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The Five Find-Outers #4
The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters
An adventure for the Five Find-Outers and their dog. Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Buster become involved in a very peculiar situation when a series of unsigned letters are sent to various people in Peterswood.
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1946
63 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,132 books6,299 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 97 reviews
June 9, 2023
The Five Find-Outers was among my favourites (along with Tintin comic books) when I was in school. I have wondered how I would feel reading much of what I read at that time (such as Enid Blyton, Indrajal comics, Tintin, Amar Chitra Katha) now and finally dived into this. I remember this being one of the first Five Find-Outers I had read. A charming book which I loved reading even today, though there are expectedly aspects I reacted differently to.
The bunch of Fatty, Pip, Beth, Larry & Daisy get together during the holidays to solve a mystery again. There is, of course, Police Constable Goon who first starts investigating the matter and hates the kids involvement. Gladys, a maid, who works at Pip & Bets’ house in Peterswood has received a nasty spiteful letter alluding to some incidents of her past. Gladys parents are in prison and she had spent time in a reform home herself. Gladys informs Pip’s mother Mrs Hilton, who involves Mr Goon. There are others who also soon after receive such letters. The first set of letters come by mail and are posted at a nearby town. The Five Find-Outers chase clues based on when & where the letters are posted, as well as the writing style.
As with most of the stories, Fatty is the clever boy taking the lead. There are also some good humorous episodes of him in disguise. I felt the motive was poorly explained, and the repeated references to Fatty being extraordinarily clever felt irritating. It is a lovely, cosy mystery with some nice humour & charming characters nevertheless (including Fatty’s dog Buster).
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
The bunch of Fatty, Pip, Beth, Larry & Daisy get together during the holidays to solve a mystery again. There is, of course, Police Constable Goon who first starts investigating the matter and hates the kids involvement. Gladys, a maid, who works at Pip & Bets’ house in Peterswood has received a nasty spiteful letter alluding to some incidents of her past. Gladys parents are in prison and she had spent time in a reform home herself. Gladys informs Pip’s mother Mrs Hilton, who involves Mr Goon. There are others who also soon after receive such letters. The first set of letters come by mail and are posted at a nearby town. The Five Find-Outers chase clues based on when & where the letters are posted, as well as the writing style.
As with most of the stories, Fatty is the clever boy taking the lead. There are also some good humorous episodes of him in disguise. I felt the motive was poorly explained, and the repeated references to Fatty being extraordinarily clever felt irritating. It is a lovely, cosy mystery with some nice humour & charming characters nevertheless (including Fatty’s dog Buster).
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
March 12, 2023
Getting in a quick childhood read. I enjoyed this one. As usual the Find-Outers out wit Mr Goon again in a mystery. This was a harder one for the gang to solve as there wasn't a lot to go on. However, our intrepid crew don't let that stop them.
It occurred to me reading this one that Fatty seems to be the main character and does a lot of the snooping on his own. In fact he does most of it in this story. I would prefer the others to have more involvement.
It occurred to me reading this one that Fatty seems to be the main character and does a lot of the snooping on his own. In fact he does most of it in this story. I would prefer the others to have more involvement.
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November 5, 2017Findouters Challenge: Book 4. Quite a few detectives have had to deal with poison pens, Miss Marple in The Moving Finger included, and in this one our Findouters are faced with one out to create havoc in Peterswood. The Hiltons’ young maid nineteen-year-old Gladys is one of the first targets and being fond of her the children are eager to help. But Mrs Hilton thinks this is not a case for children to be concerned with and tries to keep them from even getting any hint of it, calling Mr Goon to the house after they have been sent away on a picnic. But Mr Goon drops a glove in the house and beginning with that clue they manage to piece together what the problem is. But this is a fairly baffling case for our findouters for, while they do manage to take a look at the letters and put together a list of suspects, there is (for much of the story) not a single clue and they seem to have to rule out most of those they have on their list. Luck favours them and with their skills they are able to beat poor Mr Goon out yet again, surprising even Mrs Hilton who is forced to admit they did a great job again.
This was in some ways different from the earlier books in the sense of the children having no clues to follow for the most part but they do employ their detective skills going about interviewing various people involved and thinking of ways to start up conversations with them without seeming too rude or nosy. They have their share of fun along the way as well, a picnic, a day at the market, fun at the stream, and of course tricking Mr Goon. Fatty once again uses his disguising skills (a-la Sherlock Holmes whom he admires) both to have fun with Mr Goon and solve the case as well, and also his knowledge of getting out of locked rooms. He has also learnt by now to imitate others’ handwriting. The solution again was not what I’d classify as the more creative ones and the motive seemed a touch weaker than the earlier books as well. I also liked that this one had characters from previous books, Lady Candling (the Hiltons’ neighbour)’s companion Miss Trimble resurfaces as a fairly important character (Little Bets still counting the number of times her pince nez fall off) pa and we also meet the Siamese cats, and their carer, Miss Harmer (all from the Mystery of the Disappearing Cat. On the foodmeter, this gets better than the previous ones but they’re still not eating as much as I remember. Another enjoyable instalment.
