Constable Nick Mystery (Nicholas Rhea) Books in Order
Part ofNicholas Rhea Books in OrderSee Nicholas Rhea's Constable Nick Mystery books in order, with summaries, reading guidance, series background, and a simple starting point.
Last updated: July 15, 2026
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Constable Nick Mystery (Nicholas Rhea) books in publication order
38 books
Constable on the Hill
by Nicholas Rhea
1979
The first Constable book introduces Nick's 1960s Yorkshire beat and the unforgettable people on it. Escaping ponies, naked runners, and Greengrass's excuses set the tone beautifully.
Constable On The Prowl
by Nicholas Rhea
1980
Still new to the job, Nick draws awkward shifts and learns that a sleeping village is never really asleep. Night duty, farming life, and small emergencies keep him constantly on the prowl.
Constable Around the Village
by Nicholas Rhea
1981
As Nick settles into Aidensfield, every corner of village life seems to produce a fresh case. Dogs, buses, old traditions, and missing people all demand his attention at once.
Constable Across the Moors
by Nicholas Rhea
1982
Nick moves across the moors dealing with odd insurance schemes, grieving neighbours, and missing sheep. The humour is gentle, but the problems are still real.
Constable in the Dale
by Nicholas Rhea
1983
A village competition, a dirty-tricks campaign, and a mysteriously burning henhouse keep Nick on the move. Even the prettiest dale can hide hard feelings and foolish plans.
Constable by the Sea
by Nicholas Rhea
1985
Nick's duties reach the coast, where holidaymakers and locals create a different sort of trouble. The sea air changes the scenery, not the need for sharp observation.
Constable Along the Lane
by Nicholas Rhea
1986
The quiet lanes around Aidensfield are full of gossip, farmers, and incidents that are never quite what they seem. Nick keeps the peace while the village tests his patience again.
Constable at the Double
by Nicholas Rhea
1988
Nick deals with a thieving dog, hints of witchcraft, and a motorist determined never to make a right turn. Small problems multiply fast on the Aidensfield beat.
Constable Through the Meadow
by Nicholas Rhea
1988
Modernisation reaches Nick's beat when his old police bike is replaced, but village life stays as tangled as ever. Lovers in the fog and a respectable shoplifter are only the beginning.
Constable in Disguise
by Nicholas Rhea
1989
Nick gets a taste of CID work and quickly learns that going undercover is not quite as smooth as it sounds. One roof-top blunder turns a quiet watch into comic chaos.
Constable Among the Heather
by Nicholas Rhea
1990
Out on the heather, distance and weather make every call a little harder. Nick works remote corners of the moors where rumours travel faster than facts.
Constable by the Stream
by Nicholas Rhea
1991
Bathing beauties, a postman who cannot read, and a thief with charm to spare all land on Nick's beat. It is a particularly lively stretch of village policing.
Constable Around the Green
by Nicholas Rhea
1993
The people around Aidensfield's green are mostly harmless, but not always easy. Nick must manage long-running feuds, strange newcomers, and the daily work of keeping a village civil.
Heartbeat Constable on Call
by Nicholas Rhea
1993
A Heartbeat tie-in that brings back Aidensfield's mix of rural policing, neighbourly drama, and 1960s Yorkshire atmosphere. Nick is on hand for the latest calls, quarrels, and mishaps.
Constable Beneath the Trees
by Nicholas Rhea
1994
Woodland paths and quiet corners hide more than villagers expect. Nick investigates rural secrets, odd behaviour, and the sort of trouble that grows best out of sight.
Constable in Control
by Nicholas Rhea
1995
Nick faces a busier, more demanding stretch of police work as routine calls threaten to spin out of control. The result is another steady blend of humour, pressure, and rural mystery.
Constable in the Shrubbery
by Nicholas Rhea
1995
A grand birthday party, an uninvited Greengrass, and a suspicious death pull Nick into one of his knottier investigations. Village politics and murder make an uneasy mix.
Constable Versus Greengrass
by Nicholas Rhea
1995
When anything goes wrong, Greengrass is usually near the middle of it. Nick and Sergeant Blaketon try once again to pin down Aidensfield's slipperiest rogue, with predictably chaotic results.
Constable about the Parish
by Nicholas Rhea
1996
Parish life gives Nick no shortage of small scandals, awkward calls, and quietly complicated cases. These are classic Aidensfield stories, warm, funny, and sharper than they first look.
Constable at the Gate
by Nicholas Rhea
1997
New arrivals and old grudges meet at the edges of Nick's patch. He must sort out petty crime, wounded pride, and the everyday confusion of village life before it worsens.
Heartbeat Constable at the Dam
by Nicholas Rhea
1997
This Heartbeat-branded edition returns to Aidensfield as the proposed reservoir stirs up anxiety and unrest. Nick faces construction-site trouble, local tempers, and the latest round of village complications.
