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CONNED

What do you do when your best friend is on the line- the end of your fishing line? Finding his murdered best friend’s body drags a soon-to-be-retiring financial executive into the ruthless world of con artists and scammers that prowl idyllic Nantucket Island for unsuspecting marks.

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DUPED

Boston. A wintry night two hours past the end of the 1990 St. Patrick’s Day.   Two simultaneous art thefts, two miles apart. One in a museum. One in a private residence. One by 2local crooks nets $200 million in art collected by a turn of the 20th-century heiress. The other nets by uncle Louie nets two stolen pieces bought by a wine merchant through his best friend, Harry Bartlett. Their paths will cross more than once before a ransom demand expires in seven days.

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SCAMMED

Release date May 2023. A simple embezzlement case in Boston's North Shore leads Harry and the FDG gang to a team of surgically-created, beautiful women up to no good

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PONZI'd

It's 1920 Boston. Charles Ponzi is raking in millions with his stamp investment scheme. Hank Bartlett knows what no one else does: that Charles is a financial psychopath. But how can he  bring down the most famous man in America?

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THE LAST UNINDICTED MAYOR

A new councilwoman in a Boston suburb hires the FDG to help her root out corruption that is wrecking her town.

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Who I am and how I became a writer

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7 min read
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$INNED
THE DAVINCI CODE MEETS CHARLES PONZI. 
MY UPCOMING BOOK WITH HARRY AND THE FDG CREW INVESTIGATING CORRUPTION IN THE VATICAN. 

FLEECED 
A SMALL, IDYLLIC MASSACHSUETTS TOWN FACES A DEVASTATING FINANCIAL THREAT. 


Upcoming Events

TitleDateLocation
GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT20 May 2026BOLTON MA SENIOR CENTER
GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT04 Jun 2026SHARON MA SENIOR CENTER
SPORTS CHEATS11 Jun 2026READING MA LIBRARY
SPORTS CHEATS12 Jun 2026HUDSON MA SENIOR CENTER
SPORTS CHEATS16 Jun 2026ANDOVER MA SENIOR CENTER
GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT18 Jun 2026HARVARD MA SENIOR CENTER
GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT24 Jun 2026GEORGETOWN MA SENIOR CENTER
PONZI MADOFF & OTHER SCAMS03 Jul 2026MATTAPOISETTE MA SENIOR CENTER
PONZI MADOFF SCAMMERS30 Jul 2026FRAMINGHAM MA SENIOR CENTER
POLITICAL SCANDALS16 Sep 2026FOXBORO MA SENIOR SENTER
POLITICAL SCANDALS21 Sep 2026NEEDHAM MA SENIOR CENTER
POLITICAL SCANDALS05 Oct 2026BROOKLNE MA SENIOR CENTER
AMERICAN POLITICAL SCANDALS07 Oct 2026Chatam MA LIBRARY
POLITICAL SCANDALS13 Oct 2026ACTON MA SENIOR CENTER
POLITICAL SCANDALS16 Oct 2026FRAMINGHAM MA COUNTRY CLUB
POLITICAL SCANDALS05 Nov 2026WALPOLE MA SENIOR CENTER
GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT15 Jan 2027MEDFIELD MA SENIOR CENTER

PENNY WISE

PENNY WISE

A store owner asks Harry Bartlett to find his missing profits.

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THE VOLUNTEER

THE VOLUNTEER

Harry finds neither bravery nor clever wits have age limits as he follows an unlikely trail.

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OH, MOOSE

OH, MOOSE

Harry finds that a moose can damage lots of things besides a car.

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VALUATION

VALUATION

Questions raised during a company acquisition threaten to slash the agreed-upon price by $10,000,000.

