Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Tommel Castle is set to host an elaborate Valentine's Day wedding between Alannah Hamilton and Darius Palmerston, with Alannah's wealthy and influential father, Charles, saving no expense and Police Sergeant Hamish MacBeth's ex-fiancée Elspeth Grant traveling with the wedding party to provide exclusive coverage of the event for her television station. However, as seemingly forewarned by Elspeth's gift for premonition, the happy event is met with tragedy and Hamish, along with his constable, Davey Forbes, are soon investigating a murder after Palmerston is found slashed to death by a sword hours after the wedding and another wedding guest is later found killed.  Review: While I had my early doubts (and dislikes) about the direction Hamish Macbeth's story was taking following M. C. Beaton's death and the decision to continue the series with R. W. Green's assist, I have admittedly begun to enjoy some of the later books more than expected. In fact, wh...

Synopsis: Ever since he first met James Bland, Sergeant Hamish Macbeth knew there was more to the American than he let on. So, when Bland joins the Lochdubh police force, officially as part of an exchange program but in reality, to get Macbeth's help tracking down a spy ring, he isn't surprised but also a bit reluctant. Unfortunately, the new mission also comes at a time when Lochdubh is being terrorized by a burglar and puts his fledgling relationship with Claire on the ropes. Review: I came across Death of a Spy while returning some books to our library over the weekend and since I didn't have anything else immediately on my reading list, decided to check it out. I haven't been a big fan of the Hamish Macbeth books published since M. C. Beaton's death but was willing to give this one a fair chance. In the end, my opinion of it, like the others, was mixed. The whole James Bland/spy ring thing is something I've never been able to get on board with. My biggest...

Synopsis: Kate Hibbert has a habit of disappearing for weeks at a time so, when Lochdubh's newest resident goes missing, Sergeant Hamish Macbeth isn't immediately worried, even after Kate's cousin, Diane, visits him in person to express her concerns. When Hibbert's body turns up in a lake, Macbeth discovers evidence suggesting Hibbert had been blackmailing many of the local residents. In addition to having plenty of suspects and possibly needing to arrest one of his friends, Macbeth has another issue. His nemesis, DCI Blair, has been put in charge of the case and he has a new assistant, Davey Forbes, who may be spying for Blair. Review: After being left saddened by the end of Death of a Green-eyed Monster , I was a little hesitant to read the next book in the Hamish Macbeth series, Death of a Traitor . However, mostly out of curiosity and a desire to see a happier ending, I checked it out at the library. Unfortunately, while this book ended on a higher note than the p...

Synopsis: Things finally seem to be going right for Sergeant Hamish Macbeth. He remains in his beloved town of Lochdubh and to the surprise of many, his beautiful constable, Dorothy McIver has agreed to marry him. However, a few days before the wedding, a murder and an attempted murder put a dark cloud over the upcoming ceremony. To make matters worse, many of Hamish's friends begin to suspect Dorothy isn't being completely honest with her fiancé about her past.  Review: I was surprised to see Death of a Green-Eyed Monste r when I was at the library last week. With M. C. Beaton's passing in 2019, I assumed Death of an Honest Man would be the final Hamish Macbeth book. So, seeing a new chapter in his story, written with the help of another writer while Beaton was still alive, was something I thought was intriguing. Though, admittedly, I also had some doubts about the book as well. I finished reading it early this morning and, while it did prove to be a lot better than I ...

Synopsis: When Constable Hamish Macbeth makes a routine visit to the remote village of Stoyre, he senses something is amiss. The pub is empty and the residents, who seem to have become unusually religious, are closed lipped whenever he attempts to talk to them. He is determined to figure out why but, at the same time, also has to avoid being promoted/forced to leave his home in Lochdubh after solving a series of unrelated crimes ranging from insurance fraud to attempted murder. Review: Mostly because of all the time I spend at the ice rink, I can get through, on average, one book per week. However, every so often, I wind up finishing a book much quicker than that because I simply cannot put it down. This book falls into that category. There were a couple things that really stood out for me when reading this book. The big one was definitely the main mystery surrounding Stoyre. Unlike many other books from this series, there was no obvious crime. Nobody had been murdered and, a...