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The Five Find-Outers #2
The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat
Lady Candling lives next door to Pip and Bets, and owns some very expensive, pedigree Siamese cats. When her most famous cat, Dark Queen, goes missing, the gardener's help, Luke seems the obvious suspect.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
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About the author
Enid Blyton
5,132 books6,298 followersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
November 1, 2017
Findouters Challenge: Book 2. This second book is set some months after the first and is the first of the two "cat" titled findouters books. Bets is excited at Pip, Larry and Daisy coming home after three months away at school. In the meantime, Pip has received a letter from Fatty saying that his parents like Peterswood so much that they’ve bought a house there, so the Findouters will be together again. Pip and the others return to find that the Hiltons have a new neighbour, Lady Candling who happens to have a set of prize-winning Siamese cats, among them Dark Queen who has some distinctive white hairs in her tail, and has won £100 recently. Interested in seeing them, the children make friends with the gardener’s boy, fifteen-year-old Luke, who is slow at some things but deft with his hands, tending the garden and carving whistles and model cats for the children, particularly little Bets. His “boss” Mr Tuppings the gardener, however, is a nasty piece of goods, ill-tempered and always out to make poor Luke miserable. When Dark Queen goes missing, Luke who has been working around the cat cages at the time, is the prime suspect, circumstances pointing to him, and it is only the children who believe he is innocent. They set out to solve the mystery and along the way, end up playing some tricks on poor Mr Goon whose ankles are once again Buster’s target.
This was one of the more creative of the findouters mysteries where the “how” was great fun, much more interesting than book 1 (which wasn’t all that straightforward either). I remembered part of the plot but not all of it, and also not the twists along the way. Once again it is young Bets who catches on to the important clues and while the others are slower to see their significance, Fatty ultimately works it out. Inspector Jenks is also quite happy to come to their aid when they aren’t sure what course to adopt. On the “food meter”, this one still ranks low, the kids eating a little but still not making any trips to the tea shop or eating ices with Inspector Jenks. My impression of all that food must come from the later books. I’m enjoying reading these in order and seeing how the stories developed overall. The food element for one seems to have come in much later. Also, we haven’t yet “met” all the children’s families, only the Hiltons so far and the Findouters haven’t begun using Fatty’s shed. Now on to the next one to see how things go. What fun this is!
This was one of the more creative of the findouters mysteries where the “how” was great fun, much more interesting than book 1 (which wasn’t all that straightforward either). I remembered part of the plot but not all of it, and also not the twists along the way. Once again it is young Bets who catches on to the important clues and while the others are slower to see their significance, Fatty ultimately works it out. Inspector Jenks is also quite happy to come to their aid when they aren’t sure what course to adopt. On the “food meter”, this one still ranks low, the kids eating a little but still not making any trips to the tea shop or eating ices with Inspector Jenks. My impression of all that food must come from the later books. I’m enjoying reading these in order and seeing how the stories developed overall. The food element for one seems to have come in much later. Also, we haven’t yet “met” all the children’s families, only the Hiltons so far and the Findouters haven’t begun using Fatty’s shed. Now on to the next one to see how things go. What fun this is!
January 4, 2020
A nice easy read to start the New Year. Another classic Enid Blyton from my childhood. Surprisingly even after over 20 years I still remembered the mystery resolution which was a shame.
I cant wait to share this series with any future kids I might have.
I cant wait to share this series with any future kids I might have.
March 29, 2024
One of her best in a long time buster is a star
April 11, 2017
I did solve this mystery right out - as any kid with a brain that's halfway functioning will. However, the story was enjoyable all the same. I loved the bumbling P. C. Goon - idiot policemen were a staple of Malayalam movies in that era.
February 26, 2023
Loved this series as a child. It's not ageing as well as the Famous Five as an adult read. It is quite childish in parts. Still I think I'll continue and see how it goes.
Not the edition I'm reading but that one doesn't seem to be on GoodReads.
Not the edition I'm reading but that one doesn't seem to be on GoodReads.
