Books like Five Go Adventuring Again

I read about a dozen of the Famous Five books when I was a kid but I never really looked at the list of titles in the back to appreciate that in fact there were about two dozen of them and I had a random scattering of the titles.This is book number 2 and I'd not read it before this week when I read it to my daughter, Celyn. Being only the 2nd volume it's one where some of the basic 'mythology' of the series is established.Uncle Quentin's important "scientific work" is highlighted in this one. The book was written during the second world war and although the men who are trying to steal Uncle Quentin's SECRET FORMULA aren't identified as German spies ... that's who they are. Similarly, when they're hauled off at the end there's no hint that they were probably shot a week later!Enid Blyton wrote a vast number of books (~800) and she must have written most of them in the space of a few weeks. She also appears to know rather little about history, science, mechanics etc and it shows - but only to adults who find themselves reading the books.SOME SPOILERS here:The book revolves around the theft of Uncle Quentin's papers and unmasking the thief. There's really only one possible suspect and it's a bit disappointing that it turns out to be him. In the house are Uncle Quentin, Aunt Fanny, the children and the tutor. The farmhouse is isolated and snowbound. Important pages are stolen from Uncle Quentin's book and IMPORTANT TEST TUBES are BROKEN! Suspicious falls on naughty George, but when her father looks in her eyes as she denies it we are told that he believes her .... and yet no adult suspects the tutor... But, hey, it *was* him after all. I guess the matter was sealed at the very start when we're directed to the fact he has thin lips ... "like most cruel people" (not an exact quote).The other central issue is that of the Secret Way - which is a secret tunnel that for no apparent reason joins Kirrin Cottage to Kirrin Farm. It seems to be a vast and pointless feat of engineering. It doesn't even have smuggling potential.The secret of the Secret Path which becomes secretly crucial in the secret theft of the secret papers is, for some reason, written in Latin ... although the tunnel seems to only be a couple of hundred years old. Against reason (as in Lara Croft films) all the old mechanisms still work and not only unlock secret doors but helpfully move (and replace) slabs of stone etc.The Secret Way is described as being dug through sandy soil ... which boggles the mind ... and the children encounter cave-ins along the length of it, meaning that their exploration of it is actually mind-bendingly fool-hardy.Timmy is deployed in his usual Swiss Army knife dog mode, capable of almost any feat and able to down his enemies without actually ripping large chunks out of them.Anyway, the baddies are defeated (hoorah!) and the children save the day.I did like the bit where the Christmas tree was decorated with candles that were then lit! I suppose if you're going to live like that then digging your way through collapsing sand tunnels is par for the course!Note, another series in which Blyton includes a Dick and Fanny ... did she know? Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes….