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Review by Dennis Worley

In the second book, Barbara is critical again when nothing seems to be happening. "I don't see much point in having a Secret Society if it doesn't do something."

But something is about to happen! Yes, Susie tries to gatecrash the meeting! She not only knows the password, but she has Jack's badge as well! It might be the first time, but not the last.

In this series Enid shows her ability to turn an everyday occurrence into something quite sinister. The game of 'hide and seek' that leads to this mystery has a tense scene when the man climbs the same tree in which Colin hid.

When Colin arrives for the next meeting, he forgets to say the password. Then he realises his mistake and shouts it out! Poor long suffering Peter is disgusted. "And now everybody in the district knows our latest password".

Later in the story, the difference between an ordinary secret society and the Find Outers is revealed. Peter wants to measure some marks that they think is a clue.

"Got a measure, Janet?" She hadn't of course. Frederick Trotteville would've certainly had one! His pockets were full of all kinds of things that might just come in useful.

I suppose the Seven are maybe more true to life. And they do not have rich leader who can finance them. When they want to go to the circus, they only have just enough money for four of them. In fact they are one penny short and Jack says he'll borrow a penny from Susie! What would they do without her?

The mystery is a good one and could have been the basis of a Find Outers mystery. But these Secret Seven stories are shorter and do not get developed to the same extent, as they are aimed at a younger audience, and the characters are also younger than the Find Outers.

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Review by David Cook

From this point on, all the successive adventures had at least 120 pages and several more chapters. This second full-length story is a fine whodunnit involving Red Indians, a burglary and a circus. The story starts with another brief antagonistic appearance by Susie, who has stolen Jack's badge and discovered the password because she desperately wants to be a part of the Society. But, at this point, Enid makes no more of this as, once again, Susie's appearance is just to establish Jack's individuality.

The story proper starts when the Seven go off to Little Thicket where six of them don Red Indian attire to stalk the seventh, Colin, who gets greater prominence in this story. Little Thicket is vividly described and I wonder whether it was based on Maidenhead Thicket, only a few miles from Bourne End where the original access to the new M4 Motorway was located.

The story is well plotted and the Seven are very deductive throughout despite encountering a couple of red herrings along the way. There are clues in abundance and some adventurous escapades, and Enid's imagination is working well, but I do wonder if it is as easy to get up on a pair of stilts as she implies it is.

The Seven are still being referred to as the Secret Seven Society, or S.S.S., and the "The" of the title isn't always used. George Brook again does a fine job with dramatic black and brown shading. These illustrations are hidden by default to ensure faster browsing. Loading the illustrations is recommended for high-speed internet users only.