So, I was a big Heartbeat fan back in the day; I really liked the contrasts the programme did - city vs country attitudes, the mod 60s against the more staid older generation, women fighting for their rights, the occasional minority (it was rural England in the 60s), mods vs rockers, etc. And I've finally got around to listening to the Constable books by Nicholas Rhea (Peter N. Walker).

Honestly? I know that there are always differences between tv series and novels, and I know Walker is 90, but I'm disappointed in the books. Many of the little anecdotes are fine, but there's a casual sexism that's becoming increasingly annoying - though I don't know if that's me becoming more sensitive or him becoming less inhibited in his writing.

He explains things behind the scenes at the police station, like if a woman reported her purse stolen, they didn't take it seriously because women were always leaving their purses in odd places and forgetting them - especially if they were were "older", like over 40. If a woman reported seeing something, they always questioned her carefully, because they were prone to mis-seeing things.

There's an older woman, like mid-80s, who prefers her own company; decades earlier, her husband had been a constable. The police station is having a party for all the kids of the police officers, but the officer's wife who was handling things had to go support her ill mother the day before the actual party. So instead of the officers handling the party itself - pulling stuff out of the fridge, handling out food and drinks, cleaning up afterward - he goes to the 80 year old. She repeatedly says she doesn't feel like she can handle the work involved, she's old and tired and even minor stuff drains her energy; he repeatedly tells her that it'll be fine, she can handle it, they really need her. So he just keeps badgering her until she eventually gives in and handles the party, and all the men and children have a lovely time.

He becomes increasingly judgemental as well: that woman doesn't keep her house clean enough, that other woman keeps it too clean; that woman doesn't spend enough time making herself "presentable", that woman is always "well put together and well-spoken". He has at least two chapters where he details women whose behavior he disapproves of, because they're too "haranguing", oppressing their innocent husbands, not "paying proper attention" to their kids - and I'm not disputing that these things happen, but he spends several pages lavishly (and lovingly) detailing the history of the scold's bridle and how all the women absolutely deserved their punishment. And given the other misogyny inherent in the books, I'm not convinced by his narrative.

There's an obese woman who falls in the bath, and he details her obesity in way more detail than needed.

He encourages his wife (with 4 tiny kids) to go give a public talk, absolutely assures her that he'll be home to watch his own kids for the evening, and has no backup plan. When he inevitably gets delayed, he gets annoyed that his wife doesn't have backup childcare plans and tells her to foist the kids onto a particular neighbor; when the wife protests that they've imposed too much, he just tells her to impose anyway.

...

Again, I know it's from a different time, and he's from a different era with different norms. But a bunch of these books were written within the past 10-15 years, and the inherent sexism and judgementalism is really grating.

I only have a couple more books to go through. I'm glad I've read them, but I'm also looking forward to finishing the series and moving on to the next book in my pile.