Author: Enid Blyton
Genre: Children's book, Mystery
Original publisher: Methuen
Date first published: 1953
Date first read:
Main character(s): The Five Find-Outers, including Frederick Algernon "Fatty" Trotteville (the leader of the group; dt: Dietrich "Dicki" Ingbert Carl Kronstein), Laurence "Larry" Daykin (the oldest of the five and Daisy's brother; dt: Rudolf "Rolf" Tagert), Margaret "Daisy" Daykin (Larry's sister; dt: Regine "Gina" Tagert), Philip "Pip" Hilton (Bets's big brother; dt: Philipp "Flipp" Hillmann), Elizabeth "Bets" Hilton (Pip's little sister, who is 4 years younger than her brother and hence the youngest of the gang; Elisabeth "Betti" Hillmann), Theophilus Goon (the village policeman, who dislikes the Five; dt: Herr Grimm), Chief Inspector Jenks (head of the local police department, friend of the Five; dt: Inspektor Jenks), Buster (Fatty's scotch terrier; dt: Purzel)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis: *SOME SPOILERS*
The Five-Find Outers - Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, and Bets - and their dog Buster are amateur sleuths in the village of Peterswood based. Together they wind up discovering a new mystery every school vacation, solving it usually long before thee village policeman, Mr. Goon, much to his annoyance. It is no surprise then, that he is less than favorably disposed towards the children, but he has little choice, since Chief Inspector Jenks, his boss, very much likes the kids and their ability to crack even the trickiest of mysteries.
While practicing their disguise techniques, Larry, who impersonates a window cleaner, winds up finding a mystery: The elderly man who lives in the bungalow on Holly Lane whose windows he cleaned has been robbed. His grand-daughter is also missing - but is she a thief or a victim? And how do the man's son and nephew figure into the story?
Review:
As noted in the previous review the Five Found-Outers series from Enid Blyton is just one of the many mystery series that she created. This was the third story in an omnibus edition, and I remember enjoying it, too. However, as also noted before that Blyton's record is not perfect; do take this review with a grain of salt if giving the books to children: it may be worth it reading the books oneself first to figure out whether one likes the messages contained therein.
Prequels: The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage; The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat; The Mystery of the Secret Room; The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters; The Mystery of the Missing Necklace; The Mystery of the Hidden House; The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat; The Mystery of the Invisible Thief; The Mystery of the Vanished Prince; The Mystery of the Strange Bundle
Sequels: The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage; The Mystery of the Missing Man; The Mystery of the Strange Messages; The Mystery of Banshee Towers
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