Ben Barklee-- college professor, former Chicago Cubs pitcher and accidental private investigator in the first of the Ben Barklee mystery series. Barklee teaches a course on Dickens at Ridgehaven college, a.k.a. Dropout U. One of his wealthy pupils, Jane Macalester, a senator's daughter, goes missing. Unwittingly saving her from her captors, Barklee becomes a hero and then is ironically dismissed from his position because of "the college's fiscal troubles." To avoid money troubles of his own, Barklee becomes a licensed PI, and he again has to find Jane when her father reports her missing. Barklee becomes a target for a number of nasty characters who chase after him in a great romp through Chicago. He finally has to resort to his "purpose pitch" to try to save himself and Jane.