As he settles into the village life of Aidensfield North Yorkshire Police Constable Nick Rhea begins to understand the complexities of rural law enforcement much of with proves to be very unofficial but highly effective. We hear of his dilemmas as he is torn between his desire to prove the crippled Sidney Chapman's dog innocent of sheep-worrying & the need to do his duty. Farmer Lowe's sheepdog presents a different problem: the overworked old dog is pretending to be deaf & Rhea finds himself drawn into the crisis; without the dog the cows cannot be milked. Local colours & characters abound. The mixed creeds of the community provide more headaches for Rhea: for example Jame Bathurst's funeral goes quite smoothly except that the village grave-digger does not want the death-bed convert buried in Catholic ground & has omitted to dig the grave. Rivalry abounds between Anglicans Catholics & Methodists & Rhea has his work cut out. More problems stem from the unlawful activities of Arnold Merryweather's bus with its massive conductress Hannah a jockey who steals supplies for his hungry horse & the old railway worker who vanishes as the last train passes through the village. In all a vivid light-hearted insight into rural bobbying. ...

Britains most popular bobby turns detective! A delightful account of Constable Rheas foray into the CID whose initials are said to mean Constable in Disguise. Young Rhea is appointed as an Aide to the CID an essential part of every constables training. Adopting civilian clothes he joins the Criminal Investigation Department to learn about the work of the men in plain clothes. Asked to keep a watchful eye on a house thought to be used as a brothel Rhea quietly climbs the roof & sends a tile crashing through the window. When the woman resident & her five brothers set about the neighbours for causing the damage the police turn out in force & arrest everybody.. .meanwhile Rhea lies low on the roof. Investigating a series of housebreakings the CID visit a local snooker hall. There the Detective Sergeant challenges two strong suspects to a match on the understanding that if he wins they will admit to the crime. Packed with stories that reveal the joys & sorrows of country folk Constable in Disguise" creates a colourful picture of Rheas foray into detective work in North Yorkshire." ...

Constable on the Prowl" is exceptional among Nicholas Rheas books in that it takes place entirely at night: it brings together a number of incidents anecdotes & reflections on the theme of night-duty
- which does not seem to be Constable Nicks favourite part of his job! Nick gets to know his collegues PC Alf Ventress & Sergeant Oscar Blaketon & the local rogue with a heart of gold
- Claude Jeremiah Greengrass
- who we catch losing his trousers & shirt as he makes a hasty retreat down a ladder from a ladys bedroom! There is company high-jinks & one or two practical jokes as Nick settles into life in the warm-hearted village he will soon think of as home."


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In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably. Up until the conviction of her husband Oscar for homosexual crimes she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple she was a popular childrens author a fashion icon & a leading campaigner for womens rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn her pioneering & questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right. But that spring Constances entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons her glittering literary & political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name she lived in exile until her death. Franny Moyle now tells Constances story with a fresh eye & remarkable new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siecle London & the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling & moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time. ...

The new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Iris & Ruby. Connie Thorne was a foundling a child left by her mother for strangers to find. Forty years on without ever being able to discover her true identity she has put all her energy into creating a flawless shell for herself. As a child she was musical her sister Jeanette was deaf. One of them was dark the other sunny. Yet they both fell in love with the same man. & her feelings for Bill Jeanettes husband are the one part of herself that Connie can never reshape. When she hears the news that her sister is dying the last thing Connie wants is to leave her Bali home & return to London. But with the bitterness of betrayal still between them Connie & Jeanette have to learn to forgive each other. Surrounded by family can Constance make her peace with who she really is -- & who she loves? ...

Frightening heartbreaking & exquisitely calibrated The Constant Gardener" is a profoundly moving story of a man ennobled by his wifes tragic murder & a magnificent exploration of the dark side of unbridled capitalism. Le Carres record-breaking 500 000 copy international bestseller now comes to the big screen. Directed by critically acclaimed Fernando Meirelles (" City of God") with an all-star cast featuring Ralph Fiennes Rachel Weisz Pete Postlethwaite & Bill Nighy & shot on location in Berlin Kenya & the UK " The Constant Gardener" will be the film tie-in of the year." ...

Despite living by the side of the Thames with its noise disease & dirt eighteen-year-old Rosina May has wanted for little in life. Until her fathers feud with a fellow bargeman threatens to destroy everything. To save them all Rosina agrees to marry Harry the son of a wealthy merchant. But a chance encounter with a handsome river pirate has turned her head & she longs to meet him again. When her father dies a broken man Harry goes back on his promise & turns Rosina out onto the streets. She is forced to work the river herself ferrying rubbish out of London & living rough. In spite of her hardships she cannot forget her pirate & when tragedy threatens to strike once more she is forced to make a choice. But is she really prepared to risk everything for love? ...

Splendid & sumptuous historical novel from the internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of Katherine of Aragon as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story. Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina the Spanish Infanta to parents who are both rulers & warriors. Aged four she is betrothed to Arthur Prince of Wales & is raised to be Queen of Engl&. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off wet cold l&. Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange & the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court & life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen & found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father & grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter & her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie & holding to it. Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe of revered heroes making deep mistakes & of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation. ...

Constantine is a masterly survey of the life & enduring legacy of the greatest & most unjustly ignored of the later Roman emperors
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The book gives a colourful collection of fascinating personal memoirs. Sidney Nowill OBE recounts his carefree childhood in Moda & the idyllic village of Bournabat outside Smyrna & how this blissful innocence was cut short when he was sent off to boarding school in Engl&. Not long after the outbreak of World War II Sidney found himself recruited for duties with MI6; he was even asked to continue this role in a different capacity after the war had ended but saw no reason to continue such work. After the war Sidney began working for his fathers import business before he set up independently manufacturing a range of products. The business required that he undertook sales tours extensively throughout Turkey & this gave Sidney the unique opportunity to get a feel for the understanding & opinion of the average provincial Turkish male. There follow some amusing tales: how Sidney managed to scramble out onto the dome of the Hagia Sophia by clutching onto a rusty Byzantine chain; how he & the Turkish Police chased a gang of counterfeiters; how he hung from a chicken-wire cradle during the construction of the first Bosphorus Bridge; & how he managed to amass a fortune on the nascent Turkish Stock Exchange. Many other amusing & colourful stories are told in the book. In the early 70s Sidney became an External Economic Advisor to the Shell group of companies in Turkey & was frequently sought for his advice on Turkeys financial affairs by people ranging from Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel to workshop meetings in the World Economic Forum. Sidney finally retired to England in 1993. ...