The Secret Seven

The Secret Seven was the first book of the Secret Seven Series And was followed by the book Secret Seven Adventure

Plot
This first book in the series begins with the Secret Seven Society already formed. Peter and Janet call a meeting (as happens in the first chapter of almost every Secret Seven book), and decide to write notes to invite the members. This is when they choose the shed at the bottom of Peter and Janet's garden as their meeting place. To introduce the characters, the children think aloud while writing the notes... 

"Let's see—we want one for Pam, one for Colin, one for Jack, one for Barbara—who's the seventh of us? I've forgotten."

"George, of course," said Janet.

I found this quite funny, seeing as they had originally formed the society with a group of their friends—and then forget the name of one of the members!

They decorate the shed in a fashion which sets the scene for the rest of the series—flower pots and boxes as chairs, cushions, and the large green letters "SS" on the door. There is also the obligatory plate of biscuits and a strange drink made of blackcurrant jam, water and sugar because Mummy hadn't any lemonade. Sounds quite disgusting really, but Peter proclaims it 'scrumplicious'—a mixture of 'scrumptious' and 'delicious'. As there is nothing to discuss at the meeting they decided to make snowmen, which leads them straight into adventure when Jack returns later to collect his Secret Seven badge. As his torch battery runs out right at the perfect time, he sees a car towing a strange van into an old house opposite, where the only tenant is a cross old deaf caretaker. A series of squeals and snorting sounds follow, which sends Jack racing home.

Of course, this is the reason for the Seven's second meeting, and they solemnly make their plans. They split up to find out the owners of the house, examine the snow for tyre prints, and come across strange marks like the footprints of somebody wearing very large slippers. They also interview the caretaker, who turns out to be even grumpier than they first thought.

From all of this they deduct that a prisoner must be hidden in the house somewhere, but decide to keep things secret until they can prove something—just in case they look silly if they're wrong. The four boys decide the best thing to do is to dress up as snowmen and stand among those they originally made—but of course they don't wait around very long in the cold. Peter and Jack decide to explore the house, just as the men arrive. They are taken prisoner (very a la Fatty in The Mystery of the Secret Room) and hear strange boiling noises and more screams. They are then locked in the basement with the 'prisoner' Kerry Blue (I won't elaborate on that point, as it's a bit of a spoiler). Peter and Jack now know everything—but are trapped inside!

Colin and George (very predictably) come to the rescue—and, as with all Blyton's mysteries, things are wrapped up very nicely indeed.

For a change from the Mystery series, all of the policemen in the Secret Seven books act very 'policeman-like'—no bumbling, and they really only appear in time to wrap things up. For some reason they are always described as 'fine, strong men'—it seems they are the only type employed in Peterswood (which is, incidentally, the name of their village).

Trivia

 * The book also introduces the readers to some of the quirks of the society. Peter’s bossiness as the leader comes to the fore, Barbara and Pam giggle at the oddest of moments, and a few others either keep forgetting the password or shouting it out loudly. Jack’s interfering and argumentative sister Susie also appears every now and then, much to the annoyance of the Secret Seven.
 * It states in the inside flap of the dust jacket that "SS" stands for "Secret Seven" (as we all know). However, in the opening chapters of the first book, and even throughout the first few books of the series, "SS" seems also to stand for "Secret Society" and "Seven Society." There's also mention of "Secret Seven Society."

