Ken Holt is the central character in a series of mystery stories advertised as being for readers between the ages of eleven and fifteen years old.

[1] The series was published by Grosset & Dunlap between 1949 and 1963,[2] and the mysteries continued to be sold in the United States until at least 1966.

"[5] The series advertising tagline was "Ken Holt, son of a world-famous correspondent, stumbles into a world of mystery and intrigue.

"[6][7] In the Secret of Skelton Island, the first book in the series, it is stated that Ken's mother died ten years before the story takes place.

Ken is kidnapped, then escapes, and is helped by the Allen family, who own the Brentwood Advance, a weekly newspaper.