Like for other series of hers, Enid Blyton earns her spurs during description of coastlines and caves and secret passages. The various forgotten routes and secret mechanisms to activate doors are maturely exposed and I feel I cannot really write as good as a detailed story myself. So it's confirmed that Enid Blyton is a better storyteller than me. But I knew that already! The plot is about a dark young Prince being kidnapped. The main character of the previous book, The Secret Island, makes a cameo here. Of course all ends well. As I've always said, these books can give an adult thriller a run for its money in terms of stakes and twists. There were two or three problems whose resolutions prompted me to give this book a well deserved four stars. I'll be reading more of this series soon. ( )

Of all the Enid Blyton books this is one I remember most. I loved reading this in the holidays, and loved the idea of staying somewhere with secret passages, and a mystery to solve. ( )