Official Review: THE PITS by Greg Smith

S dot Lennon · Post by **S dot Lennon** » 11 May 2014, 19:01

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "THE PITS" by Greg Smith.]

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Captain Kramer was responding to a car bomb near a marketplace in Afghanistan when he came across a tan puppy, lying next to the body of a deceased child near the bombing. Unwilling to let the pup lay on the street, seemingly ownerless, and being well aware of the culture of dogfighting in the area, Kramer took the pup back with him to base. Corporal Shadow, as the pup was named, became the unofficial mascot of FOB Delaram, the Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan for Marines. Kramer and Shadow became the best of friends. Shadow would patrol the area with Kramer and whenever he would leave with his team, Shadow would wait as a sentry until they all safely returned. Shadow accompanied Kramer and his unit on a routine patrol when they were ambushed. Both Shadow and Kramer were injured and eventually sent back to Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. After Shadow underwent training and Kramer visited family, they both settled down in Oceanside, to Kramer’s residence, on medical leave. The scars prominent on both the man and dog would eventually lead them to being accused of dog fighting. Kramer, who was disgusted by even the idea of dogfighting, soon discovered there was a ring of underground dog fights in his city, and began working with a group of students to take down the people behind the abuse. Kramer would soon discover that he left one war, only to become involved in another battle at home.

The Pits is a crime fiction novel that looks at the relationship between a man and man’s best friend. Kramer was a farm boy that grew up in Palco, Kansas and joined the Marines to see the world. He always held a fierce love for animals and had one dog, Rusty, who had been his best friend until the dog’ passing. He found that same companionship with Shadow. He detested the so called sport of dog fighting and after seeing first-hand the destruction in Afghanistan, he couldn’t understand how anyone could be so blood thirsty to participate in dogfighting. Kramer felt it was his duty to fight for these tortured and helpless animals, as much as it was his duty to protect his homeland. He would uncover a ring of crime that included not only dogfighting, but drugs, Cartel connections around the world, corrupt cops and inevitably the torture of animals.

Smith created a fast paced, action filled, well written novel with characters full of depth. This novel was well researched and emotionally fueled with our hero being the centerpiece and his dog the inspiration. The Pits touched upon the morals of people who would choose to participate in such a hateful crime. It exposed some of the motives, money being the overwhelming favorite, and the methods by which owners would force these dogs to fight. There were a few graphic dogfights included within the pages, which only highlighted the cruelty of the practice and why Kramer was so compelled to involve himself in its destruction.

Smith intended for the relationship between Kramer and Shadow to be one of intense love and trust. I cannot stress how much that relationship highlighted how horrible the abuse these dogs forced to fight experienced. This novel had the ability to shock me with the amount of detail provided about the abuses these animals were forced to endure. The amount of effort placed in raising awareness in this novel has to be acknowledged.

The Pits handled a sensitive topic in a very inspiring way, with an interesting story line full of twist and discoveries. I recommend this novel and give it 4 out of 4 stars. If you have ever loved a dog, or any animal for that matter, then you will understand and appreciate Kramer’s dedication to fight for the animals he loves.

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Buy "THE PITS" on Amazon

MrsAmyM · Post by **MrsAmyM** » 19 May 2014, 14:06

This sounds pretty interesting. Ill have to check it out.

kio · Post by **kio** » 31 May 2014, 13:42

Great review, thanks.

Timea · Post by **Timea** » 16 Jun 2014, 04:56

The beginning of it reminds me of the start of the movie 25th Hour. Great review!

S dot Lennon · Post by **S dot Lennon** » 16 Jun 2014, 06:06

Thanks Guys! I've never heard of that movie. I might need to look for it!

Timea · Post by **Timea** » 16 Jun 2014, 06:13

Stacie_C wrote:Thanks Guys! I've never heard of that movie. I might need to look for it!

I hope you do

it's one of my favorite ones, it has a great script and also Edward Norton plays in it

Stasia · Post by **Stasia** » 25 Jun 2014, 11:17

Thanks. This sounds like a good book to read with my son. He loves military books and he loves his dog!

milyjohnson37 · Post by **milyjohnson37** » 04 Jul 2014, 16:51

This is a great review. Thanks for sharing.

sahmoun2778 · Post by **sahmoun2778** » 08 Aug 2014, 14:55

Thanks for a thorough review.

KOKODA · Post by **KOKODA** » 29 Jun 2015, 11:09

So far, The Pits has received over 30 reviews with an average star rating of 4.9 / 5!! And I expect more reviews to follow. Everyone who decides to read my book is invited to post a review that can be added to those already on my website.

And keep watch for the sequel, YOU CAN RUN, due for release late 2015.

Cheers
Greg