Dog Bless You

Golden Retriever Mystery #4

by Neil S. Plakcy

Autumn has come to Bucks County, and Steve Levitan has a new job: develop a conference center for Eastern College at Friar Lake, a few miles from campus. But on his first visit to the property, his golden retriever Rochester makes a disturbing discovery, a human hand rising from the dirt at the lake’s shore. Whose hand is it? Why was the body buried there? The answers will take Steve, his photographer girlfriend Lili, and the ever-faithful Rochester to a drop-in center for recovering drug addicts on the Lower East Side, a decaying church in Philadelphia’s Germantown, and finally to a confrontation with a desperate killer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Animals, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2013

About the author

I have been a voracious reader all my life, mostly in mystery, romance, and science fiction/fantasy, though a college degree in English did push a lot of literary works into my list of favorites.

Quick note: sign up for my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com to get free prologues, epilogues and short stories.

I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment with A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn't know I was gay then, but I knew I was longing for an emotional connection with a best friend. That desire shows up across my writing, from romance to mystery to adventure. I am lucky to have found my special person, and I want to inspire readers to make those connections, to one person or a found family.

It took getting an MFA in creative writing to kick-start my career. That's where I honed my technical skills and began to understand what kind of storyteller I am.

I remember reading Freddie the Detective about a very smart pig inspired by Sherlock Holmes. I’ve always believed that dogs make the best detectives. They notice what humans miss — a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief inspired my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps his human, Steve Levitan, nose out the truth.

My passion is telling stories where community, loyalty, and sometimes love solve problems just as much as clues do. Whether it’s a cozy mystery in Bucks County, a thriller on the streets of Miami, or a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun, I want readers to feel the heartbeat of the place and the people.

I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up, and now I want to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, and maybe a laugh.

When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my own goldens, teaching writing, or daydreaming about my next story.
Since then I've written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and enjoyed the support of readers.

Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work — from a café where dogs guide healing, to a fraternity house in South Beach, to a police unit in Honolulu.

My goal is simple: to write stories that feel grounded in real people and real places, but with enough twists, romance, or danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.

I hope you'll visit my website, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter, and also follow my author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.

Reviews

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rochester, the irrepressible golden retriever, is at it again. He finds a human hand when Steve is checking out a former monastery the college is purchasing. How does the death tie in with a missing religious relic? I like reading about Steve, who went to prison for computer hacking and can't seem to resist hacking to help the cops, even though that violates his parole, and Rochester, who often helps solve the cases. I don't like that the author is pretty tone-deaf when writing about race. His choice of villains is also puzzling in the several books I've read--no one is off limits, from disabled vets to the only female African American professor on the staff.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has gotten better with each book and this story is a good improvement from the last book. Steve has a new job at Eastern College. He has been promoted. to develop the new conference center on the newly acquire at Friar Lake . His first visit Rochester finds a hand raising from a shallow grave. Steve curiosity gets the better of him. Lil, his current girl friend aides him as they search for information on the rumor the Friars and Monks own a box that contain the thumb of the Patron Saint of Dogs, Roth.
Rick has trouble with a series of robberies. Lil and Rick help Steve as he searched the internet for information on public assess areas only. This a light relaxing read that I recommend.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In another life, I spent a couple of years as an alumni relations officer for two universities where I studied, and a big part of my job was organizing events. So that made Steve's new job running the Friar Lake conference center a no-brainer for me. And by beginning with the renovation of the former abbey, I was able to use my background in construction management as well.

The image of a hand rising up out of a grave is a common one in horror, so I thought it would be fun to use that in a cozy mystery as well. What a thing for Rochester to dig up!

And of course, using a former abbey as a setting allowed me to use the phrase Dog Bless You as a title, and that led to other religious images.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed it, I'm going on to the next one. But the writer & the reader (of the audiobook) could still use some improvement. In some cases it's hard to tell which one is at fault: did the writer write the wrong word, did the reader see the word incorrectly, or does the reader just not know how to pronounce it. Some of each of those, I suspect, but in some individual examples, I'm not sure which.

1. Papillon said as pap-ill-on, not pap-ee-on. Right word, mispronounced. As I've seen in the previous books, this reader clearly has NO exposure to French.
2. taciturn as tack-turn (seriously?!)
3. remnant as rem-in-ent (no, just 2 syllables, not 3)
4. A "3-wheeled bicycle". That's a TRIcycle. TRI = 3; BI = 2. Clearly a writing error. I think maybe "adult tricycle" is the correct term?
5. Burglared. Not a word. Burglarized or burgled. This one is there at least twice. Probably a writing error.
6. "The smell of dim sum WAVING through the door of a Chinese restaurant." WAFTING. This one's hard to be sure if it's a writing or reading error.
7. "Rochester looked at me BAYFULLY." BALEFULLY. Probably a reading error?
8. Wikipedia as wee-kee-pedia. Does anyone (else) pronounce it that way?? I've never heard it pronounced any way but wick-ee-PEE-dia.
9. Photographer as photograph-er, which although would actually make more sense, is wrong; pho-TOG-rapher.
10. Rochester "slumped contently in the corner"; "contentedly" would be the usual, but is "contently" wrong? Is it a word? What did the author actually write?
11. Platoon as PLATT-toon.
12. Poignant as poyg-nant. (Seriously?? They couldn't find a reader with a good vocabulary?)
13. Glad-handling. The expression is "glad-handing". Writing or reading error?
14. Chic as "chick". (OMG, SERIOUSLY? "She looked New York CHICK in her black capri pants..."?!) (Oh! At least the writer called them capri pants, not "pedal pushers".)

