Dog of Deliverance: A Golden Retriever Mystery
Cozy Mystery
21st in Series
Setting – Pennsylvania
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently Published
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 30, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 246 pages

Synopsis

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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Guest Post

Finding My Voice: A Guest Post by Hadassah Schildkraut

Shalom to all the readers of this wonderful blog! My name is Hadassah Schildkraut, and I’m honored to share my story with you today. Six months ago, if someone had told me I’d be writing for a blog read by people all over the world, I would have thought they were meshuga—crazy. But here I am, typing these words on a computer in my cousin Shimmy’s house in Stewart’s Crossing, Pennsylvania, living a life I never imagined possible.

I grew up in Kiryas Lev, a small Orthodox Jewish community in the Catskill Mountains of New York. To outsiders, it might have looked peaceful—men studying Torah, women keeping kosher homes, children playing in the streets. And there was beauty there, I won’t deny it. The way families gathered for Shabbat dinners, the support we gave each other during times of need, the connection to traditions stretching back thousands of years.

But for girls like me, Kiryas Lev felt more like a beautiful prison. We were taught to cook, clean, and prepare to become wives and mothers. Education beyond basic reading and religious instruction was discouraged. When I asked questions about the outside world or expressed interest in learning more, I was told that such curiosity was inappropriate for a young woman.

When I turned eighteen, the community’s leader, Rav Eliezer, arranged my engagement to Yakov Shmerler, a man nine years older than me who worked in his family’s diamond business. I had met Yakov only a handful of times, always with chaperones present. During our brief conversations, he made it clear that he expected his wife to stay home, have children immediately, and never question his authority. When I mentioned wanting to learn about his business or help in some way, he laughed and told me that women’s minds weren’t suited for such matters.

I tried to convince my parents that this marriage was wrong for me, but they said it was already decided. The Shmerlers needed financial help, and my father’s money would save their business. I felt like a piece of merchandise being traded to solve someone else’s problems.

So I ran away.

My uncle Mordecai, one of the few people who listened to my concerns, helped me escape to Stewart’s Crossing, where my cousin Shimmy is a Modern Orthodox rabbi. Here, I discovered a different kind of Jewish life—one where women can be educated, where questions are welcomed, where tradition and progress can coexist.

I started a blog to share what I learned and to help other women in communities like Kiryas Lev who feel trapped by rigid interpretations of religious law. I wrote about the poverty and corruption I witnessed, about the way women’s potential was being wasted.

But last week, my past caught up with me in the most terrifying way. Yakov Shmerler—the man I was supposed to marry—appeared at the Purim carnival Shimmy was running in Stewart’s Crossing. He was there to convince me to come back – but also because he’d become involved in something dangerous, something that ultimately cost him his life.

I can’t share all the details, but I can say this: speaking truth to power comes with risks. Sometimes the people who want to control you will do anything to silence your voice. But that’s exactly why we must keep speaking, keep writing, keep fighting for the freedom to choose our own paths.

Am Yisrael Chai—the people of Israel live. And so do the dreams of those who refuse to be silenced.

About the Author

Neil S. Plakcy is the author of over 70 novels in mystery, romance, and adventure. His golden retriever mysteries are inspired by his English Cream goldens, Brody and Griffin, who are constantly sniffing around for food or affection.

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