Constable at the Dam
by Nicholas Rhea
1998
Plans for a new reservoir throw Aidensfield into uproar. As construction begins, Nick has to handle village resistance, youthful recklessness, and the ordinary drama that change always brings.
Constable Over the Stile
by Nicholas Rhea
1998
A stumble over a stile uncovers hidden treasure and sets off a run of new complications. With escaped criminals, village oddballs, and Greengrass in the mix, Nick has his hands full.
Constable in the Farmyard
by Nicholas Rhea
1999
Aidensfield's farmers are more than enough to wear down any policeman. Runaway cows, wild schemes, and a phantom milk-bottle thief keep Nick racing between real crime and pure rural chaos.
Constable Under the Gooseberry Bush
by Nicholas Rhea
1999
Domestic secrets and village rumours keep bubbling up around Nick's beat. It is another collection where the comic and the suspicious sit side by side in country Yorkshire.
Constable Along The Highway
by Nicholas Rhea
2001
Roadside incidents, passing strangers, and local mischief give Nick a fresh set of problems to solve. The open highway brings outside trouble straight into Aidensfield's orbit.
Constable Over The Bridge
by Nicholas Rhea
2001
Crossing from one corner of the district to another, Nick finds that every community has its own secrets and troublemakers. Another round of wry, affectionate village policing follows.
Constable Along The River Bank
by Nicholas Rhea
2002
Nick starts thinking about promotion, but the riverbank and the village keep offering fresh distractions. Rural policing, local characters, and everyday trouble once more make up the casebook.
Constable Goes to Market
by Nicholas Rhea
2002
Market days bring gossip, scams, quarrels, and more work than a village constable could wish for. Nick has to keep order while the whole district seems determined to misbehave.
Constable Around The Park
by Nicholas Rhea
2004
Nick's patch widens again as parkland, visitors, and village gossip bring a new run of small mysteries and practical headaches. The tone stays funny, humane, and firmly rooted in Yorkshire life.
Constable in the Wilderness
by Nicholas Rhea
2004
Winter closes in on the North York Moors, but the weather does not stop police work. Snowdrifts, flood warnings, and a parade of eccentric villagers keep Nick busy from first page to last.
Constable Along the Trail
by Nicholas Rhea
2005
Nick follows fresh trails through village feuds, rural misunderstandings, and minor crimes that turn unexpectedly serious. It is another easygoing but sharp-eyed visit to Aidensfield.
Constable in the Country
by Nicholas Rhea
2006
More country policing for Nick means awkward neighbours, local gossip, and trouble that rarely stays small for long. These are warm, observant Yorkshire tales with a sturdy mystery spine.
Constable on the Coast
by Nicholas Rhea
2006
Sent to a busy seaside resort, Constable Nick swaps his familiar village lanes for holiday crowds and coastal puzzles. A message in a bottle and a string of odd incidents soon make it anything but a quiet posting.
Constable on View
by Nicholas Rhea
2008
Nick is once again on public display as the village bobby everyone turns to first. The book gathers more of Aidensfield's odd disputes, quiet mysteries, and slyly funny local characters.
Constable Beats the Bounds
by Nicholas Rhea
2009
Ancient boundaries, village custom, and local resentment give Nick plenty to untangle on his Yorkshire beat. As always, small incidents hint at deeper trouble beneath the moorland calm.
Constable at the Fair
by Nicholas Rhea
2010
A season of fairs sends Constable Nick into missing-person worries, old mysteries, and fresh village chaos. Rural tradition and police work collide in another lively Aidensfield collection.
Constable on Trial
by Nicholas Rhea
2016
Constable Nick looks back over a career full of village quarrels, moorland puzzles, and awkward local cases. It is a late return to Aidensfield, mixing reflection, humour, and one more round of rural police work.
