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Roger Longrigg
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Fire in the Barley: A traditional English murder mystery (Dan Mallett Investigations Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Frank Parrish (Author), Roger Longrigg (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 118 ratings
It’s the perfect time to try this cosy English mystery series! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, M C Beaton, Sophie Hannah and Faith Martin.

The best person to catch a criminal is a criminal himself…

1977, West Country of England

Reclusive poacher Dan Mallett spends his evenings prowling the local countryside for his latest catch.

And one night he is almost caught by the police.

But they weren’t looking for him – someone else has been committing crimes in the local area.

With his night-time hobby at imminent risk, Dan decides to try and catch the offender himself.

He uses methods that are by turn ingenious, crooked, and sensationally successful, but as he gets closer to solving the mystery, it seems the police could be about to pin the crimes on him…

Will Dan catch the perpetrator before the police catch up with him…?

Fire in the Barley is the first cosy village mystery in the Dan Mallett Investigation series: private investigation murder mysteries set in rural England.

‘I loved it. I haven’t read a novel that’s given me so much pleasure for a long time. It’s exciting and it’s funny from beginning to end. The whole of it is permeated with an authentic knowledge of the English countryside’ – Roald Dahl

‘Here is a find. On the crime scene steps a fully fledged, all-of-a-piece original character in a well-conceived, excitingly paced story… I have a notion you will read this first book of the series at a gulp' –The Times

‘A remarkable and brilliant first novel… The bluff and double bluff, the magnificent understanding of countryside, the complex skill of the detective, are all entrancing ' – The Spectator

‘Mr Parrish did for poaching what Dick Francis did for horse racing’ – Oxford Mail

THE DAN MALLETT INVESTIGATIONS SERIES:
Book One: Fire in the Barley
Book Two: Sting of the Honeybee
Book Three: Snare in the Dark
Book Four: Bait on the Hook
Book Five: Face at the Window
Book Six: Fly in the Cobweb
Book Seven: Caught in the Birdlime
Book Eight: Voices From the Dark
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  1. Book 1 of 8
    Dan Mallett Investigations
  2. Print length
    173 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    July 13, 2020
  6. File size
    1.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 8 books in this series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here is a find. On the crime scene steps a filly fledged all-of-a-piece original character in a well conceived, exciting paced story." ― The Times

"A remarkable and brilliant first novel … The bluff and doble bluff, the magnifenct undertanding of countryside, the complex skill of the detective, are all entrancing." ― The Spectator

About the Author

Roger Longrigg was a British author of unusual versatility who wrote both novels and non-fiction, along with plays and screenplays for television, under both his own name and eight other pseudonyms. Born in Edinburgh into a military family, he was at first schooled in the Middle East, but returned to England as a youth and later read history at Magdalen College, Oxford. His early career took him into advertising, but after the publication of two comic novels took up writing full time in 1959. He completed fifty five books, many under his own name, but also Scottish historical fiction as Laura Black; thrillers as Ivor Drummond (for which his chief character, Lady Jennifer Norrington was named by HRF Keating in 'The Times' as the 'True heir of James Bond'); black comedies as Domini Taylor; Frank Parish (which titles feature the adventures of Dan Mallett, a poacher who lives on the edges of legality) - and famously Rosalind Erskine - a name with which he hoaxed all for several years, and who appeared to write a disguised biography of what life was like in a girls boarding school where the classmates ran a brothel for boys from a nearby school. Erskine's 'The Passion Flower Hotel' became a bestseller and was later filmed. Roger Longrigg's work in television included 'Mother Love', a BBC mini-series starring Diana Rigg and David McCallum, and episodes of 'Crown Court' and 'Dial M for Murder'. He died in 2000, aged 70 and was survived by his wife, the novelist Jane Chichester, and three daughters.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B087WJNDCJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 13, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 173 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800550223
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 8 ‏ : ‎ Dan Mallett Investigations
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 118 ratings

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Roger Longrigg

Roger Longrigg

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4.1 out of 5 stars
118 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Glynn Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars The detective is a poacher in this republished British mystery series
    Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Dan Mallett wasn’t always a poacher. In fact, Dan went to school and trained as a banker. He was even employed by a bank, and seemed to be doing very well, much to his mother’s delight. She was married to a poacher, and she knew the highs and lows of that occupation. And then Dan’s father died; Dan threw over the banking business, moved home, and followed in his father’s footsteps.

    Dan is certainly wily, finagling his way of scrapes and near apprehensions. He’s got more ways of slipping through the police’s fingers (and those of irate Yorkshire farmers and his neighbors) than anyone can quite believe. But a series of vandalisms at farms and garden greenhouses has the police’s eyes trained on Dan, and only on Dan.

    Someone is blackmailing farmers and rural homeowners: pay up and pay monthly, or you’ll lose a crop, a barn, a greenhouse, or worse. It’s a protection racket, operating under the shadowy name of “AgriSecurity.” Dan, forced to “go to ground” because both the police and local farmers are after him, has to learn who’s behind this. He figures it our soon enough; what’s more difficult is gathering the evidence to prove it, and perhaps exacting some revenge.

