IT WAS a drama more akin to a Raymond Chandler thriller than a J. K. Rowling fantasy.

Last night two stolen copies of the new Harry Potter book were back under lock and key, a reporter was reliving an extraordinary experience and a shot had been fired during an operation to recover the books.

Two men were being questioned by police about the copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which are believed to have been taken from carefully-guarded stocks awaiting publication next month.

The incident happened on Thursday when two unarmed officers attended a routine call in Kettering, Northamptonshire — only to hear a gunshot.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said last night that detectives did not have a clear idea what had happened, but John Askill, a reporter for The Sun, described his experience: the shot was fired over his head as he tried to make off with a copy of the novel without handing over a £50,000 “fee” for the stolen goods.

Earlier he had met two men in a one-bedroom flat to investigate their offer to supply the sought-after novel in exchange for money.

“I looked down the barrel of a gun — and thought I was about to die for the sake of Harry Potter,” he writes in The Sun today. “For two horrific minutes I pleaded with the gunman not to shoot. Then he fired over my shoulder and into the air. I headed straight for my car and drove off, still shaking, leaving the two men with Harry Potter’s secrets.”

Luckily for Mr Askill, police had already got wind of the negotiations and had sent unarmed officers to investigate.

After the shot was fired two armed response units arrived at the scene.

Officers were last night still trying to find the gun. “The two (arrested) men are aged 37 and 19 and are both from Kettering. (They) have been taken to separate police stations,” a police spokesman said. “Two books were recovered and they are being held in secure circumstances as evidence.”

A spokesman for The Sun said that the paper had been contacted by someone claiming to have copies of the book and that the reporter had gone to make sure that the books were returned to the publishers.

“The newspaper was approached by someone claiming to have a copy of the new Harry Potter book. A reporter and photographer met with two men with the intention of obtaining the book so it could be returned to the publisher and the police could be informed,” he said.

The book, to be published on July 16, has already caused controversy because of heavy betting on the identity of an important character who is supposedly killed off.

Bookmakers were forced to suspend bets on the victim’s identity late last month amid fears that the manuscript had been leaked, after thousands of pounds were laid on the demise of Professor Dumbledore, the headteacher of Hogwarts.

The flurry of bets came from the town of Bungay, Suffolk, where it is thought some of books are being printed. Blue Square, an internet gambling site, opened bets when Ms Rowling announced that a character would be killed off nine months ago.After the suspension of betting it has since been reintroduced, albeit at “prohibitive” odds of 1-5.

J. K. Rowling’s latest novel is the most eagerly-awaited children’s book for many years. It topped Amazon’s book chart in December 2004, less than 24 hours after its release date was announced.

• A 37-year-old man was charged last night with handling stolen property and possession of a weapon. Another man, 19, was charged with theft of a book and possession of an imitation firearm.

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