The Barney Mysteries
The Barney Mysteries were a series of six children's books written by British author Enid Blyton. They are also sometimes known as the "R" mysteries, because each title involves a word beginning with "R". Books The Rockingdown Mystery (1949) The Rilloby Fair Mystery (1950) The Ring O' Bells Mystery (1951) The Rubadub Mystery (1952) The Rat-a-Tat Mystery (1956) The Ragamuffin Mystery (1959) Each of the Mysteries begins with the letter "R" as one of the characters disingenuously points out towards the end of the series. Themes and characters A theme running throughout the books is that of lost or deceased parents. Roger and Diana are brother and sister, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Lynton. Their irritating, mischievous younger cousin Snubby (whose real name is Peter) comes to stay with them during the school holidays, as he has no parents. Snubby owns a black spaniel, who has the name of Loony. The other characters state that Loony was a perfect name for the dog, as Loony is very energetic and can cause trouble. He will obey only Snubby, and so, Snubby is the only one who can control him. During their first adventure, they meet Barney (his actual name is