April 11, 2019
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 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.
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 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.
March 26, 2021
One Of The Best Books I Ever Read :)
Read
August 12, 2013I decided to read this book because it recommended by one of my friend. This book fits in the ' a book with a male main character' no the bingo board. The most interesting character I found in this book was the cat because even when the book finished you couldn't solve the mystery of it because it kept on appering and disappering .My favorite quote from this book is 'what is wrong with this cat' beacuse that quotes shows the importance of the cat. Lastly from this book I have learned that there are mysteries in real life because as I read the book it made me believe that.
August 6, 2018
So sweet, I loved it!
July 30, 2021
Buenos recuerdos. Sigue siendo una buena lectura para niños de 10/12 años
August 6, 2018
This was another really adorable story, with a charming cast of secondary characters -- I really liked their new friend Luke, who's kind and helpful even though he's kind of being abused by the adults in his life. -- Again, there's just that hint of darkness beyond the edges of the children's awareness in these books. I also liked that there was a different mystery trope explored here (an innocent party looks like the only credible suspect), rather than a rehash of the first book (misdirection!).
And the kids are learning:
On one hand, I'm glad they're maturing and learning from past experiences; on the other, I'm really sad they're gradually realising how selfish and shit adults can be. What will they be like at the end of this series‽
And the kids are learning:
"She wouldn't steal her own cat, silly," said Daisy.
"She might," said Larry. "It might be insured against theft you know. She would get a lot of money. You've got to think of all these things."
On one hand, I'm glad they're maturing and learning from past experiences; on the other, I'm really sad they're gradually realising how selfish and shit adults can be. What will they be like at the end of this series‽
October 23, 2024
previsível de mais, mas coeso e engraçado
September 29, 2020
Not that good
May 26, 2018
I liked it more then the first and I thought Bets seemed a bit more grown up.Also I liked there friend Luke.My favourite find-outers were Fatty and Bets and my favourite grown up or suspect was Miss Harmer.Its soooooo 5/5 stars!
Can't wait to read the next one!
Can't wait to read the next one!
August 25, 2020
I liked the book and I am waiting to read the 3rd book from The Five Find-Outers series.
January 25, 2024
SO FUNNY 👏
October 30, 2025
Reading The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat takes me straight back to long summer afternoons when I used to lose myself in Enid Blyton’s books. The Five Find-Outers were such a fun group to follow, and this second mystery has all the ingredients that made them so special.
The story of the missing Siamese cat isn’t complicated, but it feels exciting when you’re reading it through the eyes of the children. Fatty, with all his cleverness, Pip, Larry, Daisy, and little Bets, along with Buster, made it feel like you were part of their gang, scribbling down clues and keeping secrets from the grown-ups. And of course, Mr. Goon blundering about always gave me a good laugh.
What I really love about this book, looking back now, is the atmosphere. The village setting, the gardens, the endless games and teas, all create this world that feels safe but still full of adventure. Even if the mystery is simple, it still pulls you in because it reminds you of how big and thrilling small puzzles felt when you were a child.
For me, The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat is more than just a detective story. It’s a reminder of a time when I believed every day held the possibility of a new adventure, and when even a missing cat felt like the most important case in the world.
The story of the missing Siamese cat isn’t complicated, but it feels exciting when you’re reading it through the eyes of the children. Fatty, with all his cleverness, Pip, Larry, Daisy, and little Bets, along with Buster, made it feel like you were part of their gang, scribbling down clues and keeping secrets from the grown-ups. And of course, Mr. Goon blundering about always gave me a good laugh.
What I really love about this book, looking back now, is the atmosphere. The village setting, the gardens, the endless games and teas, all create this world that feels safe but still full of adventure. Even if the mystery is simple, it still pulls you in because it reminds you of how big and thrilling small puzzles felt when you were a child.
For me, The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat is more than just a detective story. It’s a reminder of a time when I believed every day held the possibility of a new adventure, and when even a missing cat felt like the most important case in the world.