This was in some ways different from the earlier books in the sense of the children having no clues to follow for the most part but they do employ their detective skills going about interviewing various people involved and thinking of ways to start up conversations with them without seeming too rude or nosy. They have their share of fun along the way as well, a picnic, a day at the market, fun at the stream, and of course tricking Mr Goon. Fatty once again uses his disguising skills (a-la Sherlock Holmes whom he admires) both to have fun with Mr Goon and solve the case as well, and also his knowledge of getting out of locked rooms. He has also learnt by now to imitate others’ handwriting. The solution again was not what I’d classify as the more creative ones and the motive seemed a touch weaker than the earlier books as well. I also liked that this one had characters from previous books, Lady Candling (the Hiltons’ neighbour)’s companion Miss Trimble resurfaces as a fairly important character (Little Bets still counting the number of times her pince nez fall off) pa and we also meet the Siamese cats, and their carer, Miss Harmer (all from the Mystery of the Disappearing Cat. On the foodmeter, this gets better than the previous ones but they’re still not eating as much as I remember. Another enjoyable instalment.
May 20, 2016
This is a good book. I love the mystery. But I think Blyton should named all the series with "Fatty The Find-Outer" because it seems like he's the one who always solves the mysteries. The other kids are just supporting characters.
April 11, 2019
The fourth title in Enid Blyton's fifteen-book Five Find-Outers and Dog series, sometimes also styled the Mystery series, The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters sees the Find-Outers back in their home village of Peterswood for the Easter holidays. Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, and Bets (together with Buster the dog), are on the look-out for another mystery, and they soon find themselves involved in a puzzling case involving a series of nasty anonymous letters. But will the children find the culprit before their nemesis - pompous police bobby Mr. Goon?
Read as part of an ongoing project to familiarize myself with the work of Enid Blyton, who, despite being the sixth most popular author in the world, is virtually unknown in the United States, this series has thus far left me with the impression of formulaic plots and fairly generic prose. Oddly enough, despite these readily apparent flaws, it is also starting to grow on me. Perhaps I've simply become fond of the characters after reading four of their adventures, or perhaps I'm regressing (wouldn't Harold Bloom feel vindicated?), but I found myself giggling with childish glee in a number of places while reading The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters.
I enjoyed seeing the further development of Fatty's character in particular, with his clever disguises (how many non-existent red-haired boys can one village hold?), and "innocent" baiting of slow Mr. Goon. Many of the scenes in which the children outwit the irritable policeman are simply hilarious! Bets also continues to entertain, although I am beginning to sense that Blyton's development of these two seems to have utterly eclipsed Larry, Daisy and Pip. However that may be, I am finding these books entertaining enough to continue with my project.
Read as part of an ongoing project to familiarize myself with the work of Enid Blyton, who, despite being the sixth most popular author in the world, is virtually unknown in the United States, this series has thus far left me with the impression of formulaic plots and fairly generic prose. Oddly enough, despite these readily apparent flaws, it is also starting to grow on me. Perhaps I've simply become fond of the characters after reading four of their adventures, or perhaps I'm regressing (wouldn't Harold Bloom feel vindicated?), but I found myself giggling with childish glee in a number of places while reading The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters.
I enjoyed seeing the further development of Fatty's character in particular, with his clever disguises (how many non-existent red-haired boys can one village hold?), and "innocent" baiting of slow Mr. Goon. Many of the scenes in which the children outwit the irritable policeman are simply hilarious! Bets also continues to entertain, although I am beginning to sense that Blyton's development of these two seems to have utterly eclipsed Larry, Daisy and Pip. However that may be, I am finding these books entertaining enough to continue with my project.
October 21, 2010
This book is one of a series of 15, about the Five Find-Outers and Buster the dog. The story revolves around some nasty anonymous letters that have been sent to various people in the village. Mr Goon the policeman is trying to investigate without the children interfering, but naturally they find out what the problem is.
It's quite a good story, although I remembered easily 'whodunnit', despite not having read this book for probably twenty years or more. It's not particularly well-written, but it appealed to me and my friends in the 1960s, and probably still appeals to children today despite being rather old-fashioned now.
