This book was the first title in Nicholas Rhea's Constable series, which inspired the largely successful TV series Heartbeat. It is based on the author's own experience as a village constable in the North York Moors. The author passed away in 1919.

First in a series, this book introduces Constable Nick Rhea and his wife, Mary, and their three young kids. It is the 60's and Rhea has been posted to a small village filled with little major crime and quirky residents. His job covers just about anything and everything as he is the only policeman there.

Nick's cases run the gamut from an escape artist in the name of a donkey .... a naked woman running through the middle of town ... even a pack of wolves hanging around the bus station.

I especially liked his stories concerning animals .. domestic animals such as dogs, goats, cattle, horses, donkeys, pigs and sheep and the more exotic animals (generally courtesy of the zoo when they escape .... deer, badgers, foxes, hares, even a kangaroo or two and a camel here and there.

The residents are a hoot. Some are quirky, some are friendly, some are not so sure about the new constable ... after all, it takes being a resident many years to be accepted as one of them. There are store owners, craftsmen, and it's a place where everyone knows what everyone is doing.

Highly entertaining, I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Many thanks to Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this cozy mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

What a fun and eclectic memoir of being a policeman in a small town in rural Yorkshire England. Near the moor country, with an interesting group of locals. Nick Rhea brings his wife and 3 small children, and begins interacting and working with the people right away. A gentle approach to solve issues, and most made me laugh out loud. Had a good chuckle over the man who solved the issue with the dog who made constant visits to his yard. It is supposedly where the show Heartbeat is based on, but since I've never seen the show I cannot attest to that. Did enjoy this one though, and would highly recommend this book and author.

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 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.
This is the first book in the series & introduces us to the endearing characters of Aidensfield. The series went onto to be the basis for the tv series Heartbeat, there are differences between the two, which I enjoyed as I was able to read the book as a separate entity. A nostalgic often amusing read that held my interest all the way through
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Constable on the Hill is the first book of the Constable series by Nicholas Rhea which inspired the perennial favorite TV program Heartbeat. Due out 14th March 2020 from Joffe Books, this edition is 176 pages and will be available in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

These books are a gently written and nostalgic look at village living and the life of a village policeman in Yorkshire in the last half of the 20th century. The writing is solidly comfortable and the themes bucolic and (mostly) charming. It's the book equivalent of comfort food: warm, filling, and familiar. The author's love for the people and places he writes about shine through in the narrative. It will appeal to fans of James Herriot, or the Fairacre books by Miss Read.

Four stars. It's wonderful to see these genuinely entertaining books reformatted and re-released for a new generation of readers.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

A fun read. One of those books when you need an escape and want to read something that doesn't require too much thought and will leave you having a good chuckle

How sweet, lovely, warm, put a smile on your face and in your heart! I want to live during this time period, and in this village! A heart warming story of Police Constable Nicholas Rhea, his wife Mary, and their three young children. This is as sweet as All Creatures Great and Small! They need to make a series out of this lovely book!
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

If you loved Heartbeat you will definetely love this cozy little village life Bobby. Nice easy read and not intense

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have to say that this book was sadly not for me. I do think that having seen the TV series I was a bit disappointed that this did not inspire me to read the rest of the series but I found it very slow to read. Saying that it is not a bad book and I can understand why other people love it.