The Hobby: A Vera Crus Funny Cozy Mystery

By Jeffrey Rittenhouse

He spent forty years making the numbers add up. Now he's counting suspects.

Walt Brubaker has been retired for exactly one morning when his wife, Grace, hands him a gold star, his car keys, and an ultimatum: "You need a hobby, and the hobby can't be me."

He tries golf. The golf cart ends up in the pond. He tries bird watching. The bird turns out to be plastic.

Then the volunteer fire company's new treasurer is found dead in the carnival dunk tank, fourteen thousand dollars goes missing, and the police take a hard look at Walt's best friend, Freddie, who can't remember a thing after his sixth beer.

Walt kept the fire company's books for thirty years. He knows every number in Vera Crus, Pennsylvania by heart. And something in those numbers doesn't add up.

Armed with a legal pad, a ten cup thermos, and a wife who can stop a crowd with two words, Walt is about to learn that solving a murder is a lot like doing taxes. Everybody lies. The trick is knowing where to look.

Inside you'll find:

A sharp, funny, sixty five year old amateur sleuth who thinks in columnsA best friend with a big heart, a bigger cooler, and a talent for getting stuck in thingsA retired first grade teacher whose voice can still stop a grown man in his tracksA small town carnival full of pie, gossip, goats, and secretsLaugh out loud slapstick, a fair play puzzle, and a warm heart

No graphic violence, no explicit scenes, just a good mystery and plenty of laughs.

The Hobby is Book One in the Vera Crus Funny Cozy Mystery series. Grab your copy and find out what happens when a retired accountant picks murder as his hobby.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HM6VTWG7
• ISBN13: 9798349592089
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Jeffrey Rittenhouse
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"