Be careful what you wish for!
An ancient genie in a modern, buff body, Biff Andromeda can't use his magical powers for his own benefit, so he opens a detective agency in a Miami suburb. A damsel in distress, photographer Sveta Pshkov, hires him to retrieve a stolen set of boudoir photos she took of a Russian mobster's wife-snapped for her boyfriend's pleasure, not her husband's.
Biff's investigation into the spreading tentacles of the Russian mafia turns personal when he realizes that the dangerous female genie he has loved and lost over centuries has a desperate stake in the outcome.
Going undercover means lying to everyone he loves.
MAHU SURFER, the second book in my Mahu Investigations mystery series, sends gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka back to his surfing past. His new boss asks the former competitive surfer to go undercover on Oahu’s North Shore to find the killer of three surfers. The catch: he can't tell any of his family or friends that he has returned to the force, causing him to lie, when he has just come out of the closet and begun to tell the truth about his life.
In his return to the North Shore, Kimo discovers trouble in paradise, from an epidemic rise in the use of crystal meth to increasing pressure on real estate prices. He also rekindles an uneasy friendship with a man whose sexual assault drove him into the police academy, and further into the closet, six years earlier. Readers will enjoy an exotic locale, plenty of aloha spirit and a dash of surf culture, as well as a slam-bang ending.
Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for best gay mystery. Perfect for fans of Joseph Hansen, Michael Nava, and John Morgan Wilson.
Kimo's Hawaiian heritage comes to the fore in this deadly investigation
Openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka and his partner, Ray Donne, are on duty at a rally in downtown Honolulu organized by Kingdom of Hawai’i, one of many competing groups which seek reparations from the US for the loss of land and independence. An elderly woman is shot dead there, only a few feet from where Kimo’s mother and nephews are taking part in the demonstration, and Kimo and Ray take the case.
At the same time, Kimo’s dealing with domestic difficulties, having just moved in with his partner, fire investigator Mike Riccardi. Since both are alpha males, the transition to shared living space isn’t easy, especially because Mike’s parents live next door.
As Kimo and Mike struggle to adapt to living together, they begin to forge their own ohana—a Hawaiian term which means family, as well as community. The theme of ohana resonates through both Kimo’s personal life and his investigation of the murder as Kimo and Ray follow clues through a labyrinth of competing groups, uncovering a trail of gambling, money laundering, and mental illness.
The title refers both to the blood spilled in three murders, as well as the blood ties that link native Hawaiians to each other. People come together in many ways here—through native heritage and family ties as well as love and fellowship.
Steve and Rochester seek the truth about a neighbor’s murder
There’s a new dog in town – a golden retriever named Luke, in training to be a seeing-eye dog. He and Rochester immediately bond, but there’s something odd about Luke’s human, Ben Ji. How can someone so young afford an expensive townhouse on Sarajevo Way? When Ben is shot, Steve begins to discover the lies he has been telling.
Steve’s also forced to tell the truth about his past, when he deals with a student plagiarist at Eastern College, a professor locked in the stone age, a climate activist with dangerous habits, an angry bartender—and a rifle-wielding assassin.
Will he and Rochester be able to dig up the clues to all these mysteries? Or will a deadly killer go unpunished?
When his neighbor is accused of murder, reformed computer hacker Steve Levitan and his golden retriever Rochester are asked to sniff out clues to prove her innocence.
Who could have killed bookstore owner Darlene Nowak? One of the food trucks venders she angered when they parked in front of her store? Someone from the writer’s critique group she sponsored? Did a self-published author she refused to promote write her into a real murder mystery?
Steve knows that cooks and creative folks are very sensitive about criticism—but could one of them be angry enough to kill?
“The golden retriever mysteries are barking good!” - Sparkle Abbey, author of the Pampered Pet mystery series
MAHU FIRE, the third Mahu Investigation from Lambda Award finalist Neil S. Plakcy, begins as openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka attends a local charity event in support of gay marriage. When a bomb disrupts the gala, Kimo, his family and friends are thrust into a deadly contest between the forces of good and evil.
A wave of religious fundamentalism sweeps through O’ahu, at the same time as violence against gay and lesbian-owned businesses is on the rise. Coincidence? Kimo doesn’t think so. Working with hunky fire inspector Mike Riccardi – day and night – Kimo digs through the ashes to discover a motive for the attacks, as well as who is behind them.
MAHU FIRE showcases a handsome, sexy hero who struggles to overcome personal troubles and makes private sacrifices for the public good. Throw in an exotic tropical locale, plenty of aloha spirit and a dash of surf culture, as well as a slam-bang ending that puts Kimo and the people he cares about in danger, and you’ve got the makings of a page-turning mystery.
Plakcy has won the Left Coast Crime award for best police procedural, and been a four-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Perfect for fans of Joseph Hansen, Michael Nava, and John Morgan Wilson.
Two parents die and two families mourn, in very different ways.
