Heartbeat Books - The Constable Series
Constable on View
As Constable Nick of Aidensfield continues to patrol his varied beat in the picturesque countryside of the North Yorkshire Moors, he recalls the wisdom of his former training sergeant: constables should see and be seen - when wearing the uniform they are on view all the time and must act positively but with decorum.
Surrounded by stunning long-distance views, Constable Nick takes advantage of the landscape to help in his constabulary duties. From a lofty vantage point, he sees a red-coated woman who vanishes minutes later; he notices the theft of thousands of trees from the side of a dale but deals with more local problems, such as the Aidensfield family who were locked out of their home and the burglar who entered isolated farms to leave only a note saying he could have stolen everything. Claude Jeremiah Greengrass reports the theft of two tons of door knockers, while the family of a drowned man refuse to take responsibility for burying him. Bats in a local church, a man who might strangle his wife and another who takes a sentimental journey never to return are all part of Nick's constabulary duties in Aidensfield.
Order Constable on View from Amazon, or from your local bookshop, quoting the ISBN: 978-0-7090-8417-4.
Constable on View is also available as an unabridged ISIS Soundings Audio Book: order it from ISIS or download it from Audible.co.uk (where you can also listen to a sample clip).
Critical acclaim for previous Constable titles:
"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"Rhea's real strengths are his sharp portraits of people. The best humour comes from the author's close understanding and affectionate portrayals of the character of Yorkshire country folk."
Northern Echo
Constable on the Hill
Nicholas Rhea's Constable books, from the very first (Constable on the Hill, now back in print after many years) to the most recent (Constable Around the Park, see above), all have the flavour of the author's own experiences as a local bobby for a small Yorkshire village in the 1960s. As he explains:
"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."
"The result was Constable on the Hill: The success of that book led to what has now become the Constable series which in turn inspired Heartbeat. I think Constable on the Hill is my favourite because it was the beginning of something rather special - and it was written while I was a serving policeman."
The book was a success, and many other Constable books followed it. One of their many admirers was the Head of Drama at Yorkshire Television. As his colleague, Carol Williams, explained in an interview:
"In the early 1980s, our then head of drama, David Cunliffe, was very keen on the series of Constable books written by Nicholas Rhea and bought the television rights from his agent. We held on to those rights for about ten years before being able to go ahead."It was not until 1992 that the first episode of Heartbeat was screened. The early series not only used the location and many of the major characters of Nicholas Rhea's books, they also drew on his storylines. As series follows series and Heartbeat continues to be popular around the world, the connection between the books and the drama works both ways: the TV series has given many of the characters a clear visual identity and the new Constable books are more strongly based on the characterisation of the TV series. Nicholas Rhea plays an active part in the storyline process and his advice on police procedure and Yorkshire life in the sixties is highly appreciated by the programme makers.
"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"Recommended if it's laughter you're after"
Bolton Evening News"Richly entertaining"
Yorkshire Evening Post
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Constable on the Hill was followed by:
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Recent additions to the Constable series
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Constable in the Wilderness (2003) - read more about Constable in the Wilderness »
Constable around the Park (2004) - read more about Constable Around the Park »Constable Along the Trail (2005) - read more about Constable Along the Trail »
Constable in the Country (2005) - read more about Constable in the Country »
Constable on the Coast - read more about Constable on the Coast ».