Death at the Dogpark by Neil S. Plakcy & Joanna Campbell Slan

Death at the Dogpark Kindle Edition
by Neil S. Plakcy & Joanna Campbell Slan

April 15 – 28, 2025

Cozy Mystery

No explicit language or scenes

Reviews, 4 character posts (2 from each book), 1 joint author interview, 4 author interviews (2 from each author) Spotlights

Digital Books for Reviewers

Rafflecopter Giveaway – $25 Gift Card

Plus 3 digital copies of the book at each blog stop

About Death at the Dogpark

Death at the Dogpark
Cozy Mystery
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Samwise Books (March 13, 2025)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8230651178
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DY1RXVLB

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

In “Dog’s Punishment,” Steve Levitan and his intuitive golden retriever Rochester uncover dark secrets when investigating the death of a controversial dog trainer. After Melissa Kawamoto is found dead at the local dog park, Steve must untangle a web of professional rivalries, stolen patents, and bitter grudges to catch a killer who turned a revolutionary training method into a deadly weapon.

In “Lamb Chopped,” craft store owner Kiki Lowenstein’s peaceful morning at the dog park turns horrific when her Great Dane Gracie digs up a severed hand. The discovery pulls Kiki into a disturbing investigation involving missing pets, corrupt officials, and a shadowy network trafficking shelter animals to research facilities. With help from her homicide detective husband, Kiki must expose the truth before more animals—and humans—become victims.

Both stories showcase the unbreakable bonds between humans and their canine companions while delivering clever mysteries filled with twists, turns, and compelling characters. A must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and anyone who believes dogs have an uncanny ability to point us toward the truth.

About Neil S. Plakcy

I’ve been at this writing thing a long time– I first began writing stories when I was about sixteen. My 10th-grade English teacher, Mr. Norman Haider, assigned us the task of rewriting A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, from the point of view of Finny, the second character. Our teacher, Mr. Hayder, assigned us to “rewrite” the book from Finny’s point of view. Not only was this a great lesson in POV, it made a great emotional connection to me, and I began writing seriously after that. A community college course in creative writing followed, and by then the bug had bitten.

I was inspired, and began writing short stories a while later. I took creative writing classes at the University of Pennsylvania, but nothing was published, even in the college literary magazine.

After I graduated from business school in 1983, I bought a Commodore 64 computer for its word-processing capabilities, and entered the computer generation. But still, nothing was worth publishing, though I was sending stuff out all the time. My best result was a story called “Trenton Makes,” which was named one of the top 50 stories in a Redbook magazine fiction contest. It’s a sweet story, never published anywhere, about a recent college graduate who meets a girl at his cousin’s bar mitzvah.

My writing career took a back seat then, as I went on to get an MBA from Columbia University and embark on a business career. I kept writing and submitting novels and stories, and my first real publication was a piece of erotic fiction called “The Cop Who Caught Me,” published by Honcho magazine. I’ve been writing about gay men and cops ever since!

My first published novel was Mahu, about a gay homicide detective who’s dragged out of the closet while investigating a dangerous case. I’m grateful to Greg Herren, who accepted the book on behalf of Haworth Press and their Harrington Park Press imprint. Mahu went on to be reprinted by two more presses, Alyson Books and MLR Press, and now I publish it, and the rest of the series, myself. I have gone on to write and publish in a variety of genres, including cozy mystery, gay mystery, adventure, thriller, private eye, and gay romance and erotica.

Author Links
WEBSITE:                                         www.mahubooks.com
BLOG:                                              http://mahubooks.blogspot.com
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:            http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JP4EL6
FACEBOOK:                                     https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy
GOODREADS:                                  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/126217.Neil_Plakcy
PINTEREST:                                     http://pinterest.com/neilplakcy/boards/
TWITTER:                                        https://twitter.com/NeilPlakcy
BOOKBUB:                                      https://www.bookbub.com/profile/neil-s-plakcy
INSTAGRAM:                                  https://www.instagram.com/neilplakcy/
LINKED IN:                                      www.linkedin.com/in/neilplakcy
SUBSTACK                                       https://substack.com/@goldendad
THREADS:                                       https://www.threads.net/@neilplakcy
TIKTOK                                            https://www.tiktok.com/@neilplakcy
YouTube:                                        https://www.youtube.com/@plax1612
Amazon Author Profile               https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B001JP4EL6

About Joanna Campbell Slan

Joanna is a New York Times Bestselling, USA Today Bestselling, and Amazon Bestselling author as well as a woman prone to frequent bursts of crafting frenzy, leaving her with burns from her hot glue gun and paint on her clothes. And the mess? Let’s not even go there.

Otherwise, Joanna’s a productive author with more than 80 written projects to her credit. Her non-fiction work includes how to books, a college textbook for public speakers, and books of personal essays (think Chicken Soup for the Soul).

Currently, she writes six fiction series: The Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series (Agatha Award Finalist, contemporary, St. Louis setting, crafting), the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series (contemporary, Florida setting, DIY, and recycling), the Jane Eyre Chronicles (Daphne du Maurier Award Winner, 1830s England, based on Charlotte Brontë’s classic), the Sherlock Holmes Fantasy Thrillers (late 1800s, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s books), the Tai Chi Mystery Series (featuring a mature female amateur sleuth!) and the Friday Night Mystery Series (set in Decatur, IL in 1986 with a spunky female heroine.)

A former TV talk show host, college teacher, and public relations specialist, Joanna was one of the early Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors. She won a Silver Anvil for her work on the original FarmAid concert to benefit farmers.

In her ongoing quest never to see snow again, Joanna lives with her husband and their Havanese puppy, Jax, on an island off the coast of Florida.

Author Links
Newsletter sign up: https://joannacampbellslan.substack.com/publish/home
Street Team sign up: https://joannacampbellslan.com/
Website — https://joannacampbellslan.com/
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/JoannaCampbellSlan
Facebook Group — https://www.facebook.com/groups/1602372550058785
Twitter — https://twitter.com/JoannaSlan
Amazon Author Page — https://amzn.to/3uF3h0g
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/JCSlan/
Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/joannacampbellslan
Bookbub — https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joanna-campbell-slan
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/JoannaSlan
Pinterest — https://www.pinterest.com/joannaslan/