High school English teacher Jesse Ashworth is in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Should he take early retirement or continue teaching? When his best friend, Rhonda Shepard, retires and moves to the coast of Maine to open a gift shop, Jesse offers to help her set up her business. Much to Jesse's surprise, Rhonda's gift shop in located in the town where Jesse grew up. Jesse must not only deal with relocation, but he must also reestablish ties that he had severed thirty-some years ago. Jesse purchases a run-down 1920's bungalow called Eagles Nest. The house was the site of a 1960's commune and has been more or less neglected in recent years. While digging a garden in the isolated back yard, Jesse and his pug dog, Argus, make a gruesome discovery. Police chief Tim Mallory is one of the first on the scene of the discovery. Tim and Jesse were in the same high school graduation class and have a shared history. Tim and Jesse begin the investigation of the unknown victim and struggle to renew their friendship. Thanks to Jesse's keen eye and the indestructibility of polyester fabric, the victim is initially identified as a student who disappeared in 1970. Jesse and Tim begin to research what they believe to be a cold-case file until threats to several former classmates help provide clues to the murder. While Jesse is investigating the murder, he is also struggling to deal with new relationships and the need to establish a sense of place for himself. The events of the plot allow Jesse to explore new areas of his life.

Retired teacher Jesse Ashworth has been looking forward to a quiet retirement in the small town of Bath, Maine but for Jesse, retirement has been anything but quiet. After church trustee Jack Riley is found murdered in the choir room of All Saints Church, Jesse and his companion Police Chief Tim Mallory, begin a search for the killer. Soon it becomes apparent that almost everyone Jack knew had a motive for murder. Set in a small town on the picturesque coast of Maine, this story has just the right amount of intrigue and humor, including a cast of quirky and colorful characters that help to round out the story.

When retired teacher Jesse Ashworth and former police chief Tim Mallory buy the Bigg- Boyce Security Company in Bath Maine, interesting cases begin to cross their desks. Known locally as the "Big Boys' Detective Agency" Tim and Jesse begin new careers as private detectives. The Turner Art Museum in Portland Maine seems to be the epicenter of some strange happenings. When the Big Boys' Detective Agency is contacted to investigate a haunting in the museum, Tim and Jesse embark on an adventure that turns up not only a missing person but also more than one body.

Jesse Ashworth is attending cooking school in Montreal when the head chef of the school is found murdered in Mt Royal park. Jesse is inadvertently dragged into the investigation when he becomes a potential witness to the crime. Hired as a consultant for the chief investigator, Hugh Cartier, Jesse begins to suspect that Hugh has more than just a professional interest in him. As if a murder investigation is not enough, Jesse suspects that someone has been following him. When Jesse and his partner Tim Mallory confront the stalker, Jess gets the shock of his life and nothing will ever be the same again. When another murder occurs, Jesse, Tim and Hugh look for a psychopath who might just be someone they know.

The Christmas season gets off to a rocky start in the sleepy coastal town of Bath, Maine, when a local shop keeper finds a body dressed as Santa Claus in the doorway of the shop. To make matters worse, a valuable Christmas treasure is stolen from All Souls Church. The identity of the dead man stumps the local police, and it falls to private detectives Jesse Ashworth and Tim Mallory to look for clues the police may have missed. It’s been a slow season for the Bigg-Boyce Security Agency, known locally as the Big Boys’ Detective Agency, but things begin to pick up when Tim and Jesse find themselves involved in three cases they must solve.In addition, Jesse’s old nemesis, Bitch Blair, is back in town after serving time in prison. Once again Jesse and Tim must navigate through the colorful assortment of local characters to look for solutions.

It’s Jesse’s birthday, and as he says it’s a” big birthday” and he’s not taking it well; in fact he has announced that anyone who mentions a certain number is in danger of being bitch-slapped. His partner Tim Mallory has just the perfect birthday gift to cheer Jesse up, a Caribbean cruise. Along with Tim and Jesse will be the gang from Bath, Maine as well. But before they can sail away they must try to solve a sixty year old missing person’s case. In 1953 two teenage boys set out to visit friends in the next town and then seemingly disappear into thin air. Once on the cruise Tim and Jesse look forward to relaxing with their friends in the sunny Caribbean, but when a passenger disappears in the middle of the ocean, Tim and Jesse are asked to look into the disappearance. A chance notice on the ship’s bulletin board compel Jesse his cousin Monica to confront their family’s Spiritualist past and it’s anything but smooth sailing for the two cousins.

It’s springtime in Bath, Maine and detective Jesse Ashworth is happy to say good bye to the long winter. When Jesse’s partner Tim Mallory shows up with a new motorhome, Jesse looks forward to some travel time. Instead of the freedom of the road, Jesse and Tim become involved with three new cases. Tim and Jesse are happy to have the help of former Montreal police officer Hugh Cartier as they search for answers to the three mysteries. Images from the past, however, threaten to derail Jesse’s happiness unless he can find closure to a thirty-year old mystery of his own.

It’s autumn in the sleepy Maine town of Bath and life seems perfect. At least that’s what retired school teacher turned detective Jesse Ashworth thinks until his world is turned upside down. After celebrating the richness of autumn with a cookout for friends and family, Jesse’s partner Tim Mallory goes missing. Determined to find Tim, Jesse with the help of retired Montreal police captain Hugh Cartier, must search for Tim while still trying to maintain business at the Bigg-Boyce Detective and Security Agency. The Collins’s Department Store has been suffering heavy losses because of shoplifting, and it’s up to Jesse and Hugh to solve the problem without the help of the missing Tim Mallory. But the Collins’s Department Store isn’t their only client. Forty-five year old Bunty Morgan hires the agency to find his birth mother and with too few clues to go on, Jesse fears he will fail his client. Missing partner, missing merchandise, and missing mother, Jesse Ashworth won’t be enjoying the quiet life he so craves.

It’s winter and retired teacher turned investigator Jesse Ashworth heads to Honolulu to recover from chemotherapy treatments. Jesse is pulled into a murder investigation when the sister of the murder victim hires Jesse to find the truth behind her brother’s death. The investigation leads him to cross paths with Honolulu Homicide Detective Travis Chan. As Jesse slowly recovers, his intuitive detective skills begin to return to help unravel the intricate case. Despite the distance, Jesse manages to keep in contact with those back in his home town.As spring approaches, Jesse heads back home to Bath, Maine and his partner former chief of police Tim Mallory. Two of the most unusual missing persons cases present themselves as the two try to solve the mysteries.

It’s the summer of the great pandemic and Jesse Ashworth thinks back on his life. Jesse’s son Jay asks what Jesse’s college days were like: It’s Boston in the early ‘70s and young Jesse Ashworth begins to know what it means to grow up. Life, he discovers, is a series of changes, and as his friend points out, there are no training wheels for life. As if college life wasn’t enough, Jesse is asked to help a friend look for her missing half-brother. Jesse’s first case proves to be one that challenges him in new ways.