The Enid Blyton Society

I think they were inspired to put those false clues there because otherwise Luke would have been incriminated and they felt the whistle was put there on purpose. I know they managed to remove it but the idea of laying false clues had been sown.

I don't mind the laying of false clues in any of the books - after all, it was never done maliciously - just by children who felt it was a bit of fun and would cause some amusement (or help their friend Luke in the case of Disappearing Cat). I think too many people are looking at this with adult eyes, rather than as how children would see it! When I was young and I read Pantomime Cat, I thought it was brilliant that they were all tricking the new gullible PC Pippin. Children don't think of the consequences, and anyway, they often think they are being rather clever, rather than troublesome!

I always loved the laying of false clues in various books as it was great fun to see what items the children included and what happened as a result of their actions.

Which thanks God, always had a good outcome so it is fun to read. I especially like how the false clues in the Pantomime Cat eventually led to the real mystery.

Rob Houghton wrote:I don't mind the laying of false clues in any of the books - after all, it was never done maliciously - just by children who felt it was a bit of fun and would cause some amusement (or help their friend Luke in the case of Disappearing Cat). I think too many people are looking at this with adult eyes, rather than as how children would see it! When I was young and I read Pantomime Cat, I thought it was brilliant that they were all tricking the new gullible PC Pippin. Children don't think of the consequences, and anyway, they often think they are being rather clever, rather than troublesome!

Good point. I found the laying of false clues a bit troubling the first time I tried reading Pantomime Cat (as an adult), but I came back to it some time later in a better frame of mind and appreciated it as an important part of the plot. I don't think it really worried me in Disappearing Cat — the children in that case were deliberately trying to protect Luke and give poor old Goon something to puzzle over, and at least they all took the precaution of keeping a duplicate of each of the "clues" so they could later prove they were false if necessary, which makes for an amusing scene later on!

Rob Houghton wrote: I think too many people are looking at this with adult eyes, rather than as how children would see it!

Yes, that's a good point. You do read things very differently as an adult. The potential consequences of the children placing false clues would never have come into my head as a child reading the book. Overall though, the children more than make up for this by solving mystery after mystery and beating Mr Goon to the chase all the time!

Yes - as a child, I saw Mr Goon very much as the child characters did - as someone who needed bringing down a peg or two, teaching a lesson, and outsmarting. I never once felt sorry for any of the adults in these circumstances, but was always on the side of the children. As an adult, I do sometimes think the children are being annoying or nasty or disrespectful - but I didn't think this at all as a child!

Rob Houghton wrote: I never once felt sorry for any of the adults in these circumstances, but was always on the side of the children.

Me too, this was even more the case in the books in which Ern appeared in, as Mr Goon was especially rotten to him and I've always hated the way he forced Ern to spill the beans about the children's mysteries. So it was always good to see the children and especially Ern win over Mr Goon!

Funnily enough, I'm pretty much the other way round. As a child, I thought it was a bit off that the children were antagonizing a police officer. No matter how much they disliked him, it was his job to uphold the law and they really shouldn't have interfered with that. I always felt rather sorry for him when he would try his hardest, still get upstaged by the kids, and then get belittled by Inspector Jenks at the end.

But now as an adult, Mr Goon reminds me so much of a colleague who's bullish, rude, impatient, pig-ignorant (and rather rotund). The children might still come across as nuisances, but quite frankly Mr Goon is not my idea of a friendly village bobby, and is clearly unfit for the job he's doing!

Merged with an older topic.

As mentioned I am rereading the series at the moment and am trying to think of my favourite book. I like the later ones better in general, when the children are a little older. Missing Necklace is a very definite favourite, or the one with Eunice in it .. was that Missing Man?

Missing Necklace was always one of my favourites in this series but I do like Pantomime Cat which isn't usually so popular.

I like Pantomime Cat too, although it's one of the earlier ones.

John Pickup wrote:Missing Necklace was always one of my favourites in this series but I do like Pantomime Cat which isn't usually so popular.

Missing Necklace was the first one I ever read. the second one I read was Pantomime Cat. Both are top favourites, along with Strange Messages, Holly Lane and Tally ho.

I’m with John and Rob where my favourites are concerned:

1 The Mystery of the Missing Necklace
2 The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat

I still haven't finished reading them all, so can't give a definitive answer yet!!