"Now Then Lad..." by Mike Pannett

This has been, by some considerable distance, my favourite book of the last 20 years. I don't think I've read a book virtually in one sitting since I was at school, but I was able to completely immerse myself in this first book of Mike Pannett's. I often get too bored or tired to read more than five or ten pages at a time with most books but not this one.

The title might take some explaining though to those of you not fortunate enough to have lived in Yorkshire. I've been here about four years now, and I no longer say "Good morning" or "Hello" when I'm greeting someone. A quick, firm nod and a "Now then...." is all that's needed.

Mike Pannett left his roots in North Yorkshire to join the Metropolitan Police in London. After ten years he wanted to return to home and transferred to North Yorkshire Police. This book, the first in a growing series, takes us through Mike's readjustment to country life, and policing a new and much larger patch.

All the tales in the book are true, which really endeared it to me. I was a country lad myself, born & brought up in Somerset, now living near the border of East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. I was also a Special Constable for a number of years, so this book was almost tailor made for me. Having said that, I think that one of the clear strengths of the book is that it strikes the balances so well that it will appeal to everyone. There is sufficient explanation of police procedures to clarify certain situations without going overboard and losing those without police experience, or getting bogged down with minutia. Similarly, there is just the right amount of picture painting of the beautiful countryside without becoming too sentimental, and the perfect quantity of details of Mike's personal circumstances without turning it into a soap opera.

I'm not very familiar with North Yorkshire just yet, but I enjoyed being able to recognise and picture some of the locations mentioned in the book, and it was but a short journey from there to imagining Mike on patrol on the roads near me.

The book moves along at a reasonable pace, making it easy to keep turning those pages. It's a well written and easy read, and you will feel at home with it very quickly. This isn't Heartbeat, tales of a long-disappeared golden age, or a "country's better than city" argument. It does however paint a very affectionate portrait of life in the country where you'd think, as a copper, it was continually calm and quiet. It turns out it's not quite like that all the time.

Very much recommended. You can buy from Amazon using the link above.