The Mystery Series.

[aminmec]

Thanks for the link Pete .I guess the next best thing to not having the paperbacks is to view the illustrations here .
I wonder why the earliest illustrations were sidelined .Is it because they would seem too dated in the 80s?
Having the Picollo editions of the adventure series , I recently bought some 80s Macmillan paperbacks hoping that I'd get some more or different illustrations to what the limited ones Picollo paperbacks had only to find that the Macmillan ones were straight off copies of the earlier Picollo paperbacks .Exact same drawings in exact same places .No more no less .

[Irene Malory Towers]

Re Pete's note of Feb 2021 re Fatty perhaps having a cat. I think you are wrong (Pete) or at least I don't remember that. The cat would clash too much with Buster. However there is one mention and I think only one mention of Goon having a cat and that is the Mystery of Holly Lane, where Fatty replaces Buster with Goon's cat in the shed. And it does mention in that part that all cats like Fatty or something to that extent. So perhaps before Buster cames into the Trotteville family they do have a cat, and you have picked that up subliminally !

[Julie2owlsdene]

I've not read about Fatty owning a cat, Mr Goon had a cat, which Fatty had placed in Goon's shed when he Goon had Buster locked in the shed to try and frame him for sheep chasing, in the book Holly Lane, which Irene Malory Towers mentioned.

[Daisy]

The Hiltons have a cat too.

[Barnard]

PC Goon’s cat is also mentioned by his cleaner Mrs Hicks in the Mystery of the Strange Messages.

[Hannah]

The Daykins have also a cat. It's mentioned they have a kitten in Strange Bundle when they take the kitten of Mr. Fellows in.

[Daisy]

In Strange Bundle there is also a mention of a cat at Fatty's. "Buster was snoozing in the kitchen, keeping one eye open for the big cat. The cat had to keep a certain distance. One paw over the line and Buster flew at her!"

[pete9012S]

That's it Daisy! Many thanks.
I thought I was going mad (madder) in thinking that Fatty's household had a cat!!

[Daisy]

You're welcome Pete. I was reading the book and came across this and thought "aha" that's where it is!

[Daisy]

I've just found another cat... in Missing Man the Fangios have a cat which is rather neglected but is one of the clues which lead Fatty to the correct conclusion. The cat is taken in by the Hiltons I think although it's not quite clear and it could have ended up in Fatty's kitchen with the resident one. The Hiltons already had a cat too which seemed to spend most of its time in the kitchen.

[Irene Malory Towers]

I stand corrected (Daisy). Somehow I had never picked up about Fatty having a cat, but you are correct, the big cat is mentioned in the Strange Bundle mystery. I was also so tuned into Buster's antics that I had never noticed the cat in the Trotteville household.