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Foreign Titles
American: Five Caught in a Treacherous Plot
German: Fünf Freunde geraten in Schwierigkeiten
French: Le Club des Cinq en Peril
Dutch: De Vijf in de knel
Spanish: Los Cinco se ven en apuros
Portuguese: Os Cinco na Casa do Mocho
Italian: Nel Nido del Gufo
Swedish: Fem i knipa
Danish: De fem i fedtefadet
Finnish: Viisikko Pulassa
Russian: Taina sowinowo cholma
Slovenian: 5 Prijateljev s kolesi na pot
Icelandic: Fimm komast í hann krappan
Slovakian: Slavna Patka ma problemy
Basque: Bostak Larri
Indonesian: Lima Sekawan Nyaris Terjebak

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Brief Summary by Poppy Hutchinson: On their peaceful camping and cycling tour of the English countryside, the Five come across Richard Kent – the son of one of the richest men in the country! When Dick is mistaken for him and kidnapped, by Rooky, a dangerous criminal who had been a bodyguard in the Kent household, the children know they have two leads: Owls Dene on Owls Hill, and a Black Bently – KMF 102. The children's search for Dick leads them on a moonlit bicycle ride to the eerie mansion: Owls Dene. What will they find there? And most importantly, will they be able to rescue Dick?

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Full Review (This may contain spoilers):

Terry Gustafson's Review
This book has all the elements required for a thrilling Enid Blyton story including the Uppity and Undisciplined Outsider who needs gentle guidance onto the right path ... possibly by Julian:-

Richard: "Who is there to stop us?"
Julian: "I shall stop you!"

A good part of the adventure takes place in a mysterious old mansion called Owl's Dene which is miles away from nowhere and you enter through wrought-iron gates controlled from within. The image to which I related was that of the Health Clinic near the beginning of the James Bond film — Thunderball. A large old manor can lend plenty of atmosphere because all kinds of strange happenings can take place within the confines — apart from any legitimate activity which might be on offer. The seclusion itself adds to the intrigue and of course there are the remote-controlled gates which are essential.

A mistaken identity is at the bottom of the exciting activity that ensues and it involves Dick and a new friend whom they meet whilst on a cycling holiday. You can get a fairly good picture of a Famous Five Cycling Holiday if you dig out a DVD featuring the Comic Strip's satirical representation entitled Five Go Mad in Dorset. The boy who befriends them is called Richard and he almost has a fight with George. That's right ... they come close to beating up on each other and the situation is saved only by the revelation that George is a girl. George even informs the oblivious Richard that her name is Georgina and I'm sure that took some effort on her part although she could afford to be generous because the boy had really thought she was a young lad. Richard adds that if he had come to grips with Georgina he would have knocked her flat and that almost causes another row but fortunately Julian is there! You could surmise that George wouldn't have had a Hope in Hell against the new-comer but I'm not too sure about that. She's by no means weak and she would've had the extra advantage of her sex which is the eligibility to pull hair and scratch so it might've ended up with her on top of Richard.

The essence of this No. 8 book in the series is that the Famous Four need to rescue a Famous One and there's plenty of action involved. The rescuers, together with Richard, are trapped as you would expect and they encounter some vicious and cruel people — three of whom I mentioned when writing about the Rotters and Bounders that feature in Enid Blyton books. In fact, one terrible individual near the end displays behaviour that could be associated with the words Crazed or Nut Case! I placed him very high on the list ... and certainly he would've been even higher if the Kirrin books themselves were the sole candidates. At one stage Julian shows that he's a Jolly Good Egg when he gives some money to a woman who works at Owl's Dene and this small incident happens just before the kids experience a frustrating shock. I think you could be excused from biting your nails as you read the remaining passages. There are confrontations which always make good reading and ultimately a secret room is discovered which contains yet another secret. Timmy has his share of the fun or should I say danger, as always, and towards the end you can read about a desperate bid which reminds me a little of the final pages in The Valley of Adventure. When it's all over you can relax and savour the after-taste of a book which is one of the most popular in the series. It was first published in 1949. These illustrations are hidden by default to ensure faster browsing. Loading the illustrations is recommended for high-speed internet users only.