July 3, 2025
Tak jsem si dala opakované čtení této knihy a bylo to moc fajn. Jasně, už to neprožívám jako tehdá, když jsem to v pubertě četla poprvé, ale pořád je to zábavné čtivo.
Baví mne, jak si tu děcka dokážou užívat vzájemnou společnost a užít si dobrodružství venku bez mobilů, počítačů nebo televize. Ano ano, vím, že doba se mění a ano, i já scrolluju sociální sítě, přiznávám bez mučení. Ale možn�� o to víc si tady užívám té idylky bez toho.
Zápletka sama o sobě není nijak komplikovaná a je jasné, že dětští detektivové tu jsou schválně v popředí jako ti chytří a bystří, zatímco místní policajt pan Goon je záměrně prezentován jako přihlouplá a nekompetentní postavička. Ale to vůbec nevadí. Myslím, že dětské čtenáře to možná o to může víc bavit, když dětští hrdinové tu jsou skutečně za hrdiny a připisují si zásluhy.
Čte se to samo, je to svižné, nekomplikované, zábavné. A příjemná nostalgie při vzpomínání na dospívání, které jsem s touhle sérií trávila.
Baví mne, jak si tu děcka dokážou užívat vzájemnou společnost a užít si dobrodružství venku bez mobilů, počítačů nebo televize. Ano ano, vím, že doba se mění a ano, i já scrolluju sociální sítě, přiznávám bez mučení. Ale možn�� o to víc si tady užívám té idylky bez toho.
Zápletka sama o sobě není nijak komplikovaná a je jasné, že dětští detektivové tu jsou schválně v popředí jako ti chytří a bystří, zatímco místní policajt pan Goon je záměrně prezentován jako přihlouplá a nekompetentní postavička. Ale to vůbec nevadí. Myslím, že dětské čtenáře to možná o to může víc bavit, když dětští hrdinové tu jsou skutečně za hrdiny a připisují si zásluhy.
Čte se to samo, je to svižné, nekomplikované, zábavné. A příjemná nostalgie při vzpomínání na dospívání, které jsem s touhle sérií trávila.
December 17, 2021
STILL NOSTALGIA RE-READS. Don't buy this for your kids.
I remembered this one so much better, actually. Larry, Pip and Daisy continue to not have any distinguishable personality traits. Fatty starts to show why he's the best character in this.
Also the bit with the kids bringing up the envelope with the inspector had me cackling, honestly.
I remembered this one so much better, actually. Larry, Pip and Daisy continue to not have any distinguishable personality traits. Fatty starts to show why he's the best character in this.
Also the bit with the kids bringing up the envelope with the inspector had me cackling, honestly.
June 21, 2023
The second in the Five Finder Outers and a Dog, set in the crime-riddled village of Peterswood.
Our five social superior children find another lower class child - well teenager in this case - to save. Blyton does not fail us on bring in that Famous Five trope. Well I say it's a Famous Five trope, but I'm not actually sure if she wrote it in this book first or in a Famous Five book first. They were all written in the same period of time.
Anyway, formulatic as it might be, this book has big gardens, cats and children getting on over the daft policeman. What more can you ask for!
Our five social superior children find another lower class child - well teenager in this case - to save. Blyton does not fail us on bring in that Famous Five trope. Well I say it's a Famous Five trope, but I'm not actually sure if she wrote it in this book first or in a Famous Five book first. They were all written in the same period of time.
Anyway, formulatic as it might be, this book has big gardens, cats and children getting on over the daft policeman. What more can you ask for!
February 9, 2017
A fun, fast journey through the lives of the Five Find-Outers and Buster. This book is one that I remember almost nothing of and it seemed as if I was reading it for the first time. So it seemed more exciting than usual to read about how Fatty was being clever and pompous, how Bets was typically like herself and also had her own share of clever epiphanies, how Buster traipsed about happily and peeved Goon to no end; it is always fun to read Enid Blyton.
