The series is written by Ron Roy, illustrated by John Steven Gurney, and published by Random House.

The books follow the adventures of three child detectives, Donald David "Dink" Duncan, Josh Pinto, and Ruth Rose Hathaway.

Other characters include Pal, a dog who once belonged to criminals and now lives with Josh; Wallis Wallace, a mystery writer and sometime participant; and Mr. Linkletter, the local hotel receptionist.

In addition, Roy and Gurney created a spin-off series titled Calendar Mysteries, beginning with "January Joker" on December 22, 2009.

An article in The Horn Book Magazine states that one reason for the series' popularity may be that the main characters "are about as cool as oatmeal", offering relief to readers who may feel burdened by peer pressure.

In the first installment, the Absent Author, we meet the young team: the well read and thoughtful Dink (that's Donald David Duncan); neighbor Ruth Rose; and best friend Josh.

The trio heads up to Wallis Wallace's castle in Maine where they begin to hear strange noises in the night.

While Wallis Wallace says that it is the ghost of a famous movie star who lived there years back, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose believe otherwise and are determined to find out the truth.

Not knowing that Ruth Rose's little brother Nate took the letters unaware that they were something important, Dink apologizes to Ms. Duncan, who then leaves in an unpleasant mood.

In the book, strange sounds and stranger sights are scaring guests away from the Shangri-la Hotel and out of Green Lawn.

[5] In late 2018, American food chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen released the series in smaller sizes with re-illustrated covers in their kids meals.