Showing results by author "Neil S. Plakcy" in All Categories

Two cozy novellas explore murder, mystery, and mayhem at the local dog park in this unique collection from authors Neil S. Plakcy and Joanna Campbell Slan.

At a quiet Brooklyn café watched over by painted dogs and warmed by just the ‎right cup of coffee, two teenagers arrive —lost, hurting, and unsure where to turn next.‎In this deeply compassionate third entry in the Smiling Dog Café series —fully ‎enjoyable as a standalone —author Neil S. Plakcy shares two powerful novellas about grief, ‎resilience, and the unexpected ways we find our way home.‎In Grounds for Hope, Miguel is alone on the streets after his father is deported ‎back to their violence-plagued homeland.

In "The Bridge Between Us," the mysterious Smiling Dog Café brings estranged ‎siblings Barry and Leah Goldstein together after fifteen years apart. As they navigate ‎their separate griefs—Barry mourning his wife Ellen and Leah recovering from the loss of ‎her husband and unborn child—they discover that healing begins when they confront ‎their shared past.

Two gripping mysteries. One unforgettable collection. A suspicious death. A trail of secrets. And a pair of investigators—one human, one canine—who won't let the truth stay buried. In Neil S. Plakcy's "Dog Moves in Mysterious Ways," Steve Levitan and his golden retriever, Rochester, uncover a hidden online world where access is currency—and silence can be deadly.

At the edge of a quiet Brooklyn street, the Smiling Dog Café is still there—warm, ‎unhurried, and ready for those who don’t quite know where to go next.‎ Some people arrive by accident.‎ Others are led there. ‎In these two interconnected novellas, lives in motion —and lives at a standstill —‎find their way to the same door.‎ Tom Whitehead once lived for speed. An Olympic medalist in luge, he ‎understood precision, control, and the perfect line. But when the competition ends, he ‎finds himself adrift —cut off from the purpose that defined him.

After twenty-five years together, Jeffrey and Ray's marriage is crumbling. Ray's affair has shattered their trust, and both men are questioning whether their relationship is worth saving. In a desperate attempt to reconnect—or find closure—they apply for The Big Race, a reality TV competition that sends couples racing around the world for a million-dollar prize.

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. Silas Warner is a flighty sort of fellow, a butterfly in his attire and his jumps from one man to the next. But there’s something about boxer Ezra Curiel—first his incredible body, and then his emotional depth—that delivers a knockout punch to...

Forty-two-year-old Steve Levitan has lost everything that matters to him: his marriage, his home, and his career. After finishing a brief prison term for computer hacking, he returns to his home town of Stewart's Crossing, PA, with his tail between his legs. With his parole officer peering over his shoulder, Steve begins a technical writing business and takes a part-time job as an adjunct professor of English at his alma mater Eastern College.

It's almost time for graduation, and Eastern College is in trouble. A prominent alumna is dead, and a faulty computer program is jeopardizing student records and financial aid. It's up to Steve and Rochester to dig into the situation and retrieve the culprits! Rita Gaines wasn't a nice person-but she did love her dogs, and most of her clients respected her financial acumen and her talent in training dogs for agility trials.

Semi-reformed computer hacker Steve Levitan’s longtime girlfriend, Lili, is acting out of character, and he's eager to figure out why and how he can help her. But that gets delayed when he and his golden retriever, Rochester, are asked to help investigate a double homicide in a posh neighborhood of Stewart's Crossing.

When his mentor, Joe Dagorian, director of admissions at prestigious Eastern College, is murdered during a fundraising event, Steve Levitan feels obliged to investigate. He and his golden retriever, Rochester, go nose to the ground to dig up clues, including a bloody knife and some curious photographs. But will Steve’s curiosity and Rochester’s savvy save them when the killer comes calling? A cozy mystery for dog lovers!

He’s covering Formula 1’s hottest rising star.‎ He never expected it to be the man who broke his heart. ‎Journalist Wally Pulaski is sent to cover Formula 1’s most exciting rising star—‎Jonathan Hirsch.‎ The same Jonathan Hirsch he lost in college—and never got over. ‎Now Jonathan is on the verge of a championship, with the world watching his ‎every move. Wally’s job is to report the truth. No bias. No exceptions.‎

Eric and Allie share a history neither of them knows how to forget. Once, they were teenage stepbrothers thrown together by their parents’ marriage. Two boys navigating grief, rigid rules, and feelings neither was ready to name. One night changed everything. Silence followed. Then distance. Then years of pretending it never happened. Now they’re adults. Eric is disciplined, controlled, and freshly untethered after leaving the military and finishing his degree. Allie is rebuilding his life piece by piece after addiction and rehab, determined not to fail again.

A Body at the Purim Carnival. A Hidden Past. A Community in Danger. When his golden retriever Rochester noses out a dead body behind the bounce house at Stewart’s Crossing’s first Purim carnival, Steve Levitan is pulled into two dangerous investigations, each revealing its own world of secrets, power, and betrayal.

Eric and Allie share a history neither of them knows how to forget. Once, they were teenage stepbrothers thrown together by their parents’ marriage. Two boys navigating grief, rigid rules, and feelings neither was ready to name. One night changed everything. Silence followed. Then distance. Then years of pretending it never happened. Now they’re adults. Eric is disciplined, controlled, and freshly untethered after leaving the military and finishing his degree. Allie is rebuilding his life piece by piece after addiction and rehab, determined not to fail again.

The body in the canal belongs to Steve's old friend. Can Steve and Rochester uncover the clues to what happened to him? When his college friend Doug moves to Stewart's Crossing after an ugly divorce, reformed computer hacker Steve Levitan sees a way to pay forward the help he received under similar circumstances. But when Doug dies under mysterious circumstances, Steve and his crime-solving golden retriever Rochester have a new goal: Find the truth behind Doug's death, even if Steve has to risk the freedom he has fought so hard for to do it.

In Food of the Dogs, Steve and his bride Lili head to Vermont for a relaxing honeymoon—until Rochester uncovers a murder victim. Their romantic getaway turns into a dangerous search for a killer hiding among small-town secrets. Dog Grant Me finds Steve back at Friar Lake Conference Center, where a winter cooking course becomes the setting for threatening notes, political intrigue, and a student’s murder. As a blizzard closes in, Steve, Lili, and Rochester must unmask a killer before the storm traps them with a murderer.

Warren Updegrove has always been good at following the rules. Football gave him structure, purpose, and a clear future. But when his college career ends without the pro contract he expected, Warren is left drifting, unsure who he is without the game that defined him. What he isn’t ready to examine is the quiet truth he’s been carrying for years. Thom Lodge is steady, observant, and far more honest with himself than Warren knows how to be. What begins as a math tutoring assignment turns into an easy friendship, then it deepens into something Warren can’t rationalize or control.

Fresh out of Florida University with a degree in construction management, Manny lands his dream job with Loredo Construction. He’s crushing hard on his thirty-something boss, Walter Loredo: a sexy, successful, and supposedly straight alpha male who commands attention on every job site.

When the Cuisine Network brings its brand-new reality show, Dog’s Kitchen , to the peaceful Friar Lake Conference Center, Steve Levitan expects chaos—but not sabotage. Celebrity chefs, foodie influencers, and gourmet-loving dogs descend on the property, turning Steve’s summer into a whirlwind of barking, baking, and behind-the-scenes drama. His golden retriever, Rochester , just wants to stay close to the food.