book cover of Constable in Control
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Constable in Control

(1994)
(Book 16 in the Constable series)
A novel by

 
 
Ever since he arrived from the smoky South, Constable Nick Rhea has been kept on his toes by the petty - and occasionally not so petty - wrongdoings produced by his rural Yorkshire beat.

One particular point of annoyance for the locals is the youths racing around the country lanes in their cars. He receives nightly calls from one particular local who is most distressed by the reckless teens.

His current puzzle, however, is a spate of thefts from remote moorland churches, thefts that may be connected with Claude Jeremiah Greengrass' latest enterprise: a free grass-cutting service to local churches.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Blaketon is occupied with the tricky task of policing a football match in Whitby. Little does Blaketon know that his learner driver son Graham has joined the ominously named Killing Pits Club, who plan to take advantage of the absence of Blaketon and his officers in Whitby to stage a reckless, potentially lethal, motor-car time trial around Aidensfield...

Constable in Control is a thrilling and heart-warming tale of a local policeman's daily struggle against crime in his rural community, and is the sixth book in the Constable Nick series.

Praise for The Constable Series


'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

'A fascinating insight into the life of a rural constable ... the book makes splendid reading,' - Police Journal

'The colourful as much as the criminal side of life is his professional lot, and in a whole series of attractively written anecdotes he reveals how the waywardness which leads both young and old into awkward individualism, as well as into evil, keeps him busy.' - Countryman

'Rhea's real strengths are his sharp portraits of people, and absorbing detail of a country copper practising his craft ... As with the Herriot series, the best humour comes from the author's close understanding and affectionate portrayals of the character of Yorkshire country folk. Life as a North Riding copper must have been rich indeed.' - Northern Echo

'An account of the hilarious happenings to the county's rural policemen over the years.' - Yorkshire Post

'Filled with Yorkshire characters to make you laugh and cry ... shows rural life through the eyes of a village bobby.' - Whitby Gazette

'An excellent, well-written, humorous journey through the life of a village bobby.' - Police Box

Nicholas Rhea
, now retired, spent 30 years in the force, having started as a Police Cadet for the North Riding Constabulary. His best known work, the Constable series, provided the inspiration for the hugely popular TV series, Heartbeat, and he remained involved with the series as a consultant until filming ended in 2009.


Genre: Cozy Mystery

Used availability for Nicholas Rhea's Constable in Control


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