, who the bad guy was until toward the very end.

The victim's seedy past contributed heavily to t…