Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: On August 5, 1962, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe is found unresponsive in her bed and is later determined to have died of a drug overdose raising questions about if it was an accidental overdose, suicide or something else. This true crime book explores Marilyn's life, career and tragic death at the age of 36. Review: I wasn't sure what I was getting when I checked out The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe from my library. I'm always interested in a good biography, even one with a "true crime" twist to it, but the library had this listed as fiction, so I didn't know if it would be educational or just a book taking advantage of a tragic life/death. In the end, I think it fell somewhere in between but more toward the former than the latter. I think the thing I liked best about this book is how it manages to bring her back to life in the pages and humanizes her. She was an actress that died 13 years before I was born and my only familiarity with her was th...

Synopsis: Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is both pleased and puzzled when Constable David "Davey" Forbes is re-assigned to work with him in Lochdubh. However, before he has a chance to convince Davey to tell him about the disciplinary issue that resulted in his demotion, Macbeth is once again investigating a murder, this time it's the mistress of a wife-abusing fisherman who has gone missing. Adding to the mystery are two young women who have been spotted in the area and may be victims of human trafficking. Review: I didn't have anything particular in mind when I went to the library a few days ago and figured I'd pick out something new. However, as I was walking to the checkout counter with my original choice, I noticed Death of a Smuggler in the new book section and decided to give the newest Hamish Macbeth book a try instead. I wasn't overly sure what to expect from this book since they haven't been quite the same since Beaton's death and Green's att...