Nicholas Rhea

Nicholas Rhea is the pseudonym of author Peter N. Walker, who was born in Glaisdale, a North York Moors village, in 1936. He was the oldest of three children born to an insurance agent and a teacher. Rhea won a scholarship to Whitby Grammar School but left at 16 to become a police cadet in 1952, based at Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. His interest in writing began in the late 1950s, and he had his first short story published in the Police Review magazine.

Rhea is best known for writing the Constable Nick Mystery series, which includes the book "Constable on the Hill," released in 1979. Before becoming a full-time writer, he continued to rise through the ranks at the region’s Police Headquarters in Northallerton and published his first novel, "Carnaby and the Hijackers," in 1967. Although he wrote 130 fiction and non-fiction books, Rhea is primarily known for his Constable series, which was inspired by his many years of police service.

After retiring in 1982 to concentrate on his writing, Rhea's work gained popularity when Yorkshire Television took an interest in his Constable books. This interest resulted in the highly popular TV series "Heartbeat," which ran for 18 seasons and over 350 episodes, achieving 18 million viewers per episode at its peak. Rhea had four children and eight grandchildren and lived with his wife in a quiet North Yorkshire village. He died in 2017.
Assured Books
# Title Year
1 Some Assured 2004
2 Rest Assured 2005
3 Self-Assured 2006
4 Life Assured 2007
Constable Nick Mystery Books
# Title Year
1 Constable on the Hill 1979
2 Constable On The Prowl 1980
3 Constable Around the Village 1981
4 Constable Across the Moors 1982
5 Constable in the Dale 1983
6 Constable by the Sea 1985
7 Constable Along the Lane 1986
8 Constable at the Double 1988
9 Constable Through the Meadow 1988
10 Constable in Disguise 1989
11 Constable Among the Heather 1990
12 Constable by the Stream 1991
13 Constable Around the Green 1993
14 Heartbeat Constable on Call 1993
15 Constable Beneath the Trees 1994
16 Constable in the Shrubbery 1995
17 Constable in Control 1995
18 Constable Versus Greengrass 1995
19 Constable about the Parish 1996
20 Heartbeat Constable at the Dam 1997
21 Constable at the Gate 1997
22 Constable Over the Stile 1998
23 Constable at the Dam 1998
24 Constable Under the Gooseberry Bush 1999
25 Constable in the Farmyard 1999
26 Constable Over The Bridge 2001
27 Constable Along The Highway 2001
28 Constable Along The River Bank 2002
29 Constable Goes to Market 2002
30 Constable in the Wilderness 2004
31 Constable Around The Park 2004
32 Constable Along the Trail 2005
33 Constable on the Coast 2006
34 Constable in the Country 2006
35 Constable on View 2008
36 Constable Beats the Bounds 2009
37 Constable at the Fair 2010
38 Constable on Trial 2016
The Constable Files Books
# Title Year
1 Constable Around the Houses 2000
Detective Superintendent Mark Pemberton Books
# Title Year
1 False Alibi 1991
2 Grave Secrets 1992
3 Family Ties 1994
4 Suspect 1995
5 Confession 1997
6 Death of a Princess 2001
7 The Sniper 2001
8 Dead Ends 2003
9 Murder Under the Midnight Sun 2008
Maddleskirk Abbey Books
# Title Year
1 Murder at Maddleskirk Abbey 2013
2 Confession at Maddleskirk Abbey 2015
Montague Pluke Books
# Title Year
1 Omens of Death 1996
2 Superstitious Death 1998
3 A Well-Pressed Shroud 2001
4 Garland for a Dead Maiden 2003
5 The Curse of the Golden Trough 2004
6 Prize Murder 2006
7 A Full Churchyard 2014
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 Target Criminal 1997
2 The Macintyre Plot 1998
3 Murder After the Holiday 1998
4 Major Incident 1998
5 The Dovingsby Death 1998
6 Sergeant Simpson's Sacrifice 2005
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 Portrait Of The North York Moors 1985
2 Heartbeat of Yorkshire 1993
3 Blessed Nicholas Postgate: Martyr of the Moors 2012
4 Heartbeat: The Story Behind the Series 2020