[On book cover inside flap:

Before you start reading this golden-years romance novel, a travel adventure ensnared in a murder mystery, about seven Minnesotans in search of themselves, in search of their country, looking for a better body politic – there’s a story behind it:

After I retired I had this great idea – travel the country with a bunch of friends in an RV. Only I couldn’t get anybody to join up. So I decided to write up what I had in mind, even priced out the cost of a used Land Yacht, and sent out a written invitation to all my retired friends or looking-for-something-new friends. Only still no one. So I said, “To Heck With You All. Here’s what you missed.” And I started writing what a trip might have been like, my imagination barely limited by “Could this really happen?” . . . Thus, THE RUMPKINS!