Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When Captain Henry Davenport is found murdered and stuffed inside his chimney, the local chimney sweep, Pet Ray, who was in the home around the same time, is the primary suspect. But, when Pete's body is also found, Sergeant Hamish Macbeth believes the murders are related to Davenport's shady business dealings and concentrates his investigation on four men who claimed to have been conned by the deceased Captain. Review:  Hamish Macbeth mysteries have become one of my trusted "must-haves" whenever I visit our local library in search of books to read. So, when I stopped by last weekend in a bit of a rush, this was the first book I grabbed off the shelf. Unfortunately, this one just didn't live up to my expectations, especially when compared to other books from this series. Let me start out by saying the title of this book is very misleading. Yes, there is a chimney sweep and he is murdered. But, other than the first couple of chapters, he is ...

Synopsis: Feeling out of place and unwanted as one of Bonnie's toys, Woody struggles to find a role in his new child's life. As a result, when Bonnie is afraid to go to kindergarten, Woody sneaks along for the ride and winds up being the guardian for her new favorite plaything, Forky. This ultimately results in him going on a road trip with Bonnie and her parents, reuniting with an old friend and facing off with an antique doll that wants to steal his voice box. Who's in it? The animated movie uses voices from Tom Hanks , Tim Allen , Annie Potts , Christina Hendricks and Tony Hale . Review: My youngest daughter's school was showing this film at its movie night last night and, since none of us were really interested in watching it while sitting on a gymnasium floor, my wife decided to just rent it from Red Box and have a family movie night at home instead. I wasn't a huge fan of Toy Story 3 , which I thought was a little dark (especially when the toys ne...

Synopsis: Attorney Perry Mason is visited by Australian Bishop William Mallory, who is seeking his assistance in helping a woman who was wrongfully accused of manslaughter by her father-in-law 22 years earlier and is now seeking to secure an inheritance for her daughter. The problem is, the bishop speaks with a stutter, leading Mason to believe the man might be a fake. Review: I had a bit of a time crunch this past weekend, when I stopped at the local library in between running other errands. As a result, instead of looking for something unique to read, I stuck with authors I knew, including this particular book. I've read a few Perry Mason books now and, overall, my opinion of them has been a bit mixed. There have been some that were entertaining mysteries. But, at the same time, I have come across some that just didn't excite me. Unfortunately, this book fell in the latter category. I think the mystery itself, which did predictably eventually include a murder, had...

Synopsis:  In 1787, the British ship, Bounty, is given the task of sailing to Tahiti and bringing back breadfruit trees while under the command of Captain William Bligh. Bligh proves to be both incompetent and cruel, leading to unrest with the men on board the ship. Caught in the middle of this is his 1st Lieutenant, Fletcher Christian, who is disgusted by his captain's actions but is reluctant to take action. Who's in it? The movie stars Marlon Brando , Trevor Howard , Richard Harris , Hugh Griffith and Richard Haydn . Review:  I have wanted to see this particular movie for a number of years now but never seemed to find the time to do so, especially since the film is nearly 3 hours in length. However, I had some free time yesterday morning, while my wife was still in bed and the kids were at their grandmother's and was able to get through just enough of it to be able to finish it up early this morning. Overall, I have to say I was happy I finally had the opportun...

One of the events I'm helping organize for the Beaver Dam Family Center. This is a popular food drive event and is open to the public.

Synopsis: Raised by strict parents, Annie Fleming chooses to rebel by using her good looks to manipulate men, including her local boss and the local minister. So, when she is killed by a bomb disguised as a valentine, there is a seemingly endless list of suspects for Sergeant Hamish Macbeth to comb through. To make matters worse, the constable assigned to help the newly-promoted Macbeth, Josie McSween is more interested in tricking the sergeant into marrying her. Review:  After finishing up the Perry Mason book I was reading earlier this week, I immediately got started on this murder mystery, which I had checked out at the library at the same time. And, once again, I wound up enjoying the book so much, I had a hard time putting it down. In fact, if my eyes were getting tired to the point the words were blurry, I probably would have finished this the same day. There are a couple things I found I really enjoyed about this particular book. The first one was the mystery, which...

