Automatic Combat?`

I've just read through the whole FAQ thread (much of it quite useful) and done a Forum search, and can't find what I would have thought is an obvious question:

What happens when you're offline--at work, asleep, whatever--and one of your towns is attacked? Does combat take place immediately, with no chance for you to see it coming and transfer troops? Or what?

And while I'm at it: A couple of my Spies died in an Espionage attempt, only one of them returning to report. Is this the automatic result of being detected by one's target's own Spies, or does the target have an option to capture and interrogate, or what?

I've just read through the whole FAQ thread (much of it quite useful) and done a Forum search, and can't find what I would have thought is an obvious question:

What happens when you're offline--at work, asleep, whatever--and one of your towns is attacked? Does combat take place immediately, with no chance for you to see it coming and transfer troops? Or what?

And while I'm at it: A couple of my Spies died in an Espionage attempt, only one of them returning to report. Is this the automatic result of being detected by one's target's own Spies, or does the target have an option to capture and interrogate, or what?

Yes.  Battle takes place whether you are online or offline.  If your attacker is in another time zone you may come back and find your army destroyed or worse. 

As far as I know there is no option to capture and interrogate spies.  They either succeed in their mission and return home or they are killed.

If you are going to be gone for a period of time and if you are online all the time there are ways to protect your towns both on and offline.  http://www.totemtribe.com/talk/call-for-ideas-defending-your-towns/

Yesterday I had a counterexample. Sent 4 Spies to my nearest neighbor. Report read " You successfully spied on town Dwelling of [neighbor] of [neighbor]. Espionage was detected." Nevertheless, all 4 returned home, and I got a report of the hero and her garrison.

It may be relevant that the same report shows only 1 Spy defending--apparently good enough to inform his mistress, not enough to take anyone out.

I'll see if I can get my neighbor to comment here.

Spies can gather information even against one spy. Unless they are killed outright by a greater number of spies some will make it home to report.

Does the spied-on player get a notice?

yes he will see a report that he was spied on and whether you were successful if he has spies. If there are no spies then he does not know he was spied upon unless he was in town at the time and saw the spies

unless he was in town at the time and saw the spies

Are the spies still visible? I though that bug was with moneys only and was fixed.

it is fixed. but if you are in your actual dwelling you will see them wandering through. Not on the world map

I will send some to you if you are playing today and you can see them for yourself