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: While collecting donations for charity, Miss Jane Marple witnesses a wealth recluse's death. She believes he was murdered but the police don't agree, at least until his sister is also murdered. Believing one of the man's heirs is the killer, Marple takes a holiday at the Gallop Hotel so she can spy on the family. Who's in it? The movie stars Margaret Rutherford , Stringer Davis , Robert Morley , Flora Robson and Charles "Bud" Tingwell. Review: After seeing three of the four  Miss Marple films starring Margaret Rutherford, I was finally able to get this one in my library. Since I had yesterday afternoon off, I took the time to watch it and thought it was worth the wait. One of the things I liked about this movie was the number of potential suspects. I was able to take a fairly accurate guess about who the killer was but there were other possibilities and, since they all had both motive and opportunity, I wasn't completely sure who would be th...

Synopsis: When former actress Margaret McGinty is murdered, her lodger, Harold Taylor appears to be guilty. However, Jane Marple is on the jury and, by being the lone holdout, causes a mistrial. Believing Taylor is innocent, Marple decides to investigate the murder herself and puts her life in danger by joining a theater company so she can search for the person she believes McGinty was blackmailing. Who's in it? The movie stars Margaret Rutherford , Ron Moody , Charles 'Bud' Tingwell , Ralph Michael and Francesca Annis . Review: I've had this movie in my library for a couple of weeks and, after enjoying both Murder Ahoy and Murder, She Said , decided to take the time to watch it. Overall, I have to say the film proved to be worth my time. Once again, while I'm not a fan of the literary version of Miss Marple, I do find the film version much more enjoyable. Part of this was because of Rutherford's outstanding performance, which had just the right mix of serio...

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 : The much-despised Colonel Lucius Protheroe is found murdered in the vicar's study. There is a wide range of potential suspects, including his cheating wife and her lover and the vicar himself, and it appears the murderer may never be caught. However, the vicar's next door neighbor is Miss Jane Marple and no detail ever escapes her. Review : Even though I had heard of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple character, I honestly didn't know a whole lot about her prior to reading this book, which is also the first novel she appears in. As  result of that, I really wasn't sure what to think about her, especially since, at first at least, she didn't seem to have much of a role in this story. As it turns out, however, I found I liked her and this mystery. The thing I found I liked about Miss Marple is she brings a lot of the same observational skills Christie's other famous detective, Hercule Poirot , offers. But, unlike the very arrogant Poirot, she is m...