February 24, 2015
Have been re-reading these books from my childhood and enjoying the elements I didn't notice 40 years ago. I especially like the bit in this book when Luke introduces a new word to the children. Enid Blyton makes sure the word is repeated again and again for the reader. Good fun.
April 2, 2008
It was a good story.
December 23, 2014
This is what got me started reading in English ( I am Maltese, English is my second language) and this book is what I talked about in my English class, It is one of my favorites for sure :)
May 23, 2016
Nothing like reading Enid Blyton as a little kid but even though the plot line is less thrilling now it is still a very sweet read :)
February 5, 2020
A shot of entertainment
May 18, 2025
(Of this series, I've read and reviewed The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage)
Hmm, I'm not so sure about the mystery of this one... most of the plot was fine enough, but the main twist was a bit silly (even for a kids' novel). It's very easy to guess Mr Tupping's your bad man, he does sod-all to hide it, it's just a case of proving it. This is fair enough, but he's literally
Anyway, moving on: Luke is a lovely guest star for the crew. He's described as 'simple' several times by several un-PC characters including our boarding-school gang, but while he may not be academic he's creative and resourceful (and very good at his job, competent enough to take over Mr Tupping after the latter's arrest). Props must also go to Mr Tupping himself for being one of the most vile Blyton adults yet; fully deserving of having his trousers ripped by Buster. Not even Quentin Kirrin would rip up a sobbing eight-year-old girl's strawberry plants and chuck them on the fire.
As Constable Goon bonds with the evil bloke over their mutual hatred of kids, he's less of a figure of fun and more of an antagonist. The Find-Outers go out of their way to actively obstruct him by planting fake clues, etc. to throw him off the scent of Luke - I did enjoy that the older kids started to doubt Luke's innocence and wonder if they were defending the right person, but it all works out in the end.
Character-wise, Fatty is easily Blyton's favourite, and everyone else's too. Despite the Find-Outers being an ensemble series, he's building up to main character as well as the gang's spokeschild. Bets does come across a bit young for eight (makes sense if she doesn't attend school and spends much of the term-time alone, I guess) and oscillates between the roles of 'underestimated member' and 'someone to bully'. Buster is a hyper-intelligent animal protag; if you're familiar with the more well-known Timmy of Famous Five fame, he's the same flavour. Larry, Daisy and Pip continue to be indistinguishable, although I did end up googling how Daisy came to be yet another nickname for Margaret (seriously, so many have become names in their own right - Molly, Greta, Meg, Maisie, Gretel, Midge, Margo, Marnie, Peggy, etc). It's to do with the French variant Marguerite which also doubles as the French word for daisy. Memorise that, it might win you a pub quiz one day, but I digress.
If your kids like mysteries, it'll keep them on tenterhooks. 3/5
Hmm, I'm not so sure about the mystery of this one... most of the plot was fine enough, but the main twist was a bit silly (even for a kids' novel). It's very easy to guess Mr Tupping's your bad man, he does sod-all to hide it, it's just a case of proving it. This is fair enough, but he's literally
Anyway, moving on: Luke is a lovely guest star for the crew. He's described as 'simple' several times by several un-PC characters including our boarding-school gang, but while he may not be academic he's creative and resourceful (and very good at his job, competent enough to take over Mr Tupping after the latter's arrest). Props must also go to Mr Tupping himself for being one of the most vile Blyton adults yet; fully deserving of having his trousers ripped by Buster. Not even Quentin Kirrin would rip up a sobbing eight-year-old girl's strawberry plants and chuck them on the fire.
As Constable Goon bonds with the evil bloke over their mutual hatred of kids, he's less of a figure of fun and more of an antagonist. The Find-Outers go out of their way to actively obstruct him by planting fake clues, etc. to throw him off the scent of Luke - I did enjoy that the older kids started to doubt Luke's innocence and wonder if they were defending the right person, but it all works out in the end.
