Fire in the Barley

Frank Parrish's Dan Mallett novels are unjustly neglected little gems, with twisty plots and lyrical descriptions of the English countryside. His detective is an unusual and memorable character; pushed into a banking career by his ambitious mother, he takes up his father's "career" of poaching after his father dies. Dan is a charmer, appreciated by the ladies and willing to put on a thick accent and country yokel act when needed, or slip back into his banking suit and tight black shoes as a disguise. He makes a little money on the side by doing odd jobs for the "nobs", which brings him into contact with all sorts of nefarious goings-on. When his mother needs an operation and refuses to go to the public hospital, he begins stealing to save up the necessary money -- just a little here and there from people he disapproves of. He has his own moral code and if the rich folks don't treat people or animals right, they are marked down as potential donors to his cause...In this first book, Dan becomes a suspect when a number of local farmers and gardeners fall victim to an extortion racket. Dan investigates in order to clear his own name. While the reader may be able to guess who is behind the racket, there are a couple of very surprising twists in the last few pages. I only give this one four stars because the later books in the series are even better. Frank Parrish was one of the pseudonyms of Roger Longrigg, who also wrote as Ivor Drummond.