Now Then Lad...: Tales of a country bobby

Lad series

by Mike Pannett

A true-life Heartbeat for the twenty-first century. Yorkshireman Mike Pannett has just taken up a new posting as a local bobby in rural North Yorkshire. It's quite a change from the Met, where he dealt with riots on the capital's streets and drug gangs in Battersea, and found out what it was like to stare down the wrong end of a sawn-off shotgun. Now, instead of hunting down knife-wielding muggers, he's chasing runaway bullocks, holding up the Last Night of the Proms traffic to escort a lost mole across the road and combing the countryside for the villains who stole the Colonel's balls. Mike's first year on his new patch is told in seventeen chapters which interweave his escapades on the beat month by month together with his growing knowledge of a landscape that changes with the seasons and some snapshots from his off-duty life. Here is a wonderfully entertaining celebration of North Yorkshire, its breathtaking scenery and wide variety of characters and communities.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, British Literature, Crime, Autobiography

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Katy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Things Bright and Beautiful. Call the Midwife. Confessions of a GP. Nee-Naw Real Life Despatches. Real-life tales from the emergency and medical services. I enjoy these occasionally, light-hearted (mostly) and also shocking look inside a job I could never do.

And here's another - policing, but in Yorkshire. The audio version is a good way to access this, the narrator with a broad but cheery Yorkshire tone that reminds you with every word of the Dales, the Peaks, the North.

Mostly, a very enjoyable read. Pannett was not like the vet of All Things Bright and Beautiful when he wrote this, a novice, but an already experienced officer, moving back to his native county from years working in the Met police. So the differences between town and country policing of course, pop up.

As do a whole series of bizarre, funny and downright strange crimes and escapades. He doesn't dwell on his personal life, though there's enough in there about it for you to feel he's a real person - it's more about the job and the job within Yorkshire.

I could picture some of Pannett's fellow officers (and his army of tea providers) quite clearly. Like the books mentioned above, I think this would make a watchable TV series. It's a Sunday evening kind of show, with moments of high drama and tragedy, but mostly an amusing insight into the world of a copper in the country.

Very nice audiobook for a few hours of listening. The first in a series, I believe.

[Alison Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the extracts which were printed in the Daily Mail. I really enjoyed the book. It gave me a great insight into modern day policing in rural North Yorkshire. The book is very well written and the story lines are both interesting and hilarious. If you love Herriot/Phinn/Sheffield you will love this book.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

It appears that the author is attempting to cash in on the concepts of Heartbeat and Herriot whilst not nearly being in the same league.

Some of the local dialect in the book is very irritating. I didn't finish it to be honest. After all the hype about it, I was very disappointed.

[Fiona Warburton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read several books along these lines......this was the worst.

They all become a bit monotonous after a while, but this was boring from the beginning.
Disclaimer I abandoned this on Page 60. It's possible it picked up as it went on, but I decided my life was too short

[Mousie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time I've read this book and it's still brilliant. Mike is the James Herriot of the policing world. Not only do you get sucked into the book, you find you feel as though you are policing with Mike.

[johnpalmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Policing, how they do it in Yorkshire

A true life story of a young policeman who came back from London to his home county of Yorkshire. To the job of a beat copper and found a new pleasure in Rural Affairs.

[Aaron Chynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book - almost a James Herriot style. I WILL read more Mike Pannett

[adam-p-reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my review of this brilliant book at http://adam-p-reviews.blogspot.co.uk/...

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written a made witty by the writers observations a very good read

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me hooked on the series are could not wait to read the next one. You felt you were there and out on the beat with him.

[John Alpha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed the book. A fairly entertaining read with interesting descriptions of Yorkshire life, folk and criminal activity. I hope that Mike has retired from the job though as his arrival is portrayed almost like something from a Clint Eastwood film. His riding into town seems to be a turning point for the nick where he works as he single handedly saves the locals from all sorts of villainy. It's as though he existing coppers there have been sat round eating doughnuts and crossing kids over the road outside the school until he breezes in, shakes things up and wages a solo war on crime. The other coppers are that useless he has to swear in a group of locals to deal with a spate of late night thefts. Fantastic that his colleagues cant be bothered to join in on his escapades. The only people he crews with are a couple of women. One of them is new to the job and he is hilariously condescending about her and her girly feebleness and the other one is attractive so he has a bet that he can bag off with her with his sergeant. You'll have to read the book to see if he has his wicked way! So, let's hope he retired before this was published because if he hasn't he might not get the back up he expects next time he needs his arse saving by his uniformed or CID life on Mars colleagues......

