Dog of Deliverance
Series: Golden Retriever Mysteries #21
Author: Neil S. Plakcy
Genre: Traditional Animal Detective Mystery
Setting: Pennsylvania
Release Date: June 30, 2025 by Independently Published
Pages: 246
Summary:
When his golden retriever Rochester discovers a body behind the bounce house at Stewart’s Crossing’s first Purim carnival, Steve Levitan finds himself juggling two dangerous investigations that will test both his computer skills and his courage.
Eastern College President Babson asks Steve to use his hacking expertise to investigate Austin Graynor, a star academic whose impressive credentials might be hiding a darker past. What Steve discovers about the professor’s history with female colleagues creates an urgent dilemma about academic power and deadly consequences.
He’s distracted, though, by the murder of Yakov Shmerler, a diamond dealer who was supposed to marry eighteen-year-old Hadassah Schildkraut. Hadassah fled her restrictive Orthodox community to stay with friends of Steve’s. As he helps his detective friend Rick Stemper investigate Yakov’s murder, they uncover secrets that reach from Pennsylvania to the isolated community of Kiryas Lev in New York’s Catskill Mountains.
Hadassah’s escape has made her a target. Her blog exposing corruption in her hometown threatens powerful men who’ve built their authority on others’ silence. As both investigations converge on themes of hidden identities and the courage to challenge corrupt authority—echoing Purim’s ancient story of Queen Esther—Steve must protect those speaking truth to power while helping bring dangerous men to justice.
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Excerpt
The Summons
“What can I do to help you?” I asked.
“This is delicate, and I don’t want you to think that I always consider your past when I think of you.”
Uh-oh. My past not only included a degree from Eastern and an MA in English from Columbia, but that pesky conviction for computer hacking.
“The candidate I’m considering is Austin Graynor from Eliot College. His latest book on colonial politics was a bestseller—crossed over to mainstream audiences—and he has another coming out this fall that’s already generating buzz.”
He swiveled his chair to look out the window at the sprawling Eastern campus below. “I met him a year ago at an academic conference, and he expressed an interest in coming to Eastern. He said that the Maine winters were getting too hard for him as he aged.”
I only knew Eliot College by reputation. It was a small, academically demanding institution often mentioned in the same breath as Eastern and the group of colleges known as the Little Ivies.
Babson turned back to me. “Three board members have been pressing me to bring in a top scholar to improve our profile among the very good small colleges we compete with. Graynor’s name and publication record could boost our ranking, pushing us up into the top 25 colleges in the country.”
I understood immediately. Eastern had been struggling with enrollment in the liberal arts disciplines, and the latest ranking by one of the major college review publications had pushed us to number 27. A star professor could make a real difference.
“My discipline is English, not history. But I could read his books, if you want.”
“There has been some buzz that he’s made disturbing comments online in the past,” Babson said. “I have this on the authority of a colleague at Eliot. He was up for censure at one point but apparently, he took down all those negative posts and had his online reputation scrubbed, so no charges were filed.”
“There are companies that will do that,” I said. “Remove negative content from the web or at least post enough positives that anything bad is buried below an avalanche of good press.”
“That’s where you come in,” Babson said. “If Graynor has said the kinds of things he’s been charged with, then he’s not someone I’d want to hire at Eastern.”
“And if you do hire him, and those comments come out, it could reflect negatively on the college.”
“Exactly. I know you have excellent computer skills and I’d like you to dig around and see what you can find on Professor Graynor. The good, the bad and the ugly. I need a full profile of him before I make a decision, a much fuller one than I can find on my own.”
I felt my fingers tingling with anticipation. It was the kind of request I loved to get. Usually, they came from my friend Rick Stemper, who was one of the police detectives in our home town of Stewart’s Crossing, when he was trying to solve a complicated case and needed computer help.
“If what I’ve heard is true, I can’t have him here, no matter how many books he sells or students he attracts.” Babson drummed his fingers on the desk. “But I need evidence, not rumors. The Trustees will push for him unless I can prove he’s the wrong candidate.”
I owed President Babson a lot, and I was happy to accommodate him. “It would probably be best if I did my searching on my personal laptop,” I said. “And I’ll print out whatever results I find and hand-deliver them to you. That way we can avoid a digital trail that might be subpoenaed by attorneys, if Graynor ever chose to sue.”
“Excellent thinking.” Babson stood up. “We need to move quickly on this. Graynor’s told us to give him an answer within two weeks. Thanks for taking this on, Steve. I appreciate your help.”
Golden Retriever Mysteries Series
About the Author
Neil Plakcy began writing his beloved Golden Retriever Mystery series because he spent so much time walking his golden retriever, Samwise (yes, he’s a Tolkien geek!) The walks gave him plenty of time to dream up mysteries, though fortunately Sam never had a habit of finding dead bodies. Now living in Hollywood, Florida, with his husband and their golden retrievers Brody and Griffin, Neil draws daily inspiration from his furry companions, who provide love, entertainment, and endless piles of fur on the floor. Long walks with the dogs give him plenty of time to think up new crimes and solutions, making every dog walk a potential plotting session. When he’s not following his dogs’ lead to new story ideas, Neil enjoys his morning café mocha and the occasional chocolate martini at mystery conferences.
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