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Nicholas Rhea - Page 4

Constable Along the Highway Constable Around the Houses A Well-Pressed Shroud Death of a Princess Constable Over the Stile

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Hardback Robert Hale (2001)

Constable Along the Highway

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First British Edition Hale (2000)

Constable Around the Houses
Nicholas Rhea provides more light-hearted tales and introduces more intriguing characters from Aidensfield, the fictional North Yorkshire moorland village made famous in ITV’s hit drama, Heartbeat.
As Sergeant Blaketon prepares to retire from the force to begin a new career in the post office, Constable Nick continues with his absorbing rural duties. 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 his 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 moorland house to leave something behind and a builder discovers a human skeleton under the property he is renovating.
Other characters include a former soldier who never lights fires in his house, some persistent complainers to appease, a priest who photographed the Loch Ness Monster and a woman whose love secret is revealed by aerial snapshots.
Finally, Sergeant Blaketon disappears on the night of his retirement party. It's all part of the daily routine for Constable Nick.

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First British Edition Constable (2000)

A Well-Pressed Shroud
The third lighthearted crime novel featuring the highly superstitious Detective Inspector Montague Pluke of Crickledale CID, from the author of the 'Heartbeat' books.
Much as Detective Inspector Montague Pluke loves his job, he has been looking forward to a holiday. It gives him the long-awaited opportunity to go in search of the Lost Giant's Horse Trough of Trippingdale rumoured to exist in the grounds of Trippingdale Castle.
The Trippingdale estate has been closed to the public for decades, but Pluke has, at last managed to gain entrance. However, his moment of joy at finding the great, trough is almost ruined when he finds, face down in its shallow waters, a dead man. Enquiries soon reveal the body is that of the recent heir to the estate, a thoughtful man much-liked by his employees.
Why would anyone want to kill him? And why has he, like several other people in the village, received a single pressed snowdrop, a well-known sign of death?

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First British Edition Constable (1999)

Death of a Princess
As Detective Superintendent Mark Pemberton investigates the death of a woman nicknamed The Princess, he finds himself asking the same question time and time again. Accident or murder?
The last of the wealthy Milverdale family, The Princess has been found shot in the grounds of her Estate. Was the bullet that killed her a stray from a local poacher's gun? Or did someone deliberately set out to shoot her dead? Pemberton soon begins to suspect murder as he uncovers unsavoury rumours which suggest there are many who would wish The Princess harm - and the dissolution of the Milverdale Estate means tenants are entitled to buy their properties, revealing yet more suspects.
Nonetheless, Pemberton becomes convinced that the key to her death is a deep family secret. Could there be an heir? And would an heir do anything to gain his inheritance - such as making The Princess's death look like a tragic accident

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First British Edition Hale (1998)

Constable Over the Stile
The Constable series inspired the hugely successful TV series Heartbeat.
In this new collection of rustic tales, Constable Nick continues his fascinating duties in the peace of Aidensfield, deep in the North York Moors.
There is a hint of unexpected wealth for Claude Jeremiah Greengrass when he finds a cache of silver coins and worries for Nick when a lad loses his doting grandad's silver whistle. When Claude Jeremiah's dog, Alfred, gets bitten by an adder, Britain's most loveable rogue rings the local search and rescue team - and gets Sergeant Blaketon instead. But when a Girl Guide tumbles down a waterfall, Nick has to organize a speedy rescue attempt.
We encounter a frightened lady who hides in her garden shed and a wronged lady who wreaks vengeance upon an unfaithful husband while some menfolk use their own methods to deal with a thief who is stealing Ladies' underwear.
There is serious crime too. A convicted murderer comes to live in Aidensfield, but Nick and Sergeant Blaketon have a major problem when they hear that an escaped Great Train Robber is hiding on Nick's patch.
Jacket illustration by Barbara Walton.

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