[metellus cimber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a memoir with a few good insights into rural policing… My son is an inspector with the Met and before he moved up into his more administrative role, he related so many extraordinary anecdotes (no names or specifics, I hasten to add) that just blew me away. Hence my motivation for reading this book. Policing (as we can tell from the popularity of reality tv programmes) sheds light on the underside of society and is peopled by some crazy characters and incredible events. There’s a little bit of this here, but it’s a good deal tamer than London policing so some chapters are a bit boring. This was mitigated by really lovely descriptions of nature experienced by this countryside-loving police constable, all rooted in their real topography for those who know north Yorkshire well. However, I was irritated by the narrator’s barely concealed egotism as he manages to do a better job than everyone else (often singlehanded) and by his rather creepy weighing up of fellow female police officers. Then there is more than a whiff of sycophancy in his dealings with the local toff, ‘Algy'. Perhaps some of the author’s outlooks just haven’t worn very well.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Being from North Yorkshire and fairly near the areas he's describing, I thought this was a brilliant description of the area and people you find around there. Yorkshire is a unique place with each section being different. North Yorkshire is much more rural than the rest, I think, as the only city we have is York (apart from Ripon but that's tiny) and the majority of the rest of the county is small market towns, villages and farm land.

I was so happy that I picked this up especially as I've moved to London and am missing God's Own Country. So worth a read whether you're from Yorkshire or you've never been. It's definitely worth a read. There's a lot of funny anecdotes in this as well as some that are upsetting but I would recommend to anyone.

[Jacqueline Carthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a lovely easy read. I originally picked it up from our local library as something a little different to the type of book I would usually go for, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The story covers a year with PC Mike Pannett, moving from city policing with the Met, to go back to his roots and take up a very different kind of beat in rural North Yorkshire. It eloquently captures rural life, with its very different criminal activity perfectly, encompassing the beauty of the countryside setting and the quirky characters that reside there.

I found it amusing and easy to pick up again after long periods of not reading.

[Helen Arrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Then Lad ...Tales of a Country Bobby by Mike Pannett
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yorkshireman Mike has left The Met and returned home to join the police of rural North Yorkshire. This book follows him as he learns his new role covering an area 600 times the size of his old one. We meet some great characters along his journey and he shows that he can bring some city ways back to the country.
I know a little of the area which made it feel even more real, I really enjoyed the gentle flow of the story even though some of the stories were about unfortunate incidents. I've had this book on my shelf a while and I don't know why I left it so long to read, I'm going to look out for his other books now.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Job satisfaction seems unanimous; whether you’re a vet (James Herriot), a school inspector (Gervase Phinn) or a country policeman as I’ve now discovered in Mike Pannett - Yorkshire has characters and tales aplenty and a stunningly beautiful backdrop to boot, all of which are regaled heartily by these accomplished authors.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and sometime funny tales of a country copper in rural Yorkshire. Based on the real life experiences of the author Mike Pannett.
Quite charming, a light and easy read, good entertainment!
There are some similarities to the setting and the stories you can see on the tv show "Heartbeat".

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book, the way it is wrote, its like a novel as opposed to a memoir etc.
Funny, serious and often heartwarming, ended a bit funny hoping the 2nd book picks up where this one ends as i would like to see what happens with the WPC

[Malcolm Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story about a MET trained booby returning to his Yorkshire roots and using his city training to become a policeman in a rural setting. Many amusing anecdotes and very readable.

[Prosocial Decisions · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and great read

[Marie Dring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed this book and with living within malton, knowing where everything was brought the book more alive

[K Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read

Great easy read ,just what is required at this time ,well written, easy language,to pass the time away
Modern policing ,in a rural setting.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasonable eye chewing gum

[Janet Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book the village characters where so easy to imagine I had cracking images in my head and found my self doing the accents it was described perfectly!
The book itself is just like a modern version if Heartbeat however the policing styles if that area seen to be done still as in the 60's proper beat bobbies known by name the way policing should be! Not like the modern faceless al be it very professional force but lack any real community focus!
Well re commended as an easy and often fascinating read! Just wish it was a little bit longer and described a bit more about his other jobs whilst in the met.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a Yorkshireman myself I could relate to Mike's book and love his style of writing. The regular characters are great, the insight into modern day policing; all wrapped up in Mikes boundless sense of humour. My partner, Lorraine and I often head out to Ryedale for walks when back in York and have found ourselves relating places we pass or visit to Mikes rural patch. I'm sure we are not alone in experiencing 'the Pannett effect!'

[Paul Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set to, to read the series while out here in Saudi Arabia - makes me homesick for the moors and dales!
Mikes writing style is relaxed but informative and keeps you coming back for more.
For anyone that knows the area, we still get little titbits revealed that we never knew existed - coupled with the never dull existence of a country bobby!

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gervais Phinn for the Police Force... Not quite as many funny stories or situations as Gervais, but it's still a delightful book.

This is the 2nd Mike Pannett book I've read and I shall continue with them!

[Sally George · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy read and the author was good at keeping my attention most of the time. I did enjoy the differences of policing in North Yorkshire as opposed to the Met in London. I must read his first book.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories told but did get bored with the book as a whole at times and it therefore took me ages to finish. No story lines of interest to keep me wanting to read. As a city girl born and bred I did very much enjoy the countryside aspect and got a real feel of the place and people.