The fifth installment of Enid Blyton's Five Find-Outers and Dog series, in which a group of children solve mysteries during their school holidays, The Mystery of the Missing Necklace follows Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, and Bets (together with Buster the dog) as they spend their summer trying to catch a ring of jewel thiefs. Determined to stay one step ahead of Mr. Goon - the village police bobby and the children's nemesis - the Find-Outers find themselves relying more and more on Fatty's extraordinary disguises. But will their clever leader get in over his head...?

I continue to enjoy this juvenile mystery series, despite the paper-thin plots and formulaic prose, and particularly relish the Find-Outers' hilarious conflicts with old "Clear Orf," the nickname given to Mr. Goon. As mentioned in previous reviews, Blyton has created engaging, well-developed characters in Fatty and Bets, although I still feel that Larry, Daisy and Pip are underutilized. All in all, this was another enjoyable contribution to my education in all things Blyton, and an inducement to continue with this series. ( )

good ( )