Constable Nick Mystery

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 humor, 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. 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!

Alone in the midnight hours with nothing but dead leaves, stray cats, and legends of ghosts and ghoulies to accompany him. A sleeping village doesn't mean a simple shift, though. Between the early risers of the farming community, a badger with a sweet tooth, and getting to know his new workmates, there's no time for Nick to kick his feet up in the station. And of course there's Claude Jeremiah Greengrass! Why did he have to retreat hastily down a ladder from a lady's bedroom and what happened to his trousers and shirt? And can he really be innocent of taking a deer during the night, when he was seen emerging from the forest carrying a particularly fine set of antlers? In the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside of the 1960s, Constable Nick's roles are as varied as the eccentric villagers.

A canine crisis for Constable Nick Nick is settling into his role as a police constable in Aidensfield, getting to grips with rural life and his new colleagues and neighbors. Constable Nick maintains his warm approach through the village's many incidents, whether it's the historic tradition of the First Footing on New Year's Eve or the scandal of an undug grave. More problems stem from the unlawful activities of Arnold Merryweather's bus, with its imposing conductress, Hannah, a jockey who steals supplies for his hungry horse, and the old railway worker who vanishes as the last train passes through the village. Nick soon finds himself facing a canine crisis. Farmer Lowe's overworked sheepdog is feigning deafness. Without the dog, the cows cannot be milked, bringing his farming business to a screeching halt. Meanwhile, five sheep turn up dead, and Sidney Chapman's dog is accused of the crime, much to his dismay. Can Nick salvage Aidensfield's farming future, not to mention the reputations of two dogs, while juggling his other cases? "[Like] a second cheery swig of stout... there are illustrations of Yorkshire thrift, of the triumphs and perils of the ecumenical movement... Generally, he takes an easygoing approach to miscreants... With manly asides, and a generous sampling of local speech, a stoutly brogued journey through rural Yorkshire folkways and byways."

Rural life has plenty of surprises for Constable Nick. Constable Nick has come to know and love the host of characters who live and work on the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. The amiable constable handles every encounter with his characteristic humor and professionalism, whether he's investigating a plot to scare away a troublesome suitor or helping a neighbor return his late wife's ashes to her beloved moors. Not to mention the insurance agent with a rather unusual policy on Edgar Dawson's dog, Arthur. It covers him for stealing clothes from washing lines and getting lady dogs pregnant! But when Ted Williamson's sheep start disappearing, can Rhea find the culprit without making enemies of the farmers of Yorkshire?

Dirty tricks at the best-kept village competition Constable Nick patrols his rural Yorkshire beat on foot or on his trusty Francis Barnett motorcycle. But as beautiful as the villages are, they conceal real human drama. Nick is on hand to help out when Aidensfield decides to enter the Best Kept Village competition and finds itself the victim of a dirty tricks campaign by its rivals. Then there is the mystery of the spontaneously combusting hen-house, and Nick has to cope with the consequences when the vicar tries a novel way of keeping the churchyard tidy.

Constable Nick's off to the seaside During a break from his usual village beat, young Police Constable Nick finds himself involved with holidaymakers and their problems. As well as the normal seaside duties, how does he cope with a man who's lost his false teeth in the sea and another who wants to give away thousands of pounds when drunk? Then there's the stray Labrador that thinks he's a police dog and accompanies police officers on night patrols, and the anxious fisherman who daren't tell his wife that he owns a racehorse. These and a galaxy of other delightful characters are encountered by our rural bobby in his new environment, though Constable Nick wishes he could be home with his wife and small children.

There is a crime wave in the village. A hay barn is set on fire at Low Dale Farm. It seems that an arsonist is targeting isolated barns. Arnold Merryweather's ancient bus helps catch a car thief. And when Nick arrests not only a pig thief but also the expectant pig, the police station cleaner is not very pleased. But it's not all crime. A glider crashes into a romance in a thatched cottage, and then Constable Nick is involved in a plot to force a penny-pincher to spend money. In the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside of the 1960s, Constable Nick's roles are as varied as the eccentric villagers.

Modern life catches up with the village bobby Constable Nick's beat is modernized, with his police bike replaced by a minivan. He gets more than he bargained for as his work draws him into closer contact with villagers, in more ways than one! There are compromising positions aplenty in this next charming installment of Aidensfield life. Nick finds himself lost in heavy fog and runs across a couple of illicit lovers trapped in their car. He advises the village grocer about his very respectable lady shoplifter and discovers how Farmer Owens copes with his bossy wife.

A delightful account of Constable Nick's foray into the CID, or, as he thinks of it, "Constable in Disguise" Nick joins the Criminal Investigation Department to learn about the work of the detectives in civilian clothes. Asked to keep a watchful eye on a house thought to be used as a brothel, Nick quietly climbs the roof and sends a tile crashing through the window. When the woman inside and her five brothers attack the neighbors for causing the damage, the police turn out in force and arrest everybody. Meanwhile, Nick lies low on the roof.

Britain's most popular bobby gets back on the beat. Constable Nick proves once again that a policeman's lot on the windswept heather-clad moors of North Yorkshire was a very happy one. In this delightful collection of tales of Daffodil Duty and Sheep Worrying, his duties are as varied and humorous as ever. Young Nick joins Albert Potter for a drink and discovers his homemade moorland wines are a headache in every sense of the word. When a farmer fits an ejector seat to his tractor, Constable Nick is forced to cope with the rumors of Roman soldiers racing their chariots across the moors. With mysterious graves to uncover and visitors' illicit romance to cover up, with motor accidents involving goats, peat bogs, and his police van, Nick continues his fascinating and frequently hilarious career.

In the splendid countryside of North Yorkshire, there's barely time to stop for Constable Nick Rhea. Not when missing sheep need locating, stray dogs need homing, and thieves need identifying! As Britain's most popular copper continues his work around the village, he has to cope with an array of eccentric characters: a postman who can't read, a helpful lady who steals from the elderly people in her care, and a delightful small-time villain called Tin Lid Talbot. Winning an aged tin of sardines in a local raffle and upsetting the villagers by getting first prize at the local whist drive, PC Nick Rhea must contend with the variety and humorous exploits of a Yorkshire village. Constable by the Stream is the lively tale of a young PC and the small rural community he calls home.

A stolen maypole, romantic con artists, and the case of a missing child. The villagers are quite a handful, from the rogue that is Claude Jeremiah Greengrass and his wily dog, Alfred, to the mysterious spinster Adelaide Bowes. Even some of the newcomers seem to be a little odd. But thankfully for Constable Nick, they are mostly law-abiding characters. But when old conflicts between villages flare up, it's Constable Nick who has to sort things out.