I don't much like the way poor Mr Goon is treated - he's not exactly a kind person, but the children are very unpleasant to him and often get away with teasing him, and otherwise being pretty nasy. But I don't really think that gives children a poor idea of the police force; there are other policemen in the books who are fair and generally nice people. There's even a moral lesson about the nastiness of anonymous letters in general.
It's quite a good story, although I remembered easily 'whodunnit', despite not having read this book for probably twenty years or more. It's not particularly well-written, but it appealed to me and my friends in the 1960s, and probably still appeals to children today despite being rather old-fashioned now.
I don't much like the way poor Mr Goon is treated - he's not exactly a kind person, but the children are very unpleasant to him and often get away with teasing him, and otherwise being pretty nasy. But I don't really think that gives children a poor idea of the police force; there are other policemen in the books who are fair and generally nice people. There's even a moral lesson about the nastiness of anonymous letters in general.
August 22, 2019
This was a great little trip down memory lane some 30 years after originally reading this series as a little girl! Despite remembering exactly what happens i was just as eager to find out what happened next. I can see now why I was so addicted to Enid Blyton’s books as a little girl! I need to re-read the rest now!
June 23, 2021
A very exciting mystery!
May 22, 2020
I just love these stories. This one is particularly special to me as my Dad read it to me over 20 years ago. He told me that when he was reading these in the late 1960's his mum did not like the five find outers and dog as she thought they were far too disrespectful of the policeman. I think it is fabulous. Another story of excellent disguises and sleuthing.
June 9, 2023
Was never one of my favorite books from this series memory serves me well.
It is a however a great example of the brilliance of the great brained Fatty - proper step up in his amazing disguises. There as nothing better as a child than truly believing this could happen, and is probably one of the draws to these books.
Made me realise I forgot to pursue my career as a spy who had multiple disguises.
It is a however a great example of the brilliance of the great brained Fatty - proper step up in his amazing disguises. There as nothing better as a child than truly believing this could happen, and is probably one of the draws to these books.
Made me realise I forgot to pursue my career as a spy who had multiple disguises.
November 29, 2021
Rereading this series after all these years, every single book is still a five star to me. The nostalgia adds a star or two I'm sure. My favourite Enid Blyton series from my childhood.
February 25, 2019
3.5 stars - my first Enid Blyton and a very fun read.
August 25, 2020
I really liked this book and I recommend my friends to read it.
September 7, 2023
The Five Find-Outers (and Dog of course) look like spending the holidays without a mystery, until poor Gladys the housemaid receives an anonymous letter. Local policeman Mr Goon and their parents don’t think this is a case for the children, but they reckon without Bets’ concern for Gladys, Fatty’s love of disguises, and the Five Find-Outers’ determination to solve the case…
This is one of the books that illustrates how this series has been a stepping-stone for many a young reader from children’s books to adult detective fiction. The anonymous letters and the hurt they cause are taken seriously, and the step by step working out of questions like ‘what is the postmark and who could have been in the right place at the right time to put a letter in the post?’ is no different to that found in Christie or Conan Doyle, adapted believably to the scale of a group of teen and tweenagers. Today the class issues - Fatty’s superiority to and taunting of Goon, and the whole existence of the live-in servants - are irritating, but it’s interesting to see Mrs Hilton, usually presented as a stern martinet, show her softer side in taking in Gladys in spite of a background that would have caused many employers of the period to reject her out of hand. The only flaw in this book as a detective story is that we aren’t really told why the culprit committed the crime. But it’s not a great leap from the Spiteful Letters to Christie’s Moving Finger… now there’s a thought: a Marple/Find-outers crossover….
This is one of the books that illustrates how this series has been a stepping-stone for many a young reader from children’s books to adult detective fiction. The anonymous letters and the hurt they cause are taken seriously, and the step by step working out of questions like ‘what is the postmark and who could have been in the right place at the right time to put a letter in the post?’ is no different to that found in Christie or Conan Doyle, adapted believably to the scale of a group of teen and tweenagers. Today the class issues - Fatty’s superiority to and taunting of Goon, and the whole existence of the live-in servants - are irritating, but it’s interesting to see Mrs Hilton, usually presented as a stern martinet, show her softer side in taking in Gladys in spite of a background that would have caused many employers of the period to reject her out of hand. The only flaw in this book as a detective story is that we aren’t really told why the culprit committed the crime. But it’s not a great leap from the Spiteful Letters to Christie’s Moving Finger… now there’s a thought: a Marple/Find-outers crossover….
August 17, 2025
The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters was my first read from the Five Find-Outers and Dog series, but I did not find it impressive.