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On the B Deck

Harry's spur of the moment limerick while sitting with Ian Bradford at the Boston Orphanage Fundraiser

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Surviving on Nantucket Bay

Harry's limerick after being tossed overboard in Nantucket Bay

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Yesac limerick to Harry

Yesac Trebor's limerick to Harry after escaping

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Payback Limerick

Harry's limerick after capturing Mike Hancock

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Essex Successex

A commentary on unwise investing

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Brother Paul of the Orphanage

Harry's recalls his accounting mentor

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Ode to Megan

Harry's quick-thinking response to Megan Webster's challenge

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Estuary Epilogue

Harry's Estuary wrap-up

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Karma Payback

Harry reflects on finding his daughter

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The Headmaster

Harry's view of a prep school headmaster

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                                                                                          HAROLD A. BARTLETT III

                                                                      This Summer,  Polpis Road, Nantucket Island, MA


PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE

Meaningful use of financial skills and high intelligence in retirement

EXPERIENCE

Chief Financial Officer for Big Companies for Many Years

  • Head Numbers and Money Guy
  • Worked in Artificial Intelligence, Data Security and Identification Industries

Staff Beancounter to Controller in Five Few Years

  • Worked 15 hours per day, 7 Days per Week
  • Never Saw Family

EDUCATION

  • Harvard                                    Full Scholarship, Summa Cum Laude
  • Andover Preppie School      Full Scholarship, Summa Cum Laude
  • Boston Orphanage                 Full Scholarship, Summa Cum Laude

PERSONAL

  • One Friend                              Ian Bradford
  • One Relative                           Uncle Louie
  • New Girlfriend                        Yvette Truque'
  • One Estranged Family           Ex-wife and daughter

HOBBIES

  • Gambling
  • Writing Limericks
  • Shooting Cannons
  • Fund-raising for Boston Orphanage

OTHER

  • Orphaned due to Family Financial Destruction by Charles Ponzi
  • Hates Bullies
  • Great Public Speaker, Shy One-on-One
  • 6’ 2”, 230 Pounds, Big Smile

aUTHOR Bio image
I’m Bob Ainsworth, Harry Bartlett’s parent.
The idea for Harry’s stories sprang from my Accounting students' reactions to fraud anecdotes and from thinking about my retirement. I considered speaking about avoiding fraud, but writing mystery fiction seemed to be more fun.
I wrote my first story while commuting and that became SCAMMED, a soon-to-be-published story pitting Harry against intricate and ruthless con artists. The 2nd story I wrote and the 1st one I published was CONNED, about Harry’s journey from a financial executive to a fraud detective while tracking down scams on Nantucket. The 2nd story published was DUPED, a fictional account involving Harry and his Uncle Louie's efforts to beat a ransom deadline and find the $500 million in art stolen from the Isabella Gardner Museum. My 4th book will be about Harry’s grandparent's interactions with Charles Ponzi in 1920s Boston.
As for me, I settled in Boston after meeting my wife at Boston College. I earned my CPA and worked as a CFO and Controller. I uncovered several embezzlement schemes in my career.
I live with my family in a Boston suburb.
I hope you enjoy the stories. I had fun writing them.

  • Massachusetts, United States
  •  24/7

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ROMANCE SCAMS

ROMANCE SCAMS

Love means "Send me money" to romance scammers.

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RELIGOUS- BASED FINANCIAL FRAUD IS RAMPANT

RELIGOUS- BASED FINANCIAL FRAUD IS RAMPANT

No one should be more trust-worthy than a person of the cloth, but it just isn't so.

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FRAUD OF THE DAY published by Lexis Nexus

FRAUD OF THE DAY published by Lexis Nexus

Five days a week, “Fraud of the Day” shines a light – through daily articles – on these egregious fraudsters and the dedicated work by federal, state and local government agencies to stop their unlawful activities and make sure justice is served.

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RECORDING OF GARDNER HEIST PRESENTATION ON YOUTUBE

a recording of the presentation given in Bourne, MA https://youtube.com/watch?v=ptuV5Fsli7w

UPTON CCTV INTERVIEW 3.11.24

youtube.com/watch?v=rG5VTH4jfoY https://youtu.be/rG5VTH4jfoY?si=jX2izU7aJnlTyNh6 FACEBBOOK

GARDNER MUSEUM THEFT PRESENTATION

A factual presentation on the $500m theft of 13 pieces of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum on 3/18/1990

CON ARTISTS FROM PONZI TO MADOFF

A history of fraud from Ancient Rome to the present including Charles Ponzi, Bernie Madoff and other modern day con artists