Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Carrie Singleton has plans to leave the small town of Clover Ridge, Connecticut until her uncle Bosco helps her land a job as the local library's head of programs and events. The money is good but Carrie's boss, Sally, clearly doesn't like her, another co-worker, Dorothy, thinks the job should have been hers and the only friend Carrie has is Evelyn, a now-deceased librarian who haunts the library and only Carrie and Carrie's young niece can see. To make matters worse, one of the first programs Carrie is in charge of turns to a disaster when a retired police detective, Al Buckley, is poisoned prior to revealing new details about one of Clover Ridge's most notorious unsolved crimes, the murder of Laura Foster. Feeling guilty, Carrie decides to help Laura's son, Jared, continue Al's work, only to find a series of dead ends, a complicated relationship with her investigative partner and her life in danger. Review: As I've mentioned, our local libr...

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 potentiall...