The friends, Laurence "Larry" Daykin, Margaret "Daisy" Daykin, Philip "Pip" Hilton, Elizabeth "Bets" Hilton, Frederick "Fatty" Trotteville, and Buster the dog, have plenty of antics, but I found them more irritating than fun.
I especially didn’t enjoy one being constantly called "Fatty" or the policeman being named "Goon," (it has not aged well) and the mystery itself wasn’t strong enough to hold my interest.
The friends, Laurence "Larry" Daykin, Margaret "Daisy" Daykin, Philip "Pip" Hilton, Elizabeth "Bets" Hilton, Frederick "Fatty" Trotteville, and Buster the dog, have plenty of antics, but I found them more irritating than fun.
I especially didn’t enjoy one being constantly called "Fatty" or the policeman being named "Goon," (it has not aged well) and the mystery itself wasn’t strong enough to hold my interest.
September 19, 2025
Definitely one of the best of the 'Five Find-Outers' series, this book has a really intriguing and unique mystery, some great comedic moments (mostly Fatty's antics parading round the village as various red-headed boys) and a good level of detecting over the mystery.
It would have been nice to see the other children contributing something, rather than Fatty being the main focus of the book. It was great to see some minor characters from 'The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat' appear - great for continuity. In fact the side characters were quite good all round. I'd never realised before just how unpleasant Goon is, I always remember him as a comedic character but he's very nasty.
It would have been nice to see the other children contributing something, rather than Fatty being the main focus of the book. It was great to see some minor characters from 'The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat' appear - great for continuity. In fact the side characters were quite good all round. I'd never realised before just how unpleasant Goon is, I always remember him as a comedic character but he's very nasty.
August 26, 2016
This has very much become The Fatty Show; I would have liked to see the others get their moments in the spotlight. Also, I wanted to learn something about the culprit's underlying motives for writing the spiteful letters, assuming there were any!
Again, the best parts of the story involve the children's activities as a quintet. I always found "woo-hoo-collywobbles" a very memorable name for a game, and I like the idea that Pip "had really let himself go" as it rings true with the developing and strengthening group dynamic.
Again, the best parts of the story involve the children's activities as a quintet. I always found "woo-hoo-collywobbles" a very memorable name for a game, and I like the idea that Pip "had really let himself go" as it rings true with the developing and strengthening group dynamic.
November 28, 2014
it was a good book
May 30, 2025
(Of this series, I've also read The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage, The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat and The Mystery of the Secret Room)
A marked improvement in many ways.
The kids get embroiled in yet another to-do when the Hiltons' young maid, Gladys, receives a letter threatening to out her checkered past . She's not the only one either, other staff members and village residents get similar unhinged postcards, but as only Gladys's seems to have a connection to her job she flees the household out of shame and fright. Pip and Bets really like Gladys and she's always been a good employee, so the Find Outers decide to get to the bottom of it no matter how much Mrs Hilton tells them to leave it to old Mr Goon...
A few of the supporting characters from Disappearing Cat make an appearance, even making it onto the all-important suspects list. It's extremely easy to predict who it is sending the letters plus the motive, but the chewy bit is proving it all. There were points that I raised an eyebrow at the kids' (and Goon's) naivety, and points where I was amused at Fatty's lightning-fast persona changing. As you may have guessed, it's still The Fatty Show rather than The Find Outers, so you're not going to find much comfort in the rest of the cast if you find Master Frederick insufferable. Personally I enjoy his shenanigans, and his friendship with Bets is especially endearing. Bets is rather sweet on Fatty; it's possibly the closest Blyton got to writing a crush.
As usual, Goon is the old-fashioned comic relief. Before you feel too sorry for him, he He thoroughly deserves to eat a little humble pie at the end of the book, and the kids get to go out to a hotel dinner with Inspector Jenks as reward for their ingenuity. Hooray!
Of course Blyton makes a point throughout that anonymous letters are cruel and rightfully so, but it's unfortunately dimmed a little by Fatty passing judgment on the intelligence of the (working-class) letter recipients. Famously, Blyton's boarding-school casts are not known for checking their privilege, but the recipients are within their rights to be frightened by anonymous attacks particularly when it threatens their livelihoods, no?
That being said, still the most enjoyable one so far, so it deserves its Goodreads 4. 4/5
A marked improvement in many ways.
The kids get embroiled in yet another to-do when the Hiltons' young maid, Gladys, receives a letter threatening to out her checkered past . She's not the only one either, other staff members and village residents get similar unhinged postcards, but as only Gladys's seems to have a connection to her job she flees the household out of shame and fright. Pip and Bets really like Gladys and she's always been a good employee, so the Find Outers decide to get to the bottom of it no matter how much Mrs Hilton tells them to leave it to old Mr Goon...