Amateur sleuth Steve Levitan and his clue-sniffing golden retriever Rochester face two deaths in the 12th full-length novel in this long-running series. An Alzheimer’s patient slips away from home on his own and tumbles into the Delaware River. And then Steve’s love Lili suffers the crushing loss of her mother in a Miami Beach hospital.
Eckhardt Lalor left behind a fortune in real estate, a fractured family, and a bitter legacy as a city slumlord. Does that add up to murder? There’s no question of what killed Benita Weinstock—a dodgy heart—but her death rocks her daughter’s world, and Steve’s.
It will be up to Rochester to solve the crime and heal his humans in this new mystery with heart—and fur.
Stop by for some comfortable visits to Stewart’s Crossing, where reformed computer hacker Steve Levitan and his crime-sniffing golden retriever Rochester are nose to the ground in this collection of mystery short stories that take place between novels.
In the first of these stories, Steve is learning to love the big, goofy golden he has inherited on the death of his neighbor, and Rochester shows him how to open his heart and his home to his sweetheart Lili.
From then on, Rochester tugs Steve along on a roller coaster of cases, from theft to murder to the discovery of an abandoned baby. Familiar characters from Stewart’s Crossing drop by, including Steve’s best friend, SCPD detective Rick Stemper. Of course there are a lot of opportunities for Rochester to tussle with his BFF, Rick’s Aussie Rascal.
Check in with old friends like Gail Dukowski, the owner of the Chocolate Ear, and Steve’s childhood piano teacher Edith Passis. Joey Capodilupo, Mark Figueroa, and their snow-white golden Brody are here, along with Lili’s ex, journalist Van Dryver, who makes a surprising appearance to help out with an investigation into Amish puppy mills.
“The golden retriever mysteries are barking good!” - Sparkle Abbey, author of the Pampered Pet mystery series
42-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. He reconnects with an old friend, the local police detective, hangs out at a coffee shop, and enjoys the natural beauty of Bucks County and the stimulating college environment. Starting over helps him numb the pain of all he's lost, including the two unborn children his ex-wife miscarried before their divorce.The last thing he needs in his life is a shaggy, bossy golden retriever. But when his next-door neighbor, Caroline Kelly, is murdered, Steve becomes her dog's temporary guardian. Rochester seems determined to solve the mystery of Caroline's death, digging up clues and pushing Steve to investigate. As they nose through Caroline's past, her friends and her career searching for motives, the bond between man and dog grows.
But it's only when Steve uncovers a connection between Caroline's death and some uncomfortable situations between his students and his colleagues that Steve realizes that in order to save his own life, and the life of the dog he's come to love, he's going to have to come face to face with a killer with nothing left to lose.
'Nectar of the Dogs' is a short story in the world of the golden retriever mystery series. Reformed computer hacker Steve Levitan and his golden retriever, Rochester, team up to solve crimes around their hometown of Stewart's Crossing, Pennsylvania.
In this story, Steve reconnects with a childhood friend who suffers a series of personal tragedies—almost like something out of Greek mythology. He uses what he knows about his friend, and Greek cuisine, to dig up the clues and bring a murderer to justice.
You'll notice that the title of all the stories and novels are a play on phrases using God—in this case 'nectar of the gods,' which is mentioned in the story.
Do you have questions about college? What kind of college to attend, how to pay for it, what to study and how to prepare for a career?
How to Succeed at a Two-Year College answers those questions, and more. If you are a high school student (or the parent of one), a veteran, a returning student, or just curious about what a two-year college can offer, this is the book for you.
Too many college websites are confusing, requiring a lot of hunting to find the answers to simple questions. How to Succeed at a Two-Year College brings together all the information you need in a simple, easy-to-read format. Topics include:
What is a two year college?
Navigating financial aid
How to prepare for college
What kind of degrees are typically offered?
Credit for prior learning
Online courses
How to excel in classes
Academic Success and Career Centers
Neil S. Plakcy is a tenured professor of English at Broward College, one of the country's largest and most renowned two-year colleges. Using examples from his fourteen years as an educator, and from Broward's best policies, he provides the pathway to success for students who may be the first in their family to go to college, or otherwise lack the advising and resources to get answers to their most pressing questions.
Can Kimo work with the man who broke his heart?
Openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka is faced with a new murder that comes dangerously close to his personal life.
About a year and a half has passed since the flames engulfed Waahila Ridge State Park at the end of Mahu Fire. During that time, Kimo and fire investigator Mike Riccardi dated for about six months, but with Kimo so visible, and Mike still in the closet, the pressures on them increased to the point where their relationship ended.
When a fire breaks out at a shopping center Kimo's father used to own, and a young boy is killed, they are forced to work together-- and to acknowledge that the embers of their relationship are still hot.
A lot stands in the way of their getting together once more, including Mike's identity issues, a mysterious man who knows how to exploit Kimo's sexual fantasies, and a deadly little thing called murder.
