Although Flatfoot Fox is fairly certain that he knows who stole Bashful Beaver's buttons, the smartest detective in the world allows his assistant, Secretary Bird, to try to solve the case.
When Detective John Quincy Jones is told to find the circus's missing elephant by nightfall, his faithful canine companion must come to the rescue as usual.
Hally Watkins, her younger brother Jason, and other young people they meet in Newport, Rhode Island, must prove that their friend Tuyet is not responsible for burning down the house she has been hired to paint.
Twelve-year-old Harvey and his bossy cousin Nora get involved with counterfeiters, imposters, and a pet raccoon when they find a prowler outside the house one night.
Having discovered the true nature of the old woman known as the Witch of Blackwater Swamp, fifth grader Ted must decide whether to come to her aid when she is accused of the thefts plaguing his small Louisiana town.
Convinced that the strange things happening at the funeral parlor next door to his family's hotel are somehow connected to a recent robbery, Bernie determines to become famous by proving his theory and catching the thief.
While searching for the ghost that haunts the house in which their mother is a maid and dressmaker for an English officer's wife, Sarah and Stephen become secretly involved in the Revolutionary War effort.
