Favourite Five Find-Outers book

[Moonraker]

Unfortunately, many reviews are in fact plot summaries.

[Courtenay]

Precisely. I found yesterday that at least one of the FFO reviews in the Cave actually gives away the identity of the criminal!! Mercifully, someone (Tony?) had had the foresight to put a spoiler warning - and it was one I'd read before, anyway - but still...

[rosy_posy]

when reading adult crime books, I generally check at the back to see who did it...

Why on earth would you want to know who did the crime before reading the book? Imagine reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd for the first time. The utter astonishment and delight at finding out who was the murderer is a moment I shall never forget.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the whole reason I now always check the back to see who did it! I know it's stupid... but I was so shocked and horrified that a character could be so duplicitous as to do THAT that now I always have to check to make sure I don't get too fond of the person who did it. I hate surprises and am far too trusting, which is not a good combination! I know it doesn't seem to make sense, but it's just far too tense otherwise!

*hangs head*

[burlingtonbertram]

Helpful policemen? Ah, but as you'll discover, BurlingtonBertram, there are two very different policemen who feature in every FFO book. One is the helpful, kind and thoroughly decent Inspector Jenks, and the other... let's just say the other is the one and only PC Theophilus "Clear-Orf" Goon.

Well, I will soon find out; just ordered 'Burnt Cottage' on E-Bay.

If PC Goon is so bad then I can only hope he transferred to the Met' and got kicked out in the 70's during the "Operation Countryman" investigation.

[burlingtonbertram]

Well, I have only read the one FFO book so far - Burnt Cottage - and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I didn't want to invest in a hard-back for my first one so I got a 1965 Armada paperback. Nice Christmas gift inscription inside; good illustrations. My only reservation about these old paperbacks is that they are a bit fragile; the pages are desperate to pull away from the spine however carefully one handles them.

I liked the village setting and the fact that the crime is 'domestic' (rather than, say, a gang of smugglers). It's nice that the characters all have normal family lives rather than the expedient 'absent parents' scenario of so many children's books. I also love an era when it seems reasonable that an arsonist might wear a grey flannel suit. Those were the days.

If I was PC Goon's line manager then I would send him on an "Engaging with your customer" course to develop his social skills (active listening, building relationships, client confidence". I had some sympathy with him over being knocked off his bike though.

The relationship between Fatty and Bets was quite sweet and all the children are likeable.

I enjoyed the scene with the poor tramp waking up to find firstly a child, and then a policeman, staring at his feet.

The name Mr Smellie rang a bell because (for work purposes) I once had to call at two neighbouring flats - one occupied by the Smellie family and the other by Mr Dosser.

So, all in all, a worthy 8.5 out of 10, and I will get the second book shortly.

[Lucky Star]

Glad you enjoyed Burnt Cottage BurlingtonBertram. The series just keeps getting better so you have 14 more great mysteries to enjoy.

[walter raleigh]

I'm afraid I can't agree with you there Lucky Star. I too read 'Mystery Of The Bunt Cottage' for the first time this year (at least I believe it was the first time - It's concievable I read it as a child and remembered nothing about it but I feel it's unlikely) and like Bertram I thoroughly enjoyed it. The subsequent books in the series I didn't find quite so satisfying.

I enjoyed them on a purely nostalgic level, but from an adult point of view I found them quite silly and unbelievable at times. Fatty's disguises, something I loved as a youngster, now seem preposterous - a teenage boy hoodwinking a trained policeman even one as gormless as P.C. Goon is pretty unrealistic. In fact the children's constant harrassment of poor Theophilus I found a little irritating. While the young me who read these books first time around loved the idea of clever kids getting one over on a grown-up, my adult sympathies lie more with old Clear-'Orf, rather than that toad of a boy.

Don't get me wrong there was a lot I liked about the later books, but most of it was to do with re-connecting with much loved characters and scenes remembered from childhood, whereas an adult reader coming to the books for the first time might find them inferior to the earliest book.

In the end I stopped reading about half way through the series and there were still one or two I hadn't managed to track down (including "Disappearing Cat" another one I don't think I've read before). I will read the rest at some point as I'm still very fond of them but I'm not expecting any improvement on "Burnt Cottage"

[Moonraker]

[walter raleigh]

[burlingtonbertram]

"Oh, Sir Walter really..."

[John Pickup]

I haven't read this series for quite some time but "Spiteful Letters" and "Missing Necklace" were outstanding in my opinion. Perhaps I tended to tire of the formula later in the series but apart from "Banshee Towers" I reckon all of the books are well worth investing in.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I can see why Burnt Cottage might appeal particularly to adults. When I was a youngster I thought on my very first reading that it contained too much "sitting around in kitchens, talking" - but on subsequent readings I realised that all the "sitting around in kitchens, talking" was actually just as interesting as any of the more involved scenes. Burnt Cottage paints a colourful and absorbing picture of village life of the period. I'm glad you enjoyed it, BurlingtonBertram, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.

The Find-Outers books have been part of my life for so long that I can enter into the spirit of them at the drop of a hat and still accept most of the more outrageous parts without worrying unduly about them.

[Moonraker]

The Find-Outers books have been part of my life for so long that I can enter into the spirit of them at the drop of a hat and still accept most of the more outrageous parts without worrying unduly about them.

I couldn't have put that better. My thoughts exactly.

[Poppy]

The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage in my opinion, is an excellent book. It's probably one of the strongest FFO books concerning detecting, etc, which at times seems very professional and well thought out. It's definitely not the most adventurous title in the series, but some great sleuthing techniques are demonstrated within the book, and it is a very knowledgeable novel. I always got the feeling Enid was finding her feet: getting used to the new characters and settings, but still it is a very unique and entertaining book. As well as the detective work, there are some very amusing scenes between the children. Not my favourite title in the series: I prefer the ones with plenty of disguising and pranks on Mr Goon, but perhaps book number 1 was the most mature in this way?

[sixret]

The Find-Outers books have been part of my life for so long that I can enter into the spirit of them at the drop of a hat and still accept most of the more outrageous parts without worrying unduly about them.

I couldn't have put that better. My thoughts exactly.

Same with Nigel. Very well said, Anita!