Yet somehow, despite some of these cringe-worthy pronunciations, & that the end left it a little vague as to exactly what happened to the dead guy--like right at the time he was killed--I still enjoyed the story. I like the characters & the settings that the author has created. And of course Rochester!

Oh, I just realized when another reviewer mentioned it: this one wasn't full of punny character names! While that did make characters easy to remember, I think it detracted from the plot. It was like "make up your mind, do you want to be an author or a stand-up comic?" How am I supposed to take a bad guy seriously when they have a ridiculous name? They were kind of fun for minor characters though.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third book to read of Steve and his golden retriever, Rochester.The story is easy reading and very enjoyable. I like his first person prose and Rochester is almost an ordinary dog except he has a knack for finding "dead bodies". Actually all three books follow each other chronologically starting with how Steve got Rochester. Each book seems to build on each of the characters. I do like the fact that there are familiar characters in each book. I have no idea if the setting of the book is real. The author makes it real and very enjoyable to read about. This book had a little bit of the benedictine monks and friars which I knew nothing about. I am enjoying his girl friend Lily too. Looking forward to reading the third in the series: "Whom Dog Hath Joined" and hopefully many more after that........

[Jerry Walch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dog Bless You, another five-star read by Plakcy. This is the fourth book in The Golden Retriever Mystery Series, and the fourth in the series that I have read. One of the things that I have noticed is that Plakcy has the tendency to repeat the same passages of description and exposition in every one of the books in the series so far. Repeating them verbatim. It’s almost like he keeps a copy and paste file of these specific passages. Anyone who has read the earlier books will already know these things. Normally I would find this practice irritating, but Plakcy has a way of inserting theses copy and paste items at different places in the story that makes the information seem fresh, even though the reader knows he/she had read it many times before. Does Plakcy really feel this information is that important that it’s worth retelling with every new book? Does he use it as an easy way to build word count, or does he do it so the reader can read the books in any order without getting lost? Whichever the case may be, the way he does it, it works and does make this series that a reader can jump on and start reading the books in any order.

Every book in this series has a new murder mystery for Steve and his Golden Retriever, Rochester, to help solve, Steve, or, as he likes to say, the dog, has an inclination to discover dead bodies, and then can’t keep his nose out of the murder investigation. When I first discovered The Golden Retriever Mystery Series, I felt that solving these new murders was the main reason the reader kept reading these stories. Now I’m no longer so sure that’s the case. The deeper I get into this series, the more I think that the evolving relationships between the main characters—Rick, Tony, Steve, Lili, and Rochester is what keeps the readers coming back for more. We need to know what is going to happen next in their growing relationships. Will Steve be able to overcome his need to hack into places where he shouldn’t go? Will Steve be able to keep his secret life from his parole officer, or will he be discovered and sent back to prison? I think it is these things that keep us glued to our seats and turning the pages. I know it is those things that keep me reading the books in this series. If you find that’s the case for you too, then you need to go back and start over, reading all the books in this series in the order in which Plakcy wrote them.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a good series.

This one has a few more errors than the first three. Karate "robes"??? Really? Never heard a dojo referred to as a "donjon" - which comes up in the dictionary as a dungeon or its successor - but maybe that's a localism.
Brother Anselm is "almost 70" and decrepit ("wizened old man"). No explanation why a man this young would be described as such.

I noticed in book 3 a sentence I thought was word-for-word from book 1. In this one is "Luckily Rick and I both liked the same kind—a thick crust with spicy Italian sausage crumbled and scattered over a base of homemade tomato sauce, freshly sautéed mushrooms and shredded mozzarella from an artisan cheese maker in New Hope." which I'm certain is word-for-word from one of the fist three.

And I still appreciate Plakcy's naming conventions. Steehle Mills? Wong Wei? I have to wonder if he collects unusual or unfortunate names and uses them for his characters. Reminds me of working with Yu Wang.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

free ebook
this is part of the series i like, i wish i could have read them in order.

he was married and after his wifes second miscarriage , she over spends, so he hacked into the credit card data base so she couldnt (i dont know why he didnt just cancel them all)
he got caught, sent to prison and she divorced him (got married again and had a baby)
he moved into his dads house, his dad had died while he was in prison (in CMC!!!)
the neighbor was killed and he got her golden retriever
the dog helps him solve cases

the dog found a dead body buried in the mud in a old monks area that is going to be made to be part of campus. steve got forced into the job so he went there to see what it looked like. his girlfriend is also working on a photography project in the same area with him

he found out who killed the boy, and got 2 thieves arrested. but he got in trouble for hacking to find the info and his girlfriend and cop friend are doing a intervention at the end of the book

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dog Bless You

You've found a series of high quality writing in this cozey mystery murder and mayhem series the characters are colorful and quirky, one four legged golden hair is most definitely a challenge at times but he's usually a good boy. Each character draws you into their circle wanting you to get acquainted with them better while the mystery entices you further with its intrigue, relaxed pace release of strong clues. What brings these characters and mystery together is the strong and dramatic plot constantly keeping you entranced throughout turning page after page enjoying the characters journey right up until the dramatic and intense conclusion. Acquire " Dog Bless You " Golden Retriever Mystery #4 today for an exciting and enjoyable experience. Kat

[Maria E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A winning combo - again!