Character-wise, Fatty is easily Blyton's favourite, and everyone else's too. Despite the Find-Outers being an ensemble series, he's building up to main character as well as the gang's spokeschild. Bets does come across a bit young for eight (makes sense if she doesn't attend school and spends much of the term-time alone, I guess) and oscillates between the roles of 'underestimated member' and 'someone to bully'. Buster is a hyper-intelligent animal protag; if you're familiar with the more well-known Timmy of Famous Five fame, he's the same flavour. Larry, Daisy and Pip continue to be indistinguishable, although I did end up googling how Daisy came to be yet another nickname for Margaret (seriously, so many have become names in their own right - Molly, Greta, Meg, Maisie, Gretel, Midge, Margo, Marnie, Peggy, etc). It's to do with the French variant Marguerite which also doubles as the French word for daisy. Memorise that, it might win you a pub quiz one day, but I digress.
If your kids like mysteries, it'll keep them on tenterhooks. 3/5
January 9, 2021
I was feeling pretty down and not feeling like doing much, and saw this on the shelf downstairs, tucked among my parents reading material. No one is quite sure why one of the books from when I was in primary school was among the dictionaries and theology. Still, it's a book I read and loved, and I wanted something easy and nostalgic, and this absolutely fit the bill.
It was very nostalgic to return to this after more than a decade when I devoured her books (my dad I worked out that I'd read 80 of Enid Blyton's books by the age of 8). I love the very old fashioned feel of the world and the mystery. After the book kicked off, I remembered what happened, but it was fun to see it play out. Given I was just reading this for the nostalgia, I didn't mind at all.
It should be noted that this was written in 1944, and is very much of its time for the lifestyle of affluent British country dwellers - gardeners, boarding school hols, afternoon tea (though no ginger beer, unlike in Famous Five!) The speech is very much of the time "Why, I say!" and all that.
One of the characters (initials F. A. T.) is called Fatty by his friends. There weren't any comments about his weight in this one, but the descriptions are very light, and I don't know how well to trust my recollections of the first book (where there is comment on the name).
These books were so addictive when I was little, and I'm getting that slight feel of wanting to read more now (alas, all other books are gone, and it's the Secret and Mystery castles I must want to read, the adventures for older pre-teens).
It was very nostalgic to return to this after more than a decade when I devoured her books (my dad I worked out that I'd read 80 of Enid Blyton's books by the age of 8). I love the very old fashioned feel of the world and the mystery. After the book kicked off, I remembered what happened, but it was fun to see it play out. Given I was just reading this for the nostalgia, I didn't mind at all.
It should be noted that this was written in 1944, and is very much of its time for the lifestyle of affluent British country dwellers - gardeners, boarding school hols, afternoon tea (though no ginger beer, unlike in Famous Five!) The speech is very much of the time "Why, I say!" and all that.
One of the characters (initials F. A. T.) is called Fatty by his friends. There weren't any comments about his weight in this one, but the descriptions are very light, and I don't know how well to trust my recollections of the first book (where there is comment on the name).
These books were so addictive when I was little, and I'm getting that slight feel of wanting to read more now (alas, all other books are gone, and it's the Secret and Mystery castles I must want to read, the adventures for older pre-teens).
October 10, 2025
Second in her "Five Find-Outer" series, and the gang are joined by next-door's gardener's boy Luke - "a bit simple" but a goodhearted lad who is unjustly accused of stealing Lady Candling's valuable Siamese cat. The Five are convinced the real culprit is mean old gardener Mr Tupping, but how to prove it, especially as Tupping appears to have a cast-iron alibi in no less a person than their old adversary P.C. "Clear-Orf" Goon. The relative poshness of the Five is more in evidence here (Pip and Bets' mother pays calls on Lady Candling, Goon calls Fatty "Master Frederick", Luke says "The likes of you can't be friends with the likes of me" and Bets is summoned to bed by a bell, etc) and it seems quite natural for a police inspector to join the children for a picnic tea by the river. So we're not exactly in Gangs of London territory. I remembered the solution to the mystery nearly sixty years on, and jolly clever it is too.
March 17, 2019
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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