There is a serial killer up there! Lieutenant JW North, of the Long Beach Police Department, stood quietly in front of an elevator to the North Tower of the Ultimo Hotel in Las Vegas. He watched the numbers go down as the elevator descended to him and wondered about the daunting task ahead. Sixty-five floors—this would be a marathon. Was his team up to it? Was he?
North and his K9 partners, German Shepherds trained to detect human scent, were there to help the Las Vegas Metro SWAT team locate a serial killer hiding in the hotel. Now it was time to go up and see if this really worked the way he believed it would.
A year before, he had been shot and seriously wounded while responding to a crime-in-progress call involving a serial rapist who had not only raped but brutally assaulted his victim. As JW recovered, the idea had formed in his mind to build a trailing team and eventually assist the FBI in locating dangerous serial criminals. Getting The Project up and running had involved a lot of demanding work and money, and now they were here to face the final challenge.
If they passed, it meant a second career chasing serial criminals with a special FBI task force. If not, it meant returning home defeated, outsmarted by a warped criminal mind. JW needed this to work; he needed another chance at the man who had shot him. The elevator doors opened, and the team stepped aboard...
I received a copy of this book from Abigail Stark, Communications Manager, with WildBlue Press
Review: BIG DOGS Book One in the ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars
A while back I mentioned I watched the movie DOG and more recently watched the movie REX.
I picked up this read BIG DOGS by S. L. Ditmars as the book is dedicated to the men and women who wear the uniform and work with dogs.
The author does state this book has a bit of profanity and a little blood and is not recommended for anyone who might be sensitive to those things
Going forward, I am attracted to reads where the dogs are highly trained detection dogs and work with experienced handlers or AMK9s specializing in the expedited mobilization of explosive and narcotics detection, patrol, and dual/multi-purpose canine teams.
In this read, criminals are on the loose, and Lieutenant JW North will do everything in his power to hunt them down.
The Prologue of BIG DOGS makes readers realize that people are too trusting and that not thinking things through can have serious life-threatening consequences.
I have written about it before and will here again. "If you feel you are being watched, or something seems off, go with your gut instinct. None of the - my imagination must be working overtime - crap. "
A couple of the things highly trained dogs do is they report/respond to unusual or emergency situations and are alert for potential security, property, or safety concerns and are taught how to initiate the appropriate actions.
You will find that the Big Dogs team travels to Arizona to face the most deadly active serial killer in the United States."
One of the best lines in the book, in my opinion. is “You don’t do anyone any good if you don’t get there."
About the Author
Steven L. Ditmars was born in Long Beach, California, and is a proud graduate of the University of Southern California. He served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a twenty-eight-year veteran of the Long Beach Police Department. He was a police service dog handler for six years and supervisor of the K9 Unit for three years. Steve retired from the LBPD as Commander of the Special Operations Division, which included Homeland Security, Counter Terrorism, Communications, and the security details for the Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, and Long Beach Transit.
He currently lives in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, Barbi, and their two German Shepherd rescues, Gunnar and Missy. Steve enjoys hiking the many trails of the area and finds some of his inspiration in the beauty and history of the area.
Big Dogs is his first book. When not writing, he enjoys woodworking, computers, and spending time with his adult children, Eric and Cynthia, and granddaughter, Charlotte.
Steve has enjoyed competitive marksmanship since he was in high school. He appreciates the challenge of shooting, bringing man and machine together in harmony to achieve that perfect shot.
Steve is a member of the Public Safety Writers Association. Big Dogs won First Place in their Published Authors, Nonfiction category in 2022.