The twelfth book in the "Find-Outers" series of mystery stories is another strong instalment – though each one has plenty of humour and inventiveness, I judge them on how well the mystery holds up. Often Blyton can just write a straightforward adventure story with a few "mysterious" elements, but the best ones are always those that contain clues and suspects that lead to a logical solution. Four of the five children that comprise the Find-Outers are waiting for their friend and leader Fatty (short for Frederick Algernon Trotteville) at the train station, where they notice a loud group of people fare-welling two friends for a trip – among them a well-dressed woman with a large white poodle. They make such a scene that they almost miss the arrival of Fatty: the ingenious though rather pompous friend who always leads them into adventures. It's not long before the children learn that the people at the train station were notorious thieves, who have made off with a priceless painting. The cottage where they were staying – the Tally-Ho Cottage of the title – is now being lived in by an elderly couple known as the Larkins, who are looking after the woman's poodle but no nothing of their disappearance. It's a mystery, but one that seems entirely out of the hands of the Find-Outers. How are they supposed to find a couple of thieves who are no longer in the area? But then they catch a break: their friend Ern Goon, the nephew of the odious village policeman – is living in the house right next door to the Larkins. He's more than happy to keep an eye on the house for them, in the hopes that maybe – just maybe – the thieves will return. Ern actually has a pretty big role to play in this book, which is fine considering he's one of the Blyton's best characters (along with Fatty himself). True to the promise of a mystery story, there are disguises, stake-outs, and shadowing of suspects throughout this book, and a "eureka!" moment that fits in well with what we know about the culprits. It's not the best of the Find-Outer stories, but definitely up there as one of the better ones. Penulis: Enid Blyton Penerbit: Hachette