This is the 14th book in Enid Blyton�s mystery series, first published in 1961.
Mr Goon receives some strange message, which use letters cut out from newspapers. He thinks Fatty is behind the notes and when he questions him, lets the Five Find-Outers know there is a mystery to solve!
Mr Goon�s nephew, Ern, comes to stay with him again. Ern says Goon didn�t find fingerprints on the letters. The letters refer to a man called Smith, which is not his real name, who lives at the Ivies. As there is no house in Peterswood called The Ivies, the Find-Outers go in search of an ivy-covered house. They find several houses, a few which have someone called Smith living there. It turns out that at the nursery the man called Smith left 20 years ago.
Fatty studies the newspaper cuttings on the letters. The word �goon� is one word, so it must be from a word with goon in it.
The Five go to Fairlin Hall, an ivy-covered house. The caretakers are called Smith. As the Hall is for sale, Fatty goes to the estate agents. He gets the name of a gardiner who used to work there, Mr Grimble. He confirms that Fairlin Hall used to be called The Ivies. Goon goes to see the Smiths and they admit their real name is Canley. Mr Canley went to prison for selling secrets of a new war plane to the enemy. They changed their name when he came out of prison. Goon tells them to leave the Hall, but Mr Smith falls ill and has to be admitted to hospital. Mrs Smith said the owner of the Hall�s son, Wilfrid Hasterley stole diamonds and hid them. He went to prison but the diamonds were never found. Fatty arranged for Mrs Smith to stay at his house. That night burglars try to break into the Hall.
Daisy thinks that Mrs Hicks, who works for Mr Goon is planting the strange messages for money on behalf of someone else. Fatty dresses up as a rag and bone man. He sees men at the Hall taking up the carpet. He then follows Mrs Hicks to a house, where he finds a crate with �Rangoon� written on it. He buys the crates and some old newspapers. He finds the �Rangoon Weekly� in the bundles of newspapers. Letters had been cut out from the paper, including the word goon from Rangoon. The two men Fatty saw at the hall are staying at the house. They realise Wilfrid has been hiding in Burma and the diamonds are still hidden at the hall.
The Five go to the Hall to search for the diamonds. Mrs Smith says the cold water pipe was very slow to run. Fatty realised this is because the pipe is stuffed with the diamonds. The men find Fatty and lock him in. Ern frees Fatty. They manage to trap the men in the coal cellar. They call Inspector Jenks and go to the Hall. The diamonds are found in the water pipe!
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