Canine homicide is not the best way to kick off the New Year for Los Angeles Homicide Detective Leo "Lee" Van Cleef, especially after the recent loss of his own 18 year old German Shepherd named Bogart. But when Van Cleef is called out to investigate the mauling of a Hollywood actress in Malibu, duty calls and the motive initially points to her husband, a prominent, philandering Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon living beyond his means. His new partner Dennis Overstreet is certain it's Murder for Hire. Van Cleef isn't so sure. To make matters worse, the killer beast he is tracking from the shores of Point Dume leads him to the underground world that the FBI warns him to stay out of. As the case unravels and the body count rises, Van Cleef also discovers an unusual link to a retired LAPD detective friend and his family pit bull. As he tries to link both cases, what he discovers will lead him from the pit of his stomach and his own animal instinct to the pit of hell.