Judy Bolton was the protagonist of a popular girls mystery series. Unlike contemporary series produced by syndicates and ghost-writers using pseudonyms, the Judy Bolton series was created and written entirely by Margaret Sutton. Grosset & Dunlap initially published four volumes in 1932, then printed one per year through 1967 for a total of 38 volumes. Many of the stories were based on real events, sites, and Sutton's or her acquaintances' experiences. The books appealed to readers because Judy Bolton was more realistic than other series sleuths. Four million copies of Judy Bolton books sold before the series was canceled.

Sutton wrote her first books before the Nancy Drew series was published, but Grosset & Dunlap was not interested in her idea. Sutton was told how syndicate books were written, and she declined to write formulaic plots. Because of Nancy Drew's popularity, girl detective stories became marketable, and an editor at Grosset...