The Bear

Working in law enforcement imparts certain things in a man. The smell of gunpowder in the air. The sight of blood spatter at a crime scene.And the amount of trouble a woman is in by the pitch of her scream.

Six weeks prior, on the heels of the most hellish case he could ever remember, Detective Reed Mattox and his K-9 partner, Billie, were placed on administrative leave from the Columbus Police Department. Fearful of what the media might say, the brass decided to put them at arm’s length, allowing the aftermath of that fateful night to settle. Not used to being placed on the sidelines, and no good at sitting still for long, the decision was made to travel west to his native Oklahoma and help his parents begin the long process of unpacking their new home.

A process that lasted but a single afternoon before the duo found themselves within earshot of a scream too pointed to ignore.

Acting on pure instinct, the two give chase, unknowingly pulling themselves into something much bigger happening across the plains for the better part of a decade. Young women with seemingly nothing in common disappear, held for months or years before turning up, while some are never found at all.

Pulled in against their better judgment, but unable to ignore their true natures, Reed and Billie join with local law enforcement in search of a killer the likes of which they have never encountered…

© 2026 Dustin Stevens (Audiobook): 9780466061197

Release date

Audiobook: 15 October 2026