The Complete Idiot's Guide to Becoming a Private Dick

Ron Sandford's mid-life crisis has taken a slightly more extreme course than most other men. After re-visiting the works of Raymond Chandler, some of the few books he's ever really enjoyed, he decides to start moonlighting as a private investigator on craigslist. Of course this begins to take a toll on his family life almost immediately. His wife Julia, at first apprehensive but supportive, quickly loses her patience for what she calls a narcissistic charade and stops talking to him.

Remembering his youthful romance with Chandler, Ron tries to get his sixteen year-old son Ben involved for some quality father/son bonding time. Ron is baffled by Ben's repeated denials mostly citing school work as the reason he can't spend time with dear old dad living out his teenage fantasy. This confuses and disappoints Ron, who is only consoled when he finds his thirteen year-old daughter Kim stowed away in his back seat on a stakeout. Turns out she devoured his entire noir collection in a few months and loved every word of it. He lectures her on how unsafe it is and how unprofessional having her tag along would be, but allows her to stay out of sight in the car because he has a meeting he can't miss. She tries to warn him about it, but of course daddy knows best.

When he comes back with a black eye and bloody nose, Ron decides she could be helpful after all. Ben and Julia hate the idea and tell him he should grow up, and everyone hates each other for a while as one of his cases seems to be heating up. He did get hit after all, that must mean he's on to something.

So Kim and Ron team up to get to the bottom of the story, all the while digging themselves into an ever deepening whole with the rest of their family, and the subjects of their investigation. It certainly doesn't help that the cops have started warning him to stop dicking around without a license. Of course these are the same cops who turn out to be dirty, and when they get in big trouble with some of the baddest criminals in town, it falls to the son and wife to save their butts.