When did my kids Stop eating like birds? They are already asking me for seconds And I haven't even had my firsts. How did they even eat their food so fast? Seriously, I haven't got a clue. They had to inhale it like a vacuum Because there's no way they had time to chew. Image courtesy of Pixabay Our storage containers are empty and collecting dust. Seeing them going unused makes me a bit blue. I mean, come on now, I already had to pay for dinner. Are you telling me I also have to buy lunch too? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad my kids aren't starving. I'm proud of the fact I'm keeping them well-fed and safe. It's just, sometimes I wonder If maybe I'm raising miniature versions of Henry the Eighth. Honestly, I don't mind that they eat. I just wish they'd save at least some of it for later. Is it really that much to ask To have a few more leftovers in our refrigerator?

Synopsis: Attorney Perry Mason is hired to help wealthy Peter Kent navigate through an ugly divorce and an attempted takeover bid by his crooked business partner. However, when one of Kent's house guests is stabbed and the bloody knife is found under his pillow, Mason must also defend his client against murder charges. The only evidence he has in his favor is Kent's niece, who claims her uncle sleepwalks. Review: I took a short break from Perry Mason books following The Case of the Caretaker's Cat , but decided to check another one out while I was at our local library last week. I was able to read this book in a relatively short amount of time and, for the most part, did enjoy it. The mystery itself, to be honest, was a bit weak. I was able to figure out who the murder victim was going to be long before he was actually dead and, based on who that victim was and the "casual" circumstance that was meant to make his murder seem to be a case of mistaken ident...

It required a little bit of debate but I decided to sign up for Disney's new streaming service, which went live today. I only had a few minutes to check it out this morning but, so far, the $6.99/month looks to be a good investment. I don't think it is anything that is ever going to completely replace Netflix. But, I do think it is a nice supplement to the more-established streaming service, at least if you are a household that has kids. The service was dragging a little bit this morning, with the occasional error (which I would expect to happen on the first day) but, from what I saw, there was a fairly decent mix of movies and TV series, including quite a few classics that I grew up on, like Darkwing Duck , Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers , The Apple Dumpling Gang and Willow . Of course, I'm sure my youngest daughter will be watching the Descendants movies on a loop. At first, I didn't think this service offered the ability to set up separate profiles for each family...

Synopsis: American soldiers defending a Philippine island during World War II are overwhelmed by the Japanese. With American forces in full retreat, a small group of men are given the task of entering enemy territory in an attempt to destroy a captured American base containing valuable intelligence information. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-suicide-battalion-1958/

Synopsis: After a disappointing holiday, Constable Hamish Macbeth is relieved to be returning to his hometown of Lochdubh. However, as soon as he gets home, he can't seem to shake a feeling of foreboding, which he immediately traces to newcomer Catriona Beldame. When many of Lochdubh's married men come down with a similar ailment, Hamish believes it is related to a "herbal" aphrodisiac Catriona has been providing. But, before he can prove she is doing something illegal, Catriona is murdered. Review: After first reading the other two books I checked out at the library at the same time, I finally got around to reading this book a couple days ago. And, much like other Hamish Macbeth mysteries, I found myself having a hard time putting it down. When I first started reading this book, I thought the mystery would wind up being relatively easy to solve. After all, Catriona's murder obviously was the direct result of the harm she was causing the community. All I ...

If snow were rainbow-colored, Wouldn't that be a sight to see? It's not that white isn't fun to look at. It would just be nice to have a bit of variety. Red, indigo, green, orange, violet and blue. In fact, for those of us catching it on our tongue, Let's throw in a little fruit flavoring too. If snow were rainbow-colored, I think it would be such a blessing. At minimum, it would make winter A little less depressing. Violet or orange-colored snowman. Snow forts made out of indigo, green, red or blue. And, if the snow happens to be yellow, The kids would have an excuse to stay home from school.

Synopsis: For 36 years, Lucy Vereker has believed her lover, Paul Ackerley, murdered his former best friend (and her former crush) Gerry Grantworth. Now, nearing death, she learns Paul has believed she was the one responsible for Gerry's death. Seeking to find the truth, the couple tries recollect their separate versions of the event leading up to that day in the hopes of solving the mystery. Review: I first noticed this book at our local library a couple months ago and, while I wasn't interested in checking it out at the time, did think it sounded interesting enough to consider for a future date. I finally wound up checking the book out the last time I was at the library, a couple weeks ago, and finished reading it last night. After doing so, my opinion of it was a bit mixed. I'll start out by saying there were a couple things about this book I really did enjoy. For one, I thought the various characters were interesting to read about. This included the main charact...