Heartbeat Books - The Constable Series
Constable over the Hill
During his final days at Aidensfield, Nick has much to consider, both private and professional. In addition to his personal concerns there are duties to complete as he struggles to balance his family's needs against the demands of the police service. However, crimes and general police duties cannot be ignored whilst the resident constable is preparing to depart. Nick is challenged to solve a centuries-old Aidensfield murder mystery but is also expected to trace a coal thief before he burns the evidence. And what is Claude Jeremiah Greengrass up to? He is secretly spending a lot of time in woodland without his beloved dog, Alfred. Intense pressure comes to Nick and his family because they must find a suitable house before he assumes his new responsibilities. Will the family purchase the police house? And is it true that Claude Jeremiah Greengrass is making a serious bid to buy it? As he struggles to finalise his ambitious plans, some surprising offers are made to Constable Nick as he prepares for the next stage of his career.
The Constable book are probably Nicholas Rhea's best known work, since they form the rootstock from which the much-loved TV series, Heartbeat, sprang. But now that no more episodes of the show are being filmed Nicholas Rhea has decided that it is time for Constable Nick to take his well earned retirement. In a January 2008 interview, Nicholas Rhea joked that the last volume of the series would have in its title a nod to the first: from Constable on the Hill to Constable over the Hill. He says"I've had lots of pleasure writing these books and, of course, I was thrilled when they were taken up by Yorkshire TV for Heartbeat. I spent many happy hours on set watching the actors bringing my characters vividly to life in Aidensfield. Constable Nick, Greengrass, Oscar Blaketon, PC Ventress and Alfred, the dog, are now part of television history and have been seen on screen all over the world. However, with the demise of Heartbeat I've decided it is time also to bring this long-running Constable series to an end.
"This doesn't mean I'm retiring from writing books altogether, but the change will allow me to develop other characters and new stories."
Constable over the Hill was published in May 2011; you can order a copy from Amazon or from any bookshop, quoting the ISBN: 978-0-7090-9219-3.)
It is now also available in an ISIS Soundings audiobook, read by Nick McArdle: order the audiobook direct from the publisher on CD, cassette or MP3 CD.
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 (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 followed series and Heartbeat won popularity around the world, the connection between the books and the drama worked both ways: the TV series gave many of the characters a clear visual identity and the later Constable books were more strongly based on the characterisation of the TV series. Nicholas Rhea played an active part in the storyline process throughout the show's lifetime, and his advice on police procedure and Yorkshire life in the sixties was always 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
Constable on the Hill was followed by:
- Constable on the Prowl (original edition 1980)
subsequently reissued in a Black Dagger edition; further reissue from Áccent Press. - Constable around the Village (original edition 1982)
reissued by Áccent Press. - Constable across the Moors (original edition 1982)
reissued by Áccent Press. - Constable in the Dale (original edition 1983)
reissued by Áccent Press. - Constable by the Sea (original edition 1985)
reissued by Áccent Press. - Constable along the Lane (original edition 1986)
reissued by Áccent Press. - Constable at the Double (1988)
- Constable in Disguise (original edition 1989)
reissued by Áccent Press. - Constable among the Heather (1990)
In this delightful collection of tales, PC Rhea's duties on the North Yorkshire moors are as varied and humorous as ever. When a farmer fits an ejector seat to his tractor, Constable Rhea is forced to cope with rumours of Roman soldiers racing their chariots across the moors. With mysterious moorland graves to uncover and the illicit romances of visitors to cover up, with motor accidents involving goats, peat bogs and his little police van, PC Rhea continues his fascinating and hilarious career.
Available as an unabridged Soundings audio edition (cassette) - Constable by the Stream (1991)
- Constable around the Green (1993)
This is another collection of stories from the constable whose work on the windswept moors of North Yorkshire has inspired the television series Heartbeat. We share the joys and humour of the work of the village bobby as he copes with a bizarre range of duties. We meet yet more Yorkshire characters, including Sergeant Blaketon's wife who won't let him watch the Cup Final on television, and a wealthy. socialite who stocked her handbag with freebies.
Constable around the Green (both the printed text and the audio book) was issued in two versions, the original edition and the Heartbeat TV tie-In edition. - Constable beneath the Trees (1994) - More about Constable beneath the Trees »
- Constable in Control (1994)
- Constable in the Shrubbery (1995)
- Constable versus Greengrass (1995) - More about Constable versus Greengrass »
- Constable about the Parish (1996) - More about Constable about the Parish »
- Constable at the Gate (1997) - More about Constable at the Gate »
- Constable at the Dam (1997) - More about Constable at the Dam »
- Constable over the Stile (1998) - More about Constable over the Stile »
- Constable under the Gooseberry Bush (1999)
- Constable in the Farmyard (1999)
- Constable around the Houses (2000)
There are problems with Greengrass's goat which loves butting motor vehicle headlights and even attacks the police constable's official transport, while Claude Jeremiah himself decides to establish the Greengrass School of Motoring, an ideal means of coping with egg deliveries. Aidensfield isn't free from crime, however. Geoffrey Cunningham reports the theft of his famous art collection of red-headed nudes. Meanwhile a burglar breaks into an isolated house and leaves something behind and a builder discovers a human skeleton under the property he is renovating.
Constable around the Houses is also available as an audio CD or cassette, read by Graham Roberts. - Constable along the Highway (2001)
Elderly Casper Netherton is advised to give up driving after knocking down his gatepost with his open-top Rolls. Resorting to using his wife's old bicycle, Casper soon finds himself being taken to court by a fuming magistrate from Middlesborough. PC Rhea has to deal with a growing number of motorists on the roads as the townies of the 1960s take their caravans to the country or go on day trips. Meanwhile he has to try to discover the cause of an accident black-spot outside Field House, home of attractive Helen Newcombe. And how will Ashfordly's new Welsh sergeant Craddock fit in, especially after it is discovered that he and his wife love ballroom dancing?
Available from Amazon in the original hardback edition, a Magna Large Print edition, on audio CD and audio cassette. - Constable over the Bridge
- Constable goes to Market (2002) - also available in a large print edition from Magna Large Print
- Constable Along the River-bank (2002) - read more about Constable Along the River-bank »
- Constable in the Wilderness (2003) - read more about Constable in the Wilderness »
- Constable around the Park (2004) - read more about Constable Around the Park »
Recent additions to the Constable series
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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 (2006) - read more about Constable on the Coast ».
Constable on View (2007) - read more about Constable on View »
Constable Beats the Bounds (2009) - read more about Constable Beats the Bounds »
Constable at the Fair (2010) - read more about Constable at the Fair »