A few of the supporting characters from Disappearing Cat make an appearance, even making it onto the all-important suspects list. It's extremely easy to predict who it is sending the letters plus the motive, but the chewy bit is proving it all. There were points that I raised an eyebrow at the kids' (and Goon's) naivety, and points where I was amused at Fatty's lightning-fast persona changing. As you may have guessed, it's still The Fatty Show rather than The Find Outers, so you're not going to find much comfort in the rest of the cast if you find Master Frederick insufferable. Personally I enjoy his shenanigans, and his friendship with Bets is especially endearing. Bets is rather sweet on Fatty; it's possibly the closest Blyton got to writing a crush.
As usual, Goon is the old-fashioned comic relief. Before you feel too sorry for him, he He thoroughly deserves to eat a little humble pie at the end of the book, and the kids get to go out to a hotel dinner with Inspector Jenks as reward for their ingenuity. Hooray!
Of course Blyton makes a point throughout that anonymous letters are cruel and rightfully so, but it's unfortunately dimmed a little by Fatty passing judgment on the intelligence of the (working-class) letter recipients. Famously, Blyton's boarding-school casts are not known for checking their privilege, but the recipients are within their rights to be frightened by anonymous attacks particularly when it threatens their livelihoods, no?
That being said, still the most enjoyable one so far, so it deserves its Goodreads 4. 4/5
July 1, 2019
The fourth book in the series is another nice mystery, in the Golden Age of Detection tradition, only investigated by a group of kids. Being a series for children, the crime investigated is never murder, but theft or something like that. In this case, we have a campaign of spiteful letters harassing different people in the village, and threatening to expose their secrets.
Mr. Goon, the unsympathetic but hapless policeman, is on the case, and so are the Find-Outers. Mr. Goon is actually not dumb. He conducts a more or less reasonable investigation, but the children, led by Fatty, are always a step ahead.
One think I like is how properly clued these stories are. Once you get Fatty's explanation you realize how everything fits. One problem in this particular story, however, is that we do not get the most important clues until we are very close to the end, and the find-outers obtain those final clues not through their own investigation, but from Goon. Also, the motivation of the guilty person was flimsier than usual.
Again, I guessed the culprit early, but that's because I'm an adult reader with experience reading Golden Age mysteries. For the intended target audience, this won't be a problem.
From the point of view of a kid, the find-outers teasing and outsmarting Mr. Goon is hilarious. As an adult reader, I found it quite funny how Fatty makes Mr. Goon crazy with his costumes and disguises, but overall I felt a bit sorry for the policeman. Yes, he's not a likable person, but he is not evil either, and he is always getting mocked and humiliated by the children, with the approval of Inspector Jenks.
Unlike the Famous Five books, I did not read this series as a kid. I think I prefer Blyton's adventure stories, because I really enjoy the settings and the sense of freedom of the children allowed to go go on vacations on their own, but these mysteries for children are done well and are fun to read.
Mr. Goon, the unsympathetic but hapless policeman, is on the case, and so are the Find-Outers. Mr. Goon is actually not dumb. He conducts a more or less reasonable investigation, but the children, led by Fatty, are always a step ahead.
One think I like is how properly clued these stories are. Once you get Fatty's explanation you realize how everything fits. One problem in this particular story, however, is that we do not get the most important clues until we are very close to the end, and the find-outers obtain those final clues not through their own investigation, but from Goon. Also, the motivation of the guilty person was flimsier than usual.
Again, I guessed the culprit early, but that's because I'm an adult reader with experience reading Golden Age mysteries. For the intended target audience, this won't be a problem.
From the point of view of a kid, the find-outers teasing and outsmarting Mr. Goon is hilarious. As an adult reader, I found it quite funny how Fatty makes Mr. Goon crazy with his costumes and disguises, but overall I felt a bit sorry for the policeman. Yes, he's not a likable person, but he is not evil either, and he is always getting mocked and humiliated by the children, with the approval of Inspector Jenks.
Unlike the Famous Five books, I did not read this series as a kid. I think I prefer Blyton's adventure stories, because I really enjoy the settings and the sense of freedom of the children allowed to go go on vacations on their own, but these mysteries for children are done well and are fun to read.
