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Criminal Elements
Secrets of the Shield is a collection of raw, pulse-pounding crime thriller stories rooted deep in real-world law enforcement, and told through the lens of a seasoned cop. Where did the idea for this novel come from and how did it develop over time?
The genesis of Secrets of the Shield stems from my twenty years of frontline experience investigating cases that few civilians ever witness. Throughout my career in specialized investigation units, I documented harrowing encounters with ruthless cartel operations involving human trafficking, drug distribution networks that spanned continents, execution-style homicides, and systematic extortion. My notebooks captured the chaos of the LA riots from inside the police perimeter, the tense negotiations of high-profile kidnappings where lives hung in the balance, and government corruption cases that revealed shocking betrayals of public trust. These weren’t distant news stories—they were realities I lived through daily, meticulously recording details that accumulated in field notebooks over two decades.
Among these cases was a seemingly routine undercover assignment in North Hollywood where I arrested suspects targeting grocery stores throughout LA for high-end merchandise. One of these suspects was Ricardo Ramirez, aka The Night Stalker, 5 years before his murder spree began. I took a Polaroid photo on the date of his arrest that I still have today and included in the book. The fingerprints and booking photo from his arrest at North Hollywood LAPD eventually identified him as Richard Ramirez. I found this photo well after his arrest and decided to tell the untold story that no one had documented in the news media, movies, or docuseries, including the Polaroid that had never been released to the public. This unexpected historical connection became one compelling element in my larger mission to document the hidden criminal landscape I navigated throughout my career.
What brings a smile to my face is that my wife Debbie deserves full credit for inspiring this book. She took one look at my growing collection of storage bins overflowing with case notes and said, “Either those notebooks become a book, or they’re moving into their own house—our garage needs breathing room!” That gentle nudge was all it took to transform decades of field notes into my first published work.
What was the most challenging part of writing Secrets of the Shield, and what was the most rewarding?
The most challenging aspect of compiling this book was exercising extreme caution regarding what information I could disclose. I needed to protect the integrity of the cases while, most importantly, safeguarding the victims and their families who were violently impacted by these predators who forever altered their lives.
The most rewarding outcome has been sharing these stories with readers to reveal the truth about criminal elements lurking in plain sight—predators waiting for their next helpless victims, completely devoid of empathy for the devastation they cause not only to their immediate victims but also to families and associates. These cases exist only in the memories of my fellow investigators and special agents who lived through them, and I felt compelled to help the public understand what transpires around them daily—incidents that often never receive media attention.
How did you decide what to include and leave out in your book?
My decisions about content were primarily guided by the protection of victims and their families, alongside maintaining both the criminal and civil integrity of these cases. Throughout the project, I sought professional legal counsel to ensure these objectives were met.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Yes, I have two sequels launching toward the end of this year: Encrypted Patriot and The Coin Collector. These works elevate Secrets of the Shield into heightened crime thrillers with incredible action and government espionage drama that extends to other parts of the world. Many characters from the first book continue their journeys into covert government agencies, operating at the highest—sometimes officially nonexistent—security levels.
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The truth has been buried—until now.
Los Angeles County: a sprawling metropolis where power, corruption, and violence collide in the shadows. For decades, the public has only seen the surface. Now, a retired veteran police investigative sergeant rips the veil off the city’s darkest secrets.
From the arrest of Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker—five years before his reign of terror began—to the chaos of the Los Angeles riots, from covert operations dismantling cartel murder networks to exposing corrupt government officials, these are the cases that were sealed away. Until now.
What you’re about to read has never been disclosed to the public, including a single Polaroid photograph within these pages that tells a story of its own. This book reveals how a routine arrest led to the early identification of one of history’s most infamous serial killers. It uncovers the untold truth of the Los Angeles riots—what really happened in the streets and behind closed doors. It takes you deep inside covert missions that infiltrated the cartels’ blood-soaked empires and into the silent war against public official corruption.
These aren’t just stories. They are confessions from the front lines. Each chapter is a pulse-pounding descent into a world where monsters don’t hide in the shadows—they walk among us. Where justice isn’t always served, and the truth is more terrifying than fiction.
Once you step into this world, you won’t emerge unchanged. Buckle up. You’ve been warned.
Fans of Mindhunter, American Predator, and Don Winslow’s The Cartel will be drawn to this gripping, unfiltered account of crime and corruption. Based on real cases. Written by the man who lived them.
“Get your copy of Secrets of the Shield today and uncover the truth for yourself.”
Secrets of the Shield
Secrets of the Shield by D.M. Currie is a raw, pulse-pounding crime thriller rooted deep in real-world law enforcement. Told through the lens of a seasoned cop, the novel dives into the gritty underbelly of Los Angeles County policing, starting from a traumatizing encounter at a gas station in the protagonist’s youth all the way to tactical operations against cartel assassins. It’s part autobiography, part thriller, and 100% an unflinching look at the sacrifices, darkness, and small victories woven into a life of service.
From the very beginning, Currie’s writing seized my attention with an unrelenting grip. His opening scene, depicting a harrowing struggle in a hospital bed against imagined attackers following spinal surgery, was profoundly affecting. I could feel the panic and brokenness resonate deeply as I read. It is this brutal authenticity that distinguishes Secrets of the Shield. When Currie recounts the grueling demands of academy life, including the torment of abusive instructors, or exposes the vulnerability of rookies navigating the dangers of custody work, it becomes clear that this is no sanitized portrayal of law enforcement. It is raw, it is painful, and it is unflinchingly real. I admired Currie’s refusal to soften these realities for the reader.
Currie’s meticulous attention to detail adds a compelling depth to the narrative, particularly in chapters such as “L.A. Burns” and “And the Riots Roll,” where he vividly captures the intensity of large-scale unrest and tactical operations. His ability to immerse the reader in the operational realities of law enforcement is impressive and lends a striking authenticity to the story. Yet it is when Currie turns his focus to the emotional heart of the narrative, most notably in the heartbreaking account of Catalina Cano’s story in “Peaceful Park Apartments: Explosion of Evil,” that his writing truly shines. The emotional resonance he achieves is powerful and deeply moving, offering moments of unexpected poignancy that elevate the novel beyond traditional crime thrillers.
What hit me hardest, though, was the clear cost of the job. Currie shows better than any fiction I’ve read in a long time that wearing the badge means a slow erosion of yourself. You see it in his recounting of being physically wrecked, emotionally detached, and spiritually exhausted. The title Secrets of the Shield isn’t just clever, it’s painfully accurate. Behind the shield, behind the uniform, there’s a heavy, heavy price. I walked away from this book with more respect for what real cops endure than I ever had before.
Secrets of the Shield isn’t just a crime novel. It’s a bruised, bleeding love letter to the men and women who choose to stand between chaos and order. If you’re a fan of gritty realism, if you liked Joseph Wambaugh’s The New Centurions or Michael Connelly’s Bosch series but want something even more visceral and personal, this book will absolutely blow you away. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those who can stomach the darkness, it’s a powerful and unforgettable ride.
Pages: 429 | ASIN : B0F2ZGYBLH
LITERARY TITAN 