Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Belle Adrian doesn't approve of her daughter, Carlotta's, relationship with Arthur Cushing. When she hears a scream coming from Arthur's cabin and Carlotta's car isn't in the garage, she investigates and discovers Arthur has been murdered. Believing her daughter is guilty, Belle does her best to remove any incriminating evidence and continues to keep her mouth shut even when she is facing murder charges. Fortunately for her, Perry Mason happens to be in town on vacation. Review : It's raining and kind of cold outside today so, not being able to do too much outside, I wound up finishing this book. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable murder mystery. OK, to be honest, I didn't find it too difficult to figure out who the killer was. I had a suspicion almost from the very start and, once the case made it to court, the evidence and testimony only confirmed my theory. Despite that, there was a lot to like about this book. I especially liked the way t...

Synopsis: When Nellie Conway comes to him with a story about her employer, Nathan Bain plotting to kill his wife, Elizabeth, Perry Mason tries to distance himself from her as much as possible but ultimately is forced to defend her against theft charges. When Elizabeth is poisoned shortly after, Mason is once again brought into the fray and defends Elizabeth's sister, Victoria, against murder charges. Review: I wasn't 100 percent sure if I wanted to check out another Perry Mason book the last time I was at the library but, just in case there was another COVID-related closure, I figured I'd grab this one. I finished it while waiting for my daughter at the ice rink last night and, while it was OK, it wasn't one of my favorites. I think the thing that bothered me about this book is many of Mason's actions really don't make a whole lot of sense. He doesn't want anything to do with Nellie Conway (for reasons that aren't fully explained) but still travels to ...

Synopsis : Starting with the discovery of Pompeii, this non-fiction book tells about the people behind historic discoveries and the invention of modern day archaeology. Review : I've been trying to check out something educational whenever I make a visit to our local library and, as I was walking through the non-fiction section, this book happened to catch my eye. I gave it a read and it turned out to be an interesting book. I think the thing I liked best about this book is the way it doesn't just talk about important discoveries, like Pompeii and the Rosetta Stone; it also gives some intriguing detail about the people responsible for those discoveries. As a result of this, I learned a lot. I think the part I enjoyed most was the section regarding Egypt and Napoleon's failed expedition. While it was a military failure, but without it, we may not know nearly as much about Egyptian history as we do today. I also loved the story about Champollion, the man who used the Rosetta S...