Fire in the Barley

Dan Mallett #1

by Frank Parrish

A protection racket moves in to the sleepy west-country village where Dan Mallett, a poacher who lives on the edges of legality, lives. So as to protect his own freedom of movement Dan is forced to turn to the law and its enforcement, but his methods are far from legal and certainly truly original and sensational. He tackles the incomers with all of the guile and knowledge of illegal methods built up in his own life on the fringes.

Genres: Mystery

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

This is a pseudonym of Roger Erskine Longrigg

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.

Reviews

[🐴 🍖]

not just any barley either: this is the malting barley, the real primo stuff. which is to say nothing of the poisoned trout or the greenhouse blown to smithereens w/ gelignite. rural protection racket agrisecurity is terrorizing the greater milchester area & poacher dan mallett, as a fellow nighttime skulker (albeit a more innocuous one), has to find the culprit to clear his name. loved how the tactics of hunting get repurposed as investigatory ones: dan camouflages himself as needed by alternately using his citified "scampi by candlelight" voice & a groveling country dialect just how you might swap out one duck call for another. some solid advice on illegally netting woodcock plus a pulse-pounding chase scene involving a milk truck PLUS a cover blurb from roald dahl! another banger from roger longrigg

[Bob Hurley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poacher turned Gamekeeper

An interesting approach to a crime thriller. Dan Mallett seemed a little to good to be true, Bank Manager turned Poacher? The tale of blackmail in a small country town with Mallett at the centre of it. For my liking too many times Dan was close to being uncovered and escaped miraculously when the odds were against it. His liaison with Camilla was an interesting interlude. Overall a countryside story of greed and evil but not to my liking

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great start to a series. Our "hero", Dan, is a poacher and thus has the ultimate talent of stealth. He uses it to solve an ingenious crime. The book is clever, has lots of reference to wildlife (and poaching methods), an intriguing main character and some overarching humor.

This is great escape reading and I look forward to the next installment.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: a protection racket moves into his sleepy village where Dan Mallett is a poacher, so he is forced to turn to the law and its enforcement.

[Valsala Rajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist is unusual and that was nice though we still don't get much insight into his character and motivations. The story keeps getting derailed by a bit too much detail about the flora and fauna of the English countryside. I'd also have liked a little more sense of time as well as place.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.
Reviewed on January 1, 2021 at Goodreads, Amazon, and BookBub. Not available for review on Barnes&Noble, Kobo, or GooglePlay.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Dan Mallett what a refreshing rogue

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.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and solid mystery by a new to me author. It's gripping and entertaining, the characters are fleshed out and the mystery kept me guessing.
I enjoyed it and want to read the rest of the series, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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