    “Fire in the Barley” by Roger Longrigg (writing as Frank Parrish) was first published in 1977. It’s the first in the Dan Mallett series, and it may be the only mystery series where the detective is a poacher. The story has lost none of its charm and mystery; the poaching scenes almost sound as if they were based on the author’s own experience.

    Longrigg (1929-2000) wrote numerous mystery and suspense novels under different pseudonyms. He uses Frank Parrish for the Daniel Mallett novels, and Ivor Drummond and Domini Taylors for others. He’s also published under his own name, both fiction and non-fiction, about foxhunting and horse racing. Other Daniel Mallett novels include “Snare in the Dark,” “Sting of the Honeybee,” and “Fly in the Cobweb.”

    “Fire in the Barley” is a well-told tale and just as fresh as it was 43 years ago. And a protagonist like Dan Mallett makes you want to read immediately the next book in the series.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Bonnye Reed Fry
    4.0 out of 5 stars first of a series
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    Kindle Unlimited. Recommended to me by Sapere Books. This is the first of a new British whodunit series, set in more modern times than most, but still, no cell phones to make life more complicated. The story is well told, the hints hidden for the first half or better, our hero just enough of a rebel to appeal without becoming too goodie-two-shoes. I will have to read the sequel now, to find out the why of the barley headlands.

    Frank Parrish is an author to watch.
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  • John H. Manhold
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, well-thought-out and acceptably presented Mystery.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Fire in the Barley, Dan Mallett Investigations Saphere Books copyright and written by Roger Longrigg writing as Frank Parrish.
    The plot of this book places the reader in a typical British setting with the protagonist a handyman son of a gamekeeper/poacher. Dan Mallett is an unusual young man who completed schooling and worked successfully in the business world to please his mother until she finally suffered so severely from arthritic hips as to need a greater degree of physical help. He left to follow the life he loved and had learned from his father. He became the local repair/maintenance man for the area providing for the constant needs of locals while having more time to care for his mother. Unfortunately, he also followed his father’s tendency toward poaching and even theft, if needed, which kept him constantly under the watchful eye of the constabulary. As yet, nothing had been proven against the well-liked young man, but when a series of vicious crimes begin under the guise of paying for ‘protection of one’s property’, Dan is the obvious main suspect. The story evolves as he extracts himself from any involvement in the criminal activity. Presentation of further details of the intelligent manner in which he reasons with his extensive knowledge of the land, its people and wildlife, would be a disservice to prospective readers.
    Discussion: The author has set forth a fascinating tale that takes place in a rural area of Scotland. The protagonist’s knowledge of the terrain, its wildlife and the residents of area, plus his intellectual ability to search out and amalgamate the manner in which the facts and activity intermesh present an unusual tale of mystery. The pace and setting may not be acceptable to some, but I believe most readers who enjoy mystery stories will enjoy this book.
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  • HAL
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Detective Story unique!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This starts reading like a journal that turns into a confession. I was hooked into the intimate details of wild life, country life - and poaching. The story teller (Dan) is not perfect - borrowed bikes, lodgings and cars, not big and bad, just enough for you to know a fella willing to admit to this details must be telling the truth - has a quick mind and nerve to end the tyrants madness. Not a wholesome, cozy but with a PG-13 rating and excellent story telling I have to give the authors 4.75 stars (I had to knock off some points because he poached!)
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  • johnverp
    2.0 out of 5 stars Short and quite plain
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I hesitate to be critical of a book which was made available for free, but I really struggled with this one. I felt early that I needed to be an ornithologist to keep going, given what Dan, our protagonist, was up to. Things weren't helped by some characters speaking with 'antique rural voices' and me failing to understand what they were talking about. So we were going nowhere pretty quickly, but I hate to give up a book without giving it a full test run.

    In fairness, a quite basic mystery does emerge and Dan starts to piece a few things together. Funnily enough, he is able to wander through multiple occupied properties without anyone being aware of his presence. In a further frustrating move, he chooses to go on the run rather than report his findings to the police.

    Overall, there wasn't much to get excited about here and I didn't see enough to go for the sequels, whether they're available for free or not. I see I am in the minority here, but I can't do better than a 5/10 rating.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Gene
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love Dan Mallett what a refreshing rogue
    Reviewed in Australia on July 22, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A new author for me but one whose work I will be following up eagerly. Such a novel concept having an out of work poacher turn detective and what a character Dan is. I can't wait to hear about his next adventure.
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  • Merv Lambert
    5.0 out of 5 stars One great read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I read this when it was first published many years ago. I reread it recently. An intriguing main character Dan Mallet in a cleverly worked plot and denouement. One great read!
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  • Terry Halligan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good book!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very Good book!
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  • guy
    1.0 out of 5 stars Gave up.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Gave up at 20%. Stupid spelling, trying to create a local accent. Did not work for me. Will not read the others.
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