June 3, 2017
Saya nggak sengaja nemuin buku ini pas lagi ke tempat penyewaan. awalnya hanya iseng dan modal tau penulisnya (saya pernah liat nama Enid Blyton di lemari buku keluarga saya), but i ended up finishing this whole book. mungkin karena dari kecil sudah senang baca cerita detektif atau misteri, saya jadi langsung kepancing begitu lihat sinopsis bukunya.
buku ini termasuk salah satu yang berkesan. satu hal yang saya suka; saya nggak bisa nebak siapa penjahat di bukunya! bukannya gimana-gimana, kadang cerita detektif (baik buku atau film) sangat mudah ditebak alurnya, bahkan siapa pelaku utamanya. di buku ini, saya sama sekali nggak bisa nebak siapa penjahatnya. saya menebak penjahatnya si Mrs. Jolly, tapi jawabannya meleset. padahal bukti-buktinya sudah jelas dikasih sama si penulis. saya belum cukup pandai jadi detektif beneran kayaknya. hahaha!
tokoh favorit saya: Pip! saya nggak begitu suka Fatty, dia diceritakan sedikit sombong walaupun cerdas dan banyak akal. dalam hati saya agak takjub sama anak-anak ini. nggak punya alat komunikasi, kemana-mana naik sepeda pula. ketemuan sebatas janji pukul berapa di dekat gereja atau rumah Pip. hiburannya pun hanya main di taman, belanja di pasar, dan minum teh. kesannya menikmati hidup sekali. saya juga pengin hidup semudah itu. apa karena saya lahir beda zaman dengan pengarangnya ya, makanya bisa bilang begini?
over all saya tidak menyesal. buku ini bagus, walaupun udah bisa dibilang kuno. heheheh.
buku ini termasuk salah satu yang berkesan. satu hal yang saya suka; saya nggak bisa nebak siapa penjahat di bukunya! bukannya gimana-gimana, kadang cerita detektif (baik buku atau film) sangat mudah ditebak alurnya, bahkan siapa pelaku utamanya. di buku ini, saya sama sekali nggak bisa nebak siapa penjahatnya. saya menebak penjahatnya si Mrs. Jolly, tapi jawabannya meleset. padahal bukti-buktinya sudah jelas dikasih sama si penulis. saya belum cukup pandai jadi detektif beneran kayaknya. hahaha!
tokoh favorit saya: Pip! saya nggak begitu suka Fatty, dia diceritakan sedikit sombong walaupun cerdas dan banyak akal. dalam hati saya agak takjub sama anak-anak ini. nggak punya alat komunikasi, kemana-mana naik sepeda pula. ketemuan sebatas janji pukul berapa di dekat gereja atau rumah Pip. hiburannya pun hanya main di taman, belanja di pasar, dan minum teh. kesannya menikmati hidup sekali. saya juga pengin hidup semudah itu. apa karena saya lahir beda zaman dengan pengarangnya ya, makanya bisa bilang begini?
over all saya tidak menyesal. buku ini bagus, walaupun udah bisa dibilang kuno. heheheh.
April 13, 2020
Fatty and Bets and the inconsequential other three are investigating spiteful letters sent to villagers
Much of the story involves the five teasing Goon rather than investigating clues. After several deadends Goon gives away the decisive clues thinking they had been planted by the five!
An enjoyable mystery if a little bit signposted early in the story.
Another story where Enid Blyton has a children's version of a Agatha Christie story, the Moving Finger, published in 1942, 4 years before this story.
Five Find-Outers
1. The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage (1943)
2. The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944)
3. The Mystery of the Secret Room (1945)
4. The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters (1946)
5. The Mystery of the Missing Necklace (1947)
6. The Mystery of the Hidden House (1948)
7. The Mystery of the Pantomine Cat (1949)
8. The Mystery of the Invisible Thief (1950)
9. The Mystery of the Vanished Prince (1951)
10. The Mystery of the Strange Bundle (1952)
11. The Mystery of Holly Lane (1953)
12. The Mystery of the Tally-Ho Cottage (1954)
13. The Mystery of the Missing Man (1956)
14. The Mystery of the Strange Messages (1957)
15. The Mystery of the Banshee Towers (1961)
Much of the story involves the five teasing Goon rather than investigating clues. After several deadends Goon gives away the decisive clues thinking they had been planted by the five!
An enjoyable mystery if a little bit signposted early in the story.
Another story where Enid Blyton has a children's version of a Agatha Christie story, the Moving Finger, published in 1942, 4 years before this story.
