I finished the whole box set of the Enid Blyton Mystery Series. It's also called The Five Find-Outers Mystery Series. Each book features the investigative team of Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Fatty's Scottie dog, Buster. Fatty's the ringleader and the brains behind the outfit. He's a bit of a cheeky character who's got a good range of knowledge in his clever bonce. The other kids contribute what they can, often something they say or find out triggers Fatty's noggin and out pops the solution.
Fatty had a tendency to brag about himself at first but Larry and Pip often took the mickey out of him and he stopped. They eventually come to value his brains and look up to him. There's a whole crew of characters in each book, the kids parents make an appearance, Mr Goon the local policeman, Inspector Jenks, Mr Goon's poetry writing nephew Ern, and the oodles of new people for each book. You can read more about the series at The Enid Blyton Society.
Fatty's nickname is based on his initials, Frederick Algernon Trotteville spells FAT, and his somewhat portly figure. The 2016 edition I read, the one in that box, has a little note on the copyright page that says all the references to Fatty being fat have been removed and his nick name is just based on his initials. This was done by Enid's daughter. I have several of the books in other editions so I'm not too bothered. It doesn't really effect the story. Sadly, Fatty isn't that keen on his nickname, even his mom uses it.
I find the series entertaining and a nice quick breezy read, even after having read most of them once or twice already.
The covers in the series are all by Timothy Banks. This is the third time they've been used and the first time the paintings appear without the edges being cropped. I think the covers look better on the new editions, except for the Mystery Series bit that covers the bottom right corner.
The 2014 Egmont edition on the left and the 2016 Hodder edition on the right. The 2021 Hodder edition covers are below.
The Mystery Of The Burnt Cottage 1943
The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat 1944
The Mystery of the Secret Room 1945
The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters 1946
The Mystery of the Missing Necklace 1947
The Mystery of the Hidden House 1948
The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat 1949
The Mystery of the Invisible Thief 1950
The Mystery of the Vanished Prince 1951
The Mystery of the Strange Bundle 1952
The Mystery of the Holly Lane 1953
The Mystery of the Tally-Ho Cottage 1954
The Mystery of the Missing Man 1956
The Mystery of the Strange Messages 1957
The Mystery of the Banshee Towers 1961
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