The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat

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 show more the seemingly impossible crime. Again, I guessed the solution. So many Poirot novels have to pay off! show less

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 show more fondly from our childhood.

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

The second in Enid Blyton's fifteen-book Five Find-Outers and Dog series, which began publication in 1943, The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat returns readers to the village of Peterswood, where five young children - Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Fatty - spend their school holidays solving mysteries. When their neighbor Lady Candling's valuable Siamese cat goes missing, suspicion falls on Luke, her fifteen-year-old under-gardener. The Find-Outers are convinced of his innocence, but will they be able to help their new friend?

As with the first title in Blyton's series, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage, I awarded this two and a half stars. While the writing was fairly bland, and the narrative formulaic, I nevertheless enjoyed seeing Blyton show more flesh out her characters, particularly the friendship that develops between Bets, the "baby" of the group, and pompous Fatty, who is often ridiculed by the others. Part of an ongoing project to familiarize myself with the work of Enid Blyton, who, though virtually unknown in the United States, is the sixth most popular author in the world, The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat was entertaining enough to keep me going. show less

I like the Five Find-Outers. My bookshop was out of book 1 when I bought this one, but it has a homey, domestic slant to it that most of my other Blyton faves don't have. The characters seem a bit young - Bets is just eight - but the book runs more than 200 pages, so it's hard to guess to which readers it is targeted. In this one, the youthful detectives must track down the thief of a valuable cat next door, while at the same time clearing the name of their friend Luke. Some might complain about Luke being a member of the "lower" class, but I don't think it'd particularly obvious unless you're well acquainted with the British class system. And anyway, in Luke's case character wins out over breeding, so what's the problem? I'm sure Jane show more Austen would approve. show less

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

By fifty pages in I had figured out who had done it and pretty much how it was done. The five finder outers are a little too cutesy for me and Mr Goon is too much of an idiot for a cop.

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