Constable Nick Mystery (Nicholas Rhea) books in chronological order

Constable on the Hill
by Nicholas Rhea
1979Constable Nick Mystery, Book 1
Constable On The Prowl
by Nicholas Rhea
1980Constable Nick Mystery, Book 2
Constable Around the Village
by Nicholas Rhea
1981Constable Nick Mystery, Book 3
Constable Across the Moors
by Nicholas Rhea
1982Constable Nick Mystery, Book 4
Constable in the Dale
by Nicholas Rhea
1983Constable Nick Mystery, Book 5
Constable by the Sea
by Nicholas Rhea
1985Constable Nick Mystery, Book 6
Constable Along the Lane
by Nicholas Rhea
1986Constable Nick Mystery, Book 7
Constable at the Double
by Nicholas Rhea
1988Constable Nick Mystery, Book 8
Constable Through the Meadow
by Nicholas Rhea
1988Constable Nick Mystery, Book 9
Constable in Disguise
by Nicholas Rhea
1989Constable Nick Mystery, Book 10
Constable Among the Heather
by Nicholas Rhea
1990Constable Nick Mystery, Book 11
Constable by the Stream
by Nicholas Rhea
1991Constable Nick Mystery, Book 12
Constable Around the Green
by Nicholas Rhea
1993Constable Nick Mystery, Book 13
Heartbeat Constable on Call
by Nicholas Rhea
1993Constable Nick Mystery, Book 14
Constable Beneath the Trees
by Nicholas Rhea
1994Constable Nick Mystery, Book 15
Constable in the Shrubbery
by Nicholas Rhea
1995Constable Nick Mystery, Book 16
Constable in Control
by Nicholas Rhea
1995Constable Nick Mystery, Book 17
Constable Versus Greengrass
by Nicholas Rhea
1995Constable Nick Mystery, Book 18
Constable about the Parish
by Nicholas Rhea
1996Constable Nick Mystery, Book 19
Heartbeat Constable at the Dam
by Nicholas Rhea
1997Constable Nick Mystery, Book 20
Constable at the Gate
by Nicholas Rhea
1997Constable Nick Mystery, Book 21
Constable Over the Stile
by Nicholas Rhea
1998Constable Nick Mystery, Book 22
Constable at the Dam
by Nicholas Rhea
1998Constable Nick Mystery, Book 23
Constable Under the Gooseberry Bush
by Nicholas Rhea
1999Constable Nick Mystery, Book 24
Constable in the Farmyard
by Nicholas Rhea
1999Constable Nick Mystery, Book 25
Constable Over The Bridge
by Nicholas Rhea
2001Constable Nick Mystery, Book 26
Constable Along The Highway
by Nicholas Rhea
2001Constable Nick Mystery, Book 27
Constable Along The River Bank
by Nicholas Rhea
2002Constable Nick Mystery, Book 28
Constable Goes to Market
by Nicholas Rhea
2002Constable Nick Mystery, Book 29
Constable in the Wilderness
by Nicholas Rhea
2004Constable Nick Mystery, Book 30
Constable Around The Park
by Nicholas Rhea
2004Constable Nick Mystery, Book 31
Constable Along the Trail
by Nicholas Rhea
2005Constable Nick Mystery, Book 32
Constable on the Coast
by Nicholas Rhea
2006Constable Nick Mystery, Book 33
Constable in the Country
by Nicholas Rhea
2006Constable Nick Mystery, Book 34
Constable on View
by Nicholas Rhea
2008Constable Nick Mystery, Book 35
Constable Beats the Bounds
by Nicholas Rhea
2009Constable Nick Mystery, Book 36
Constable at the Fair
by Nicholas Rhea
2010Constable Nick Mystery, Book 37
Constable on Trial
by Nicholas Rhea
2016Constable Nick Mystery, Book 38
Series background & context
Nicholas Rhea's Constable Nick mysteries begin with a young policeman arriving in Aidensfield, a small North Yorkshire community where everyone has an opinion, a history, and sometimes a reason to avoid the local bobby. Nick soon finds that rural policing is never only about crime.
It is about people.
A typical day can involve an escaped animal, a family quarrel, a missing person, a dishonest trader, a pub argument, a moorland search, or a practical joke that has gone too far. Nick has to learn who can be trusted, which stories need checking, and when a minor nuisance is covering something more serious. The mysteries are usually human-sized, but the stakes can be real.
The setting is one of the main pleasures. Aidensfield and the nearby moors are not simply scenery for a case. Farming routines, poor roads, local events, weather, old customs, and the close connections between neighbours all affect how Nick works. Information travels quickly, though not always accurately, and the people who seem most difficult can sometimes be the ones who help solve a problem.
Nick has a useful group around him. Sergeant Blaketon provides seasoned advice and a firm hand. Claude Jeremiah Greengrass provides complications, usually with a story ready and a loophole in mind. A changing crowd of farmers, shopkeepers, clergy, visitors, and local rogues gives each book a fresh set of voices while keeping the world familiar.
The television drama Heartbeat grew from these books, but the novels are not scripts in prose. They are more episodic and reflective, with a close eye on the small details of a police officer's life. Rhea had worked in the police himself, and that shows in Nick's practical approach to calls, evidence, procedure, and the awkward business of telling someone bad news.
The tone is warm, but it is not sugary.
There is humour in the series, especially when Greengrass is involved, but there are also crimes, grief, violence, and hard choices. If you want a long sequence with one dependable lead, a memorable community, and mysteries that grow naturally from village life, begin with Constable on the Hill and follow Nick from there.
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