Five Find-Outers
1. The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage (1943)
2. The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944)
3. The Mystery of the Secret Room (1945)
5. The Mystery of the Missing Necklace (1947)
6. The Mystery of the Hidden House (1948)
7. The Mystery of the Pantomine Cat (1949)
8. The Mystery of the Invisible Thief (1950)
10. The Mystery of the Strange Bundle (1952)
12. The Mystery of the Tally-Ho Cottage (1954)
13. The Mystery of the Missing Man (1956)
14. The Mystery of the Strange Messages (1957)
15. The Mystery of the Banshee Towers (1961)
October 9, 2017
Saw this and realized it’s like a Nancy Drew-ish type genre from England, though would say it’s geared to a bit younger group. Was quite fun, the lead investigator Fatty (real name Frederick) is the brains of the group, which there are a lot. It also features Constable Goon, the not very loveable not very bright police officer. The Superintendent, was away until the end of the story, but seems to be on Fatty’s side.
A nice mystery inside a mystery plot. Mysterious notes are left to Const. Goon telling him to find the man named Smith (there can’t be many people with that last name) and to find a place called the Ivies cause people’s homes have names in this neck of the woods. He knows of neither man nor house so comes upon the idea that Fatty has been playing a joke on him. He accuses Fatty, realizes he is wrong and gives up. Thus leaving the mysterious notes with Fatty- and from there Fatty and friends take up investigation.
I could see this being a series I would have loved as a kid. So, if you have a little detective reader in your midst, getting one of these books for them would be an excellent idea.
A nice mystery inside a mystery plot. Mysterious notes are left to Const. Goon telling him to find the man named Smith (there can’t be many people with that last name) and to find a place called the Ivies cause people’s homes have names in this neck of the woods. He knows of neither man nor house so comes upon the idea that Fatty has been playing a joke on him. He accuses Fatty, realizes he is wrong and gives up. Thus leaving the mysterious notes with Fatty- and from there Fatty and friends take up investigation.
I could see this being a series I would have loved as a kid. So, if you have a little detective reader in your midst, getting one of these books for them would be an excellent idea.
April 16, 2020
Having read all of The Famous Five stories when I was younger as well as other Enid Blyton stories, now I'm older I wanted to have a break from 'grown up' books and revisit a time when life was much simpler.
This book is number 4 in the series of the Five Find-Outers and while there were a couple of references to previous mysteries, it didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous stories. This series follows five friends and a dog as they spend school holidays together and always seem to end up solving a mystery.
This story follows the friends as they resolve to solve the mystery of a series of spiteful letters which have been sent to many of the local villagers. As they attempt to gather clues and interview possible suspects, they do so without trying to catch the attention of the local policeman Mr Goon who has no patience for their 'meddling', but as both the friends and Mr Goon work to solve the mystery, which one of them will get there first?
I did enjoy this book and while I need to remember it was written for children and during a time when things were much simpler, I think I'm maybe too old for these stories now (I'm 31) as I found myself wanting more from it.
This book is number 4 in the series of the Five Find-Outers and while there were a couple of references to previous mysteries, it didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous stories. This series follows five friends and a dog as they spend school holidays together and always seem to end up solving a mystery.
This story follows the friends as they resolve to solve the mystery of a series of spiteful letters which have been sent to many of the local villagers. As they attempt to gather clues and interview possible suspects, they do so without trying to catch the attention of the local policeman Mr Goon who has no patience for their 'meddling', but as both the friends and Mr Goon work to solve the mystery, which one of them will get there first?
I did enjoy this book and while I need to remember it was written for children and during a time when things were much simpler, I think I'm maybe too old for these stories now (I'm 31) as I found myself wanting more from it.
June 23, 2022
Baca 2 edisi karena beberapa halamannya ada yang hilang. Dan baru sadar, ternyata terjemahannya agak beda jauh. Bahkan beberapa paragraf ada yang dihilangkan. Misalnya ketika Pasukan Mau Tahu pamitan pada Bu Trimble, Pip salah sebut Tremble dan Bu Trimble pun mengoceh ini itu. Tapi di versi terjemahan cuma pamitan dengan panggilan Bu. Saat Pasukan Mau Tahu berkumpul di rumah peranginan juga, disebutkan kalau anak-anak mencabuti lobak buat dicemil, tapi di versi terjemahannya dihilangkan.
Dilema memang jadi penerjemah, apalagi di zaman dulu yang nggak secanggih sekarang. Antara jadi pengkhianat bahasa asal, atau bahasa yang dituju. Tapi terlepas dari kekurangan teknisnya, kisah Pasukan Mau Tahu kali ini sangat mengasyikkan! Trik yang digunakan pelaku kali ini juga lumayan oke. Kasihan Pak Goon!
Dilema memang jadi penerjemah, apalagi di zaman dulu yang nggak secanggih sekarang. Antara jadi pengkhianat bahasa asal, atau bahasa yang dituju. Tapi terlepas dari kekurangan teknisnya, kisah Pasukan Mau Tahu kali ini sangat mengasyikkan! Trik yang digunakan pelaku kali ini juga lumayan oke. Kasihan Pak Goon!
