CONSTABLE on the HILL a Perfect Feel-Good Read from One of Britain's Best-loved Authors

DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE SERIES. MEET BRITAIN’S BEST-LOVED BOBBY.

“It’s original, it’s funny . . . one of life’s little pleasures.” Yorkshire Post

THE BOOKS WHICH INSPIRED HEARTBEAT

The brilliantly entertaining and heartwarming books behind the hit 90s TV series Heartbeat. One of the top ten most watched shows of the decade.

“Stories of a constable on his village beat in North Yorkshire. All very gentle and far, far removed from the hurly burly of modern day city policing.” Daily Telegraph

Policeman Nick Rhea has been posted to the country with his wife Mary and their three small children. They move into the police house, high on a ridge overlooking the moors. It sits on the edge of the village of Aidensfield — “probably the most beautiful site in the country”.

“These books . . . do for the police service in North Yorkshire what James Herriot did for the vets there . . . very relaxing, very readable.” Manchester Evening News

In the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside of the 1960s, Constable Nick's roles are as varied as the eccentric villagers.

He handles every encounter with his characteristic humour, humanity and professionalism.

His investigations include the case of a clever pony who keeps escaping, a woman running through town naked, and a pack of Canadian timber wolves hanging out in a bus shelter.

IT’S NOT THE BIG CITY BUT THE YORKSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE IS STILL FULL OF INCIDENT

He soon gets to know all the characters on his beat, from his superior officer Sergeant Blaketon to Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, whose lurcher Alfred lands him with a summons for “allowing a dog to worry livestock on agricultural land.” The ever-resourceful Claude Jeremiah offers the defence that Alfred's victim, a budgie, cannot be described as livestock!

Perfect for fans of James Herriot, T.E. Kinsey, Gerald Durrell, J.R. Ellis or anyone who loves a great read.

CONSTABLE NICK’S COLLEAGUES
Sergeant Oscar Blaketon. A good, solid and dependable character who runs his little police station with fierce efficiency but under a tough exterior, is full of warmth, generosity and kindness.

PC Alf Ventress. The old, easy-going constable whose local knowledge is vital to the running of Ashfordly Police Station. He does like Mrs Ventress's hard-boiled eggs!

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT NICHOLAS RHEA

“Recommended if it's laughter you're after.” Bolton Evening News

“Richly entertaining.” Yorkshire Evening Post

“Splendid reading.” Police Journal

“To be really blunt, this is not my normal reading fare, but I loved it.” Nancy

“I enjoyed this tremendously.” Melissa

“A wonderful and relaxing dip into the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors.” David

“A highly entertaining book which anyone who is looking for easy and humorous reading will enjoy.” Granny

IN THE AUTHOR’S OWN WORDS
“The concept of the Constable books arose because I wanted to write a book which showed that the police undertook much work which was not associated with crime or detective investigations. As I had served as a village constable in a delightful part of the North York Moors, it seemed logical to use that experience as a background to the stories, and to add a touch of humour which is always present in police work.”

CONSTABLE NICK MYSTERIES
Book 1: CONSTABLE ON THE HILL
Book 2: CONSTABLE ON THE PROWL
Book 3: CONSTABLE AROUND THE VILLAGE
Book 4: CONSTABLE ACROSS THE MOORS
Book 5: CONSTABLE IN THE DALE

More coming soon. Join the Joffe Books mailing list to be the first to hear about them.

Author Nicholas Rhea (the pseudonym of Peter Walker) drew on his own experiences as a local bobby for a small Yorkshire village in the 1960s to chronicle the career of Constable Nick, from his first arrival in Aidensfield in Constable on the Hill through his years on his rural beat, to his retirement in Constable over the Hill. In 2007, he was given the Crime Writers' Association's John Creasey Award (named after the CWA founder) for services to the association. By his death in 2017, he had written over 110 books, using as many as five pseudonyms, and had become one of the north's most prolific writers.