The Big Six is the ninth instalment and first mystery in Arthur Ransome’s fictional Swallows and Amazons series. This 400-page children’s classic is split into 32 chapters and an epilogue with each chapter having its own title and being numbered by roman numerals. Furthermore, this novel includes occasional black and white pictures with a maximum of one per chapter.
As the summer holidays start to conclude, a boat is set adrift. Due to the actions of their friend in the Easter holidays, the Death and Glories (Joe, Bill and Pete) are instantly and wrongfully accused of committing the crime. The people of Horning become increasingly sure the three boys are guilty as more and more boats are cast off around their untouched ship. Only Tom, Dick and Dorothea believe their friends are innocent and begin to gather evidence to show that the Death and Glories have been framed. Will they be able to prove the Death and Glories’ innocence? Will they catch the real criminal? Will they uncover the villain’s motives?
The main characters (George Owdon, the Death and Glories, Dick and Dorothea Callum, and Tom Dudgeon) all appear in Coot Club. However, this is George Owdon’s first time in the spotlight, taking the role of villain along with his accomplice (Ralph Strakey). Owdon’s hatred for the Coot Club and their Bird Protection Society fuels his desire to frame them and have them cast off the river. The Death and Glories have also been upgraded from side characters to main characters. The Death and Glories consist of Bill, Joe and Pete who are all sons of boatbuilders. In The Big Six, Pete is portrayed as the youngest with his mum having the other two promise he will go to bed at the right time. All three share a deep passion for boats, living in the Death and Glory throughout the book. When they are first introduced, the Death and Glories are finishing construction of their ship’s chimney and cupboards while waiting for Tom to deliver paint. Tom Dudgeon (the son of Dr. Dudgeon) is a close friend of the Death and Glories, but is partly responsible for getting them blamed. This is because Tom (the founder of the Coot Club the Death and Glories are in) cast off a boat in a previous book. Tom shares the Death and Glories’ passion for sailing and had more than enough experience to teach Dick and Dorothea Callum how to sail in Coot Club. Unlike other characters in The Big Six, Dick and Dorothea appear in a multitude of other books, making their debut in Winter Holiday and appearing in Pigeon Post as well as Coot Club. Dick’s main hobby in the book is photography with him and Dorothea coming to Horning to practise taking photos of nests before nesting season. Meanwhile, Dorothea (Dick’s sister) is obsessed with stories, writing one based on the events of Coot Club and getting the idea of forming a group of detectives from a book she had read.
One of the main themes is the consequences of one’s actions, specifically the consequences of Tom’s actions. In Coot Club, Tom Dudgeon cast loose a ship that was moored dangerously close to the nest of a coot. Due to these actions and Tom being close friends with the Death and Glories, the people of Horning (including their friends) assume Bill, Joe and Pete were trying to copy the older boy and cast off boats without hesitation. The secondary main theme is teamwork. In Chapter VII, Joe and Pete drive a pike out of the bank while Bill stays on the boat to try and catch it. Another example is when they catch the criminal casting off the Cachalot. Bill uses a photographic flashlight to let Pete get a clear photo of the crime and create a distraction so Pete can get away with the camera.
The book mainly takes place at Horning, a riverside town. Furthermore, Horning Staithe, the Wilderness and Dr. Dudgeon’s are key places in Horning. Horning Staithe is where the first boat and the wherry are cast loose. In order to keep out the way, the Death and Glories moor their ship in the Wilderness. The shed outside Dr. Dudgeon’s is where the Coot Club keeps clues and plans how to get evidence. Two other towns mentioned are Potter and Ranworth. Potter is where the Death and Glories catch a pike and shackles are stolen. After going sailing and taking practice photographs, the Death and Glories moor at Ranworth overnight, only to find more boats have been cast off there while they are asleep.
I would recommend this book to those 10 and older. This is due to younger audiences possibly struggling to understand the story and not enjoying some more technical bits like when Dick explains how the camera works. If you are interested in riverside mysteries, this could be for you!