The Man Who Never Checked Out begins when fourteen-year-old Herman (Herm as he hates to be called) Krause, son of the manager of the Quarter Deck Horel along the shore of southern New Jersey, discovers the body of a murdered guest. He finds the body together with his cool-headed frenemy, Becca Collins. When it becomes apparent that the violent death of a guest may jeopardize his father's job, Herman decides that he must solve the crime. With occasional advice from the hotel's bartender, Sarge, Herman and Becca pursue the case to its dramatic and dangerous conclusion.