Constable Nick returns from leave to discover changes at work and at home. Among the surprises Constable Nick finds in the woods in this collection are a colony of unidentifiable exotic birds, a stolen poet, an unexploded bomb and a missing child with a secret of her own.

Set midway through the series of "Constable" books which became the basis for the TV series "Heartbeat" set in 1960s Yorkshire, documenting the life of a local policeman - not all cops and robbers.

Book received from NetGalley.

I love this series of books. While they are British police procedurals they have a definite cozy feel to them. The series takes place in the 1960's in the Yorkshire Dales, a place I came to love while reading James Herriot's books. What I enjoy the most about the series is that they don't focus on a murder mystery. While there are some murders in the books, you are just as likely to read about a robbery, a missing person, or kids who are annoying the local villagers. These are a definite recommend for me.

Love this series of books. Highly recommend to other readers who remembers when policemen were policemen

Another gently amusing entry in the Constable series, this one spiced up with the introduction of a new, very meddling new Inspector. An especially funny interlude with Alf the dog and a German bomb lends a nice bump to the middle. A great read for a cozy day.

Follow the antic of a constable in a small English village in this well written story. I loved the colorful and quirky characters.

There are some changes mainly the arrival of the new and very youthful Inspector Pollock.
Sergeant Blaketon is not at all happy when the new inspector insists on prosecuting those who park their cars without lights and those who drink after hours in the local pubs and PC Nick Rhea soon finds himself questioning his true role in the village.
Meanwhile, life in Aidensfield is always full of surprises. Of course Claude Jeremiah Greengrass must feature, he and his dog, Alfred, cause havoc at dog shows, a professional villain buys a house in the village and Nick also calls in the expertise of the Ryedale Hen Watching Society when some curious birds are found in a wood and deals with a professional villain who moves to Aidensfield.
And then an unexploded bomb is found in the forest

I lost myself in this book, a look back to a more gentle way of life in North Yorkshire a welcome change from the nitty gritty stories of inner city policing. A delightful story that is witty & full of anecdotes. The characters are so well portrayed. The plot is well paced & kept me turning the pages. A light easy reading that whiled away a few hours on a cold miserable afternoon