Another very enjoyable mystery for kids, in the Agatha Christie tradition. Of course, the stakes are lower. The five children and their dog do not investigate murders, but lesser crimes, in this case the theft of a very valuable Siamese cat. I enjoyed it more than the first because, although watching the formation of the group of children is always a treat in the first book of Blyton's series, the stakes here were more personal, since the find-outers had befriended a poor but well-intentioned teenage boy who worked as gardener's helper in the house where the theft took place, and who becomes the obvious suspect. I think Blyton does very well in writing the Golden Age of Detection style of mystery, with clues and hidden twists to explain the seemingly impossible crime. Again, I guessed the solution. So many Poirot novels have to pay off! ( )

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Mysteries 1-3

A surprisingly enjoyable mystery story, second in the 'Find-outers' series. A valuable cat goes missing and the likeable under-gardener is the prime suspect... the five children and Buster the dog come to the rescue. Clues are given - and although I hadn't read this for at least 25 years, I did recall how the crime happened - and while there are a few caricatures, the main characters feel quite believable. Old-fashioned, of course, class-conscious and not at all politically correct - but still, remarkable that despite Enid Blyton publishing an average of ten books per year, the plot is well-thought out, and the pace good.

Definitely recommended to children of about eight and above, and of course people like me who remember these books fondly from our childhood.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-mystery-of-disappearing-cat-by-... ( )

When I was a child I read and re-read every Enid Blyton book I could get my hands on either from the library or from local jumble sales. Now over 40 years later I thought I'd re-re-read one that I had fond memories of and I wasn't disappointed.

It was just as I remembered and was a lot of fun reacquainting myself with Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip & Bets as well as Buster the dog.

Whilst this is a book of it's time it still makes an entertaining read even if only for the memories of my childhood.

It's not Harry Potter but it was never meant to be - a delightful stroll down memory lane ( )