July 13, 2022
Listened to audio audio format.
In the Spiteful Letters The Five Find -Outers were reunited again for the holidays. Pip and Bets stumbled upon another mystery when they found Gladys their maid in tears. They tried to ask their mother but were told it was nothing for them to worry about.
They later discovered that Gladys had received a nasty poison pen letter. However Mr Goon the village policeman had urged Pip's mother not to involve the children in police business.
The Find Outers soon discover that other people in Petersfield had also received the poison pen letters.
As an adult I have realised that the stars of the show are Fatty, Bets and Pip. Daisy and Larry are merely there to make up the five. These stories are nice little mysteries for children with a satisfying ending.
In the Spiteful Letters The Five Find -Outers were reunited again for the holidays. Pip and Bets stumbled upon another mystery when they found Gladys their maid in tears. They tried to ask their mother but were told it was nothing for them to worry about.
They later discovered that Gladys had received a nasty poison pen letter. However Mr Goon the village policeman had urged Pip's mother not to involve the children in police business.
The Find Outers soon discover that other people in Petersfield had also received the poison pen letters.
As an adult I have realised that the stars of the show are Fatty, Bets and Pip. Daisy and Larry are merely there to make up the five. These stories are nice little mysteries for children with a satisfying ending.
December 31, 2018
Reread, pertama kali membacanya hampir 20 tahun yang lalu.. Lol.
Lewat judul Surat Kaleng ini pertama kali kenal dengan lima bocah ini. Dulu pertama kali membaca terasa seru, Fatty gokil dan masih nyantol banget sampai sekarang siapakah si pelaku pengirim surat kaleng itu.
Nah, saat baca ulang ini, Aku merasakan sebuah interpretasi baru untuk kisah ini. Fatty tidak gokil lagi, justru cenderung menyebalkan dengan segala tingkahnya. Dan ketara banget, Fatty yang dibuat menjadi bintang di sini, keempat anak lainnya seolah tenggelam.
Misterinya masih terasa bagus, meski udah tau siapa pelakunya. Malahan jadi lebih teliti lagi dengan kayak gimana Enid Blyton menebar petunjuk dari awal!!
Lewat judul Surat Kaleng ini pertama kali kenal dengan lima bocah ini. Dulu pertama kali membaca terasa seru, Fatty gokil dan masih nyantol banget sampai sekarang siapakah si pelaku pengirim surat kaleng itu.
Nah, saat baca ulang ini, Aku merasakan sebuah interpretasi baru untuk kisah ini. Fatty tidak gokil lagi, justru cenderung menyebalkan dengan segala tingkahnya. Dan ketara banget, Fatty yang dibuat menjadi bintang di sini, keempat anak lainnya seolah tenggelam.
Misterinya masih terasa bagus, meski udah tau siapa pelakunya. Malahan jadi lebih teliti lagi dengan kayak gimana Enid Blyton menebar petunjuk dari awal!!
August 21, 2018
I was recently reunited with my Find-Outers books after storage boxes from my old house were sent over, and I was so excited to re-read them, starting with this one! These books were my childhood, and to be transported back to Peterswood with the children (and Buster) was so lovely. It's been so long since I've read them that I've actually forgotten most of the mysteries and culprits, so it simultaneously felt new and nostalgic. The plot of this one is simple but cute, and I can't wait to read the other ones I have.
June 1, 2025
This was a fun children's mystery and I had fun watching Frederick solve this mystery, because let's admit that between he, Bets and Buster they are the main ones that actually do any solving and the rest are along for the ride.
This had a lot of twists, (though rather quick for adults to suspect who it is) but perfect back and forth for young sleuths solving these mysteries with the team while reading.
*Note: I read a recent publication that has edited out some of the questionable lines found in early editions.
This had a lot of twists, (though rather quick for adults to suspect who it is) but perfect back and forth for young sleuths solving these mysteries with the team while reading.
*Note: I read a recent publication that has edited out some of the questionable lines found in early editions.
March 10, 2024
Jag har inte läst de tidigare böckerna i serien så jag vet inte vad Konstapel Goon har gjort/sagt mot ungarna och jag tycker inte värst om honom, men jag tycker att ungarna, speciellt Fatty var lite för elak mot honom för att det ska vara roligt.
Jag gillar heller inte att man inte fick reda på varför brevskrivaren gjorde de hen gjorde.
1.5⭐️
Jag gillar heller inte att man inte fick reda på varför brevskrivaren gjorde de hen gjorde.
1.5⭐️
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