In this eighth of the golden retriever mysteries, Steve explores a part of his background I hadn't looked at yet -- growing up Jewish in the Trenton suburbs. Since he has a lot in common with me (except for the whole divorce and imprisonment thing) it seemed logical that he'd share this part of my own heritage.
Years ago, I took my first golden, Samwise, to a blessing of the animals at our synagogue here in South Florida, and that seemed like a good place to start a new story, one that would lead Steve to explore his roots. A young man suffering from mental illness disrupts the blessing of the animals at the synagogue he attends, a congregation where he grew up and celebrated his bar mitzvah. This starts Steve and Rochester on their newest investigation, one that will take Steve back into the past of his family, his congregation, and the Jewish population of the city where he was born.
As Steve teaches a class in Jewish American literature, he and Rochester nose out suspects and dig up clues to present-day crimes-and ones in the past which still influence the living. From the rabbi's Talmud study group to a homeless shelter in Trenton, our two intrepid sleuths are on the trail of someone with deep secrets, and the will to kill to protect them
