Helen West

Here's an interesting crime story about a pharmacist with a lustful eye on his young apprentice after his wife dies of an apparent heart attack. Helen West, recovering from an operation, has her hackles raised by the whole situation and sets out hot on the trail when chloroform is found in the wife's blood. The pharmacist is a suspect, naturally, but there are others as well. Purists in the mystery genre may think that the love affair of Helen and Chief Inspector Bailey is overly obtrusive. Add to that some of the worst TV movie editing yet and you have room to cavil. The acting is pretty good, especially Amanda Burton as Helen, and the London backgrounds are well photographed. I rate it 7/10.

This disappointing series lasted for three episodes. I'm surprised it made it that far.

The Helen West Casebook has to do with a prosecutor for the Crown and her cases.

The problem is that the stories are actually quite good, but the execution is terrible. For one hour and fifteen minutes, the viewer sits through Helen's difficulties with her boyfriend, Chief Superintendent Bailey, and her chauvinistic boss. Then there are two or three subplots. In the last fifteen minutes of the show, all of the subplots come together. That's if you're still watching.

Amanda Burton is lovely and underplayed as Helen, and the rest of the acting is good. The episodes are slow and therefore seem overly long.

A real disappointment.