Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Agatha Raisin has tried to convince herself she is over her ex-husband James Lacey, even after he returned unexpectedly into her life and moved back into the cottage next door to hers. However, when he offers to take her on a surprise holiday, her old romantic feelings cloud her judgement and, despite warnings from the vicar's wife, Mrs. Bloxby, she accepts. Only, the romantic vacation to a warm beach Agatha imagined instead turns out to be a trip to Snoth-on-Sea, an English resort town that has fallen on hard times, is nothing like James remembered and turns their vacation (complete with separate hotel rooms) into an instant failure. And that is before Agatha gets dragged in for police questioning after her missing scarf is used to strangle Geraldine Jankers, a dreadful woman she had a public spat with just hours before, resulting in an extended stay as she tries to find the real killer, has her life put at risk as a result and sees any hope of reconciliation with James...

Synopsis: In 1944, Allied forces believed the war in Europe was almost over and even placed bets about it ending by Christmas. They did not realize Adolf Hitler was planning one last, desperate holiday offensive. Review: I usually go to the local library rather than buy books because I read them too quickly. However, my wife came across this book a few weeks ago and purchased it for me as a Christmas present. I was intrigued and, once I was caught up with my library books, I sat down to read this one. Overall, I was impressed. I have heard and read about the Battle of the Bulge before and, because of that, there was some familiarity with some of the facts and people involved. However, I liked how this book brought things down to a more personal level and showed the battle from specific individual perspectives. One thing, in particular, I liked about this book is the way it focused a lot on the ton of misinformation that was going around during the early hours of the Nazi o...

Synopsis: The villagers of Lochdubh love their television sets. So, when writer John Heppel moves into the area and offers a writing class, Constable Hamish Macbeth is surprised when it draws a large crowd. However, there's just one problem. Heppel seems more interested in talking about himself than actually teaching anything and, when he finally does "help" the villagers, he is very rude. As a result, when Heppel is found murdered, the villagers of Lochdubh are the primary suspects and it is up to Hamish to prove otherwise. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/book-review-death-of-a-bore-2006/

Synopsis: Actor Alan Alda's autobiography discusses his growing up with a famous but not-so-rich father and a mother with mental health issues as well as his life as a struggling actor before landing his role on M*A*S*H and becoming a success. Review: I decided to change things up a bit the last time I was at the library and, in addition to my normal murder mystery, visited the biography/autobiography section. I'm a big fan of M*A*S*H (the TV show, the movie and the book ) and figured this book would be a good one to start with. As it turns out, the book was nothing like what I was expecting it to be. Given Alda's comedy background, I figured I'd be laughing out loud every few minutes. But, that didn't turn out to be the case. However, despite that, I found I had a hard time putting the book down. If you buy this book thinking Alda is going to give you a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the M*A*S*H TV series, you'll be very disappointed. He bare...