Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Even though they still correspond by mail, Jane Marple hasn't seen her long-time friend, Carrie Louise in years. That changes, however, when Carrie Louise's sister, Ruth, suspects something is wrong and arranges for Miss Marple to stay at Carrie Louise's estate, Stonygates, under the pretense being a post-war charity case. Soon after arriving, Christian Gulbrandsen, Carrie Louise's stepson from a previous marriage and one of the overseers of the juvenile delinquent home located on the property, is murdered. During the course of the investigation, another sinister truth is revealed - Christian believed someone was trying to kill Carrie Louise. Review: Our library is officially closed for a month as of yesterday, but I made sure to be prepared by checking out a stack of books to hold me until it's re-opened. This included They Do it With Mirrors , which I finished reading early this morning. I think I can honestly say this was the best Miss Marple book I...

Synopsis: The residents of Chipping Cleghorn are amused by an announcement in the morning paper advertising a murder later that day at the Little Paddocks estate owned by Letty Blacklock and go to her house believing it is either a game or a prank. They are less amused, however, when someone turns off the lights at the advertised time and fires a revolver, striking Miss Blacklock in the ear before either accidentally or purposely killing himself. Local police, baffled by the motive, turn to Jane Marple and, with her insight, come to a terrifying conclusion. The dead man was nothing more than a ruse and one of the people closest to Miss Blacklock is trying to kill her. Review: Several years ago, I made reading all of Agatha Christie's mysteries one of my goals. However, I ended up taking a break from that after reading the first Miss Marple books and realizing I wasn't as big of a fan of her as I was of Christie's other detectives.  Since it had been a while, I decided to ...

Synopsis: Siblings Jerry and Joanna Burton take residence in the small town of Lymstock while Jerry recovers from an accident. When they receive an anonymous letter accusing them of secretly being lovers, they laugh it off. However, they soon learn they aren't the only ones receiving accusation letters and, before too long, things take a dark turn when one of the recipients kills herself as a result of it. When the investigation seems to hit a dead end, the vicar's wife calls up her friend, Jane Marple , to help. Review: After reading another Miss Marple mystery a few days ago and enjoying it more than expected, I decided to check out this book from the library. Overall, I found I enjoyed it. I thought the mystery in this book was an intriguing one. At first, the letters the Burtons and others were receiving seemed relatively harmless becasue they were filled with unfounded accusations. However, after the suicide and, eventually, another murder, it became apparent there was ...

Synopsis: When the body of an unknown young blonde is found in the library of Colonel and Dolly Bantry's estate. Fearing the scandal it might cause, Dolly calls up her old friend, Jane Marple, to help with the investigation and, as more is discovered about the deceased, even the authorities are quick to rely on Miss Marple's deductive abilities. Review: Even though I did like The Murder at the Vicarage , that was the only Miss Marple mystery I've read until now (seeing a movie featuring the character renewed my interest). I finished this book early this morning and, overall, have to say I enjoyed it. The thing I found I liked best about this book was the murder mystery itself. As more is revealed about the victim, Ruby, the motive behind her murder seems to be somewhat clear and there are a few solid suspects. However, at the same time, none of the theories seem to add up when the location of the victim's body is taken into account. Since there was no evidence she e...

Synopsis: While traveling by train, Jane Marple witnesses a woman being strangled to death in another train. Police are unable to find a body and assume the elderly Marple was just imagining things. Determined to prove she wasn't senile, she conducts her own investigation and, believing the woman's body is hidden on the grounds of Ackenthorpe Hall, gets herself hired as a maid. Who's in it? The movie stars Dame Margaret Rutherford , Arthur Kennedy , Muriel Pavlow , James Robertson Justice and Charles Tingwell . Review: The cats were making a ruckus early this morning and, realizing there was no point in me trying to go back to sleep, I wound up getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual. Since I had plenty of time before I had to wake my oldest daughter for school, I looked for a movie to watch and eventually picked this one out. While I am a big fan of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot , I only managed to read one Miss Marple mystery and, because of that, this film (...