Thank you for the opportunity to read this book; it was not to my taste, however, and I will not be completing it. I have not rated or reviewed this book. (The rating below is because a star rating is required by Netgalley, and is not reflective of an opinion.)

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.

This book was a lot of fun to read. If you like small town mysteries and don't want all the violence and intense crime scene descriptions, this is the way to go. I loved the descriptions in this book of the people and their lives. I felt like I fell right into the story and became one of the locals and looked forward to every new chapter.

This book does not move along at a hurried pace, but it is funny and kept me interested. The camaraderie of the constable and the people he interacts with makes this book worth the time to read. I thought the paranoia over the gooseberries was hilarious, too. This was lighthearted and fun and helped through a rough afternoon.

Recommended for those who like books with plenty of humour and great characters. I will be going back for the rest of the books in the series now.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I received this free from NetGalley and Endeavour Press for an honest review.
If you're looking for gunfire and blood, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for a believable story about an English constable in a small village full of quirky characters then this is the book for you. What James Herriot did for English veterinarians, Nicholas Rhea does for English constables. A nice gentle read that makes you want to read the other books in the series.

Three main plot threads wind their way through the narrative in this "Constable" entry; a gooseberry size competition, the declining health of the head of the gooseberry size competition, and a string of racing bicycle thefts. The narrowness of scope is rewarding, as we can really dig into some of the footwork in the thief capturing plan, but I couldn't care less about Joseph, his fretting wife Mabel, and the seventeenth conversation about whether he is really sick or if it's all in this old fool's head. A such, I ended up skimming like 40% of the book (because A LOT of time is spent with Joseph and Mabel) which necessarily taints my review. I suggest giving this one a shot, however, because my disinterest in the emotional lives of this couple may be a indication of my own moral shortcomings rather than those of this narrative.

Dealing with small disputes between neighbours is Nick’s daily life.
However during the run up to the village Gooseberry growing contest there are shenanigans as contestants strive to win
The president of the Old Gooseberry Society retires, & suffers some dramatic weight loss. Leaving speculation as to his reasons for his retirement from the position. Putting aside their competitive nature, the village groups together to raise fund to send him on a pilgrimage to Lourdes for a miracle cure.
Someone is stealing some very expensive racing bikes.
The thefts are seemingly random, and appear to spread throughout the entire northeast regions.
Then the thieves steal the new sergeant’s bike & Nick is determined to put an end to it.
He devises a plan, will the thieves fall the bait?
Another well written thoroughly enjoyable read from the author. The characters are so well portrayed & after reading a few books in the series I really feel that I know them. The usual minor characters feature & they all add to the enjoyment. The plot isn’t fast pace but ambles along fast enough to keep you turning the pages, there are minor humorous storylines as well as the more serious one of bike stealing.