He is a twenty-year-old man who lives in the fictional desert town of Pico Mundo, California, and is able to see the spirits of the dead.
Sinatra similarly left at the end of Odd Hours, shortly after an impressive display of poltergeist activity.
In the fifth novel Odd Apocalypse he is visited by the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock, although he explains that he wishes to help him, but does not have enough time at the moment while trying to discover the secrets of the estate of Roseland.
Odd was told his name was originally intended to be "Todd", (or possibly "Dobb", after his uncle whom he has never met and may not exist) and his actual name stems from this error on his birth certificate.
Odd's unique ability to see the dead (among other paranormal gifts) complicates his life and forms the basis of the novels.
When the first novel begins he is a 20-year-old fry cook, with a particular proficiency for pancakes, living in the fictional California town of Pico Mundo.
The plot of the first novel centers on Odd and his girlfriend Stormy Llewellyn's attempt to prevent a mass murder in his hometown.
Another, less beneficial aspect of this ability is that if Odd is consciously trying avoid a particular someone or something, he will inevitably find or be found by that very person or thing.
Despite the danger and misfortune this ability causes, Odd usually finds humor in the irony and speaks of it in an anecdotal fashion.
Odd believed that he and Stormy were 'destined to be together forever' due to an encounter with a carnival fortune-telling gypsy mummy.
[1] In it, Odd encounters a fellow ghost-seer who has been driven mad by his visions of the lingering dead.