Malory Towers Mystery Club: Kidnap at Midnight by Fleur Hitchcock

Title: Malory Towers Mystery Club: Kidnap at Midnight

Author: Fleur Hitchcock

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Hachette Australia/Blyton Books

Published: 8^th September 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 200

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Malory Towers with a mystery twist! A brand-new series by Fleur Hitchcock, inspired by Enid Blyton.

New girl Emma can’t wait to meet her classmates and explore the famous Malory Towers. Together with her new-found friends Sheila and Marie she quickly settles into school life, but soon there are big questions to be answered . . . Where does their classmate keep disappearing to? Why were the horses let out the stable? And who are the strangers on the clifftop?

Only the Malory Towers Mystery Club can solve this puzzle!

A brand-new mystery series, full of friendship, intrigue and beloved characters old and new. Perfect for every generation of Blyton readers.

~*~

Emma Swift is starting at Malory Towers, where her mother went many years ago. She’s eager to meet new friends, start learning new things and see what her mother loved about this school. But when a lorry almost takes out her family on the way there, she’s unsettled when she gets there. Yet she’s quickly welcomed into the first year dorm, and becomes friends with Sheila and Marie.

Soon, strange things start happening. Margaret wants nothing to do with anyone. Angela keeps disappearing and the horses are let out of the stables. Which leads to the top form girls, Bill and Clarissa getting to know Emma. These are characters from the original series, and my quick research made me realise that this book would be set in the same timeline as their final books, so the story takes place in the 1940s or 1950s. It continues this setting well, and gives readers a chance to experience something new without the easy resolution of technology.

As Emma and her new friends get to know each other, settle into their new school and see what everyone is fussing about, things are bubbling along in the background. When the girls start making anagrams out of each other’s names, having fun and getting to know each other, one girl heads off in a strop. This is one of the things that kicks off Sheila, Marie and Emma starting the mystery club and what endears them to girls like Bill and Clarissa who help them find their way around the school during their first term.

This is a delightful book, and even though I don’t think I read any or many Malory Towers books growing up (St Clare’s was more my thing), it still captures the magic of Enid Blyton’s stories and world in a diverse and accessible way for a modern audience. It allows some of the language to remain whilst doing away with things that might not be quite as acceptable these days. The teachers are the same, and the midnight escapades are the still there. No Enid Blyton boarding school story would be complete without some kind of midnight feast or escapade where the girls uncover something slightly nefarious.

It’s a book that readers who loved Enid Blyton growing up will enjoy as a bit of nostalgia, and a return to simpler times. To times when things were carefree. It will introduce new readers to her world as well, and is also just a ripping good mystery story set in the middle of the twentieth century. It’s very nice reading a book that doesn’t rely on technology to solve things, and I think these books sometimes manage to solve mysteries in clever and creative ways. When you’re in the past or in a closed room or in a location where there is no access to technology for whatever reason, you have to be more creative and purposeful about solving the mystery. The answers aren’t just there for you.

It’s interesting seeing how contemporary authors take an older existing series of characters and use those characters and settings alongside new characters to tell a story. The new characters are the focus, and the original ones are on the periphery. This is a fun introduction to a new series that will enchant readers of all ages.