Gods love Rochester! Without him, Steve would surely die of boredom! Rochester, again, finds an inconvenient body, beginning a new mystery which Steve, of course, can't stay out of. I absolutely loved this book; as all previous book, well-written, and with enough general information floating around to ground the story in realism - so cool! I can't imagine Anyone not loving these book! Populated with Great characters, especially the furry kind, and a very believable story line. And, as always, I hold my breath wondering whether this will be the time Santiago nabs Steve! Oy vey!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great continuation of Rochester the dog & his humans’ capers

Plakcy generally seems to treat those belonging to different religions, age groups, people of color, differing sexual preferences, etc all pretty equally. I like that he initially describes what a character looks like, rather than identifying them by ethnicity or race. And he has a LOT of fun with names of minor characters.

But I didn’t like the end of this story, because it cast blame on a particular group that don’t get much respect in our society.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Good One

The fourth in the Golden Retriever mystery series is a little more serious than the last one. Unfortunately, some of the weirdly or punnishly named characters carry over from book three. Other than that and some editing issues, this is a most enjoyable book. The characters are growing as expected; Steve is finally acknowledging that he has a serious problem with his hacking habit; and he's starting to build a real life. The plots are getting progressively more complex and more interesting. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really getting hooked on the detective dog Rochester who seems to have an uncanny ability for finding dead bodies. He "dad" who has recently gotten out of prison after serving 2 years for hacking and the dog has formed a special bond. Each story would stand on its own, what has happened in the past is explained, but better if read in order so you can appreciate the development of the characters and their relationship. As of now there are 9 in this series and I hope to finish them all.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arguably better than the earlier books in the series, but not yet ready for four stars.
Up to about 80%, it was decently written and interesting. But then it felt like it was time to be done, so the story slid into its ending. There were abrupt confessions that were less than satisfying, and which didn’t resolve several of the storylines.
I’m not ready to give up on the series. I hope it gets better.

[Mary Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Levitan has a new job to develop of a conference center for Eastern college at a lake miles from the campus. A visit to the site his golden retriever Rochester once again finds a disturbing discovery.
The answers to the body found take them to a drop center for recovering addicts in Manhattans lower east side. A decaying church in Germantown in Philly and confrontation with a desperate killer.

[Nadine Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

This is a good book, not great. I enjoyed reading it. I learned things about computer hacking and choices in life. It has a central character dog, present on most pages. Criticism is that a little more is thought about than done. Having thoughts is good, but the wavering and how it is presented just is not great literature.

[Pat Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed something light to read so when Amazon offered volumes 4-6 of these dog books for either free or 99 cents I decided to try one. Maybe better if I had started with #1 but doubt that I would care for them very much. Not a bad read. Characters, including the dog, are entertaining and the plot was fine. Something though was lacking. Probably won't read 5 and 6.

[Rick Farlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROCHESTER DIGS UP ANOTHER ONE

This is another good one in the cozy series about the Golden Retriever discovering a murder victim. I would have rated it 5 stars except for some of the foul language (totally unnecessary) that is typically absent from a Cozy Mystery. The storyline is good and the mystery keeps you guessing…

[Laura C. Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I read the first two books and I found them very good. This third one is my favorite. Rochester has won my heart ❤ Can't go by a Golden Retriever without thinking of him. I tell Dexter, my dog, about these books and he agrees. They are wonderful.
💞

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dog Bless You

Entertaining story about a computer hacker out of prison but on probation who just seems to keep finding trouble. He blames it on his dog that seems to know where the bodies are buried.

[Earlene Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Disappointing Read

If it wasn't for the ending I would have given this book one star! I grew tired of reading of the main character making excuses for breaking the law but continue to do it!

[Judi Oldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doggone Good Story....

Exquisite reading! The feel of having an intimate relationship with the characters in this book is inevitable and it is as addictive as homemade cherry bonbons....bravo to the author!

[CAROLYN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rochester solves another mystery

Again Rochester, A beautiful golden lab, drags his master into a mystery. A computer hacker, a beautiful female professor and photographer, and a beautiful golden retriever solve the crime.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery, deftly woven.

[Wendy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read 3 of these now and always want to see what happens next. Some of the mystery writing today has gotten too graphic and sensational. I love a mystery without that.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book I just got the next one this series is great

[Carol Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series.

[Perry Hudkins]

Thoroughly enjoyable series

[Joanna Luchterhand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rochester is always on top of things. He's funny. 😌