Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When Perry Mason witnesses Sarah Breel being accused of shoplifting, he decides to intervene on her behalf. When she is later hit by a car and sent to the hospital, he eventually finds himself defending her against a murder charge. Complicating matters is the defendant's insistence the accident caused her to have amnesia and she has no memory of whether or not she actually committed the crime.   Review: To be honest, when I first started reading this book, I found it a bit hard to stay interested. In fact, there was a moment when I considered just skipping to the end to find out what happened. This is mostly because I thought the book took a little too long to get to the main mystery, leaving me in doubt as to who Mason was supposed to be defending and why. However, once the book finally got going, I have to admit, I did enjoy it.  There are a couple things about this book that I really liked. The main one was the seemingly insurmountable wall Mason had to overcom...

Synopsis: After traveling the world with his secretary, Della Street, attorney Perry Mason is anxious to get back to work as soon as the cruise ship docks at home. He doesn't have to wait that long, however, because another passenger, Mrs. Newberry, wants to hire him to investigate a possible embezzlement by her husband, Carl, and protect her daughter, Belle, from the possible scandal. Things get more complicated when Carl goes overboard and the police suspect his wife of murder. Review: Our local library re-opened today, meaning I can finally visit in person. But, in the mean time, I am still working my way through the books I got through the mail from them, including this Perry Mason mystery. At first, I wasn't really sure what to think of it, especially since I was able to correctly figure out at least part of what actually happened to the victim while on the cruise ship. But, overall, this did end up being an interesting mystery. I think the thing I liked best about this p...

Synopsis: In his youth, Simeon Lee traveled the world and made his fortune mining diamonds but was cruel to his wife and alienated all but one of his sons. Now elderly, widowed and an invalid, Lee invites his sons and long-lost granddaughter to his home for Christmas. But, instead of inviting them to make amends, he uses the opportunity to once again show his cruel side by hinting at changes to his will and pitting them against each other. When he is brutally murdered later that same evening, detective Hercule Poirot is called in to assist. Was the murder related to a bag of uncut diamonds Lee reported stolen? Did a member of his family finally snap? Or, was it Stephen Farr, the son of his former business partner who happened to show up at the house unexpected? Review: I was a bit hesitant to check this book out from our local library because, at first glance, I thought it was going to be a Christmas-themed book and it is only July. However, I'm trying to read the Hercule ...

Synopsis: Vacationing Hercule Poirot overhears a pair of siblings as they discuss murdering their tyrannical stepmother, Mrs. Boynton. When the woman is found dead of apparent natural causes, Poirot vows to prove she was murdered and find the killer in only 24 hours. Review: After my disappointment with Agatha Christie's short story collection Murder in the Mews, I was anxious to get back to another Hercule Poirot novel and wound up purchasing this book (via Kindle) from Amazon. I was able to get through a good chunk of the book while at the skating rink last week and finished it this weekend. Overall, I have to say I enjoyed it. The thing that really impressed me about this book was the way just about everyone traveling with Mrs. Boynton had motive for murder, especially her own family members, who were kept under her thumb. Between the step children and the various outsiders who seemed to have their own reasons for wanting the woman dead, it wasn't nearly as clear cu...