The Price Of Blood

Phil Broker #1

by Chuck Logan

In the last 20 years Phil Broker has pulled himself together. A good, tough undercover cop in Minnesota, he knows the difference between a sucker punch and a lucky break. And although he's put his Vietnam years behind him, the grown daughter of his old commander has been dogging his heels for months. Nina Pryce is trying to exonerate her dishonorably discharged dead father and—more importantly—find the 10 tons of gold he helped liberate during a U.S. commando mission. Broker doesn't like the smell of it. Still, Nina has her charms, and can be very persuasive. The only problem is, two of Broker's old army buddies have beaten them to the search. Rich, sadistic Cyrus La Porte has the means, but no direction. Convicted thief Jimmy Tuna has a line on the location but no cash. Jimmy's a dying man with nothing left to win—or lose. And Broker and Nina know both men would kill them for the slimmest chance to take it all. A riveting suspense novel that reads like a thrilling treasure hunt with a murderous legacy that echoes down from the past.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Adventure, Action

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Chuck Logan is an author of crime drama and veteran of the Vietnam War, who lives with his wife and daughter in Stillwater, Minnesota.

He is best known for his series of novels featuring the character Phil Broker, an ex-Minnesota police officer. Logan's novels include Hunter's Moon, Absolute Zero, Vapor Trail, Homefront, and After the Rain. Homefront is now a major motion picture starring James Franco and Jason Stratham.

Reviews

[Scott Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel starts out in a rather confusing jumble action with characters you do not know and Vietnam flashbacks. I had gotten about twenty percent through it when I decided to give up, it just was not interesting. However, I read a couple of reviews where the reviewers stated they also had thoughts about quitting but continued on and were glad they did.
Add me to that group. I continued on and it turned into quite a page turner. I would rate the first part of the book as "Do not like it", the middle as "Liked it" and the end almost verges on "Really liked it".

[Debbie J · Rating 3 out of 5]

He’d always thought that she was nice to look at as long as she didn’t move. Nina in motion suggested the Waspish grace of training events that involved guns, swords, and horses. And she was moving and she glowed with an unhealthy excitement that looked to Broker like the moral pollution of some big city. Down South, judging from her surface tan and her clothing. She paused on the sidewalk and plunked down her suitcase. Twenty feet away and she radiated the energy of Excalibur plunged into the cement."

...So many metaphors in a single paragraph to describe one woman, and similar paragraphs follow…

Arguably The Price of Blood’s most noticeable feature is its teeming supply of florid analogies and adjectives, which abound enough to make the writing seem self-indulgent. Getting through the novel’s laborious descriptions often feels like wading in maple syrup given the effort required.

The text became easier for me to manage once I imagined it as an audiobook narrated by Humphrey Bogart. Perhaps author Chuck Logan admires the hardboiled, noir style and tried to create a contemporary version here.

I doubt I’m a target audience member for The Price of Blood--presumably Rambo movie fans who experienced the Vietnam era. Nevertheless, I did appreciate the nail-biting buildup to what passes for a “happy” ending and I’ll read the next Phil Broker series offering.

[Phillip III · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the next several weeks I plan to read eight novels by Chuck Logan. The seven books in the Phil Broker series, and what appears to be a stand alone, Fallen Angel. The first Phil Broker novel, The Price of Blood, I read in two sittings. 

Phil Broker is an undercover cop. He sets himself up as a handyman. People need things done they contact him, and he does his best to "fix" things. (Repairman Jack style, only different). The Price of Blood is about the Viet Nam war. It is about the changed, and impacted people, after the war.

Ten tons of gold was found. It was smuggled. And then ten tons of gold was lost. Only one person knows where the fortune is. A handful of people are looking for it. Nothing will stop those who want the gold from getting the gold. Even if to get the gold it comes down to murder. Even if getting the gold means killing old friends.

Nina Pryce was Army. She did her best to climb the military ladder. Her father served in Viet Nam. He was her idol, her role model. He died in the foreign land, his body never found. His name was smeared in scandal. Dishonor. Nina dedicated her life to clearing his name. In order to prove her father wasn't guilty of the crimes alleged she needs help. The one person, someone she hadn't seen since she was a child, who can help is Phil Broker.

After the war Cyrus LaPorte made a name for himself. He went and got rich. Operating out of New Orleans, LaPorte believes he knows where the gold his. He has invested his future in finding the countless, priceless ingots. He will stop at nothing. So when Nina Pryce stole his map, stopping at nothing became getting his hands on Pryce.

Tuna went to prison for robbing a bank. Dying from cancer he knows time has run out. He might be the only person with answers to countless questions about the past. Problem is he left the hospital where he'd been receiving treatment, and no one knows where he is.

Broker has no choice but to help the daughter of his dead friend. The stakes are high. It comes down to trusting no one. Time is of the essence. Forming a convoluted plan, that has to work, he pairs up with Nina with the hope of achieving justice where before there was none!

The Price of Blood was fast. An outstanding read. The characters were so well drawn I saw each of them clearly in my head while I read the book. The plot was big, but Logan kept it simple. The chapters are taut, packed full of tension and suspense. I loved the ending. Loved it. In fact, I loved the entire book. Phil Broker is the bomb. (Do people still say that? I don't think so. It fits, though).

Phillip Tomasso
Author of Assassin's Promise
and Absolute Zero

[Peggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate the intricate plot, but didn’t really enjoy this book. I would give it 2 1/2 stars. Phil Broker seems to be a gun runner in rural Minnesota at the beginning of the book. It takes a few chapters before you realize he is an undercover cop. His latest sting is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Nina Pryce, the daughter of a disgraced Vietnam veteran who died while serving with Broker in 1975. Nina is herself an Army vet and is coarse and swaggering. It is all a bit confusing at the start until the back stories start to fill in. Nina’s father was accused of abandoning Broker on a mission to help rescue South Vietnam soldiers as the North is winning the war. He is also accused of stealing gold ingots that disappeared supposedly into the sea. Nina has always proclaimed his innocence. Broker always thought the man would not have done it either. Nina is brash and demanding. She comes to Broker with proof that another vet helped in the theft and abandonment. This is a very long book. I found parts of it tedious. I also think this is a “guy” book - and I am not a guy. I found the sexual descriptions not only offensive but gratuitous. The story is about finding out if the gold exists, then finding the wealthy former commander who is desperately seeking the gold with his greedy wife. Then finally actually going to Vietnam to find the gold. Nina’s motivation is clearing her father’s name. Broker wants to know what happened. Trin, the Vietnamese commander who helped them back in 1975, wants the gold. I can’t describe all the players, the violence, the betrayals. The ends was dramatic. I guess there is more in this series, but I will not follow Broker or Nina.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the last 20 years Phil Broker has pulled himself together. A good, tough undercover cop in Minnesota, he knows the difference between a sucker punch and a lucky break. And although he's put his Vietnam years behind him, the grown daughter of his old commander has been dogging his heels for months. Nina Pryce is trying to exonerate her dishonorably discharged dead father and—more importantly—find the 10 tons of gold he helped liberate during a U.S. commando mission.

Broker doesn't like the smell of it. Still, Nina has her charms, and can be very persuasive.

[Holly Morey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the characters, Phil Broker and Nina Pryce. Both are war veterans, tough and flawed. Nina's father was dishonorably discharged from the army in Viet Nam and accused of desertion. She believes that Cyrus LaPorte was actually the criminal. Nina talks Phil into returning to Viet Nam to prove her father's innocence. There are quite a few twists and turns. The writing is gritty. I didn't love this book but I did like it enough to try another book in this series.

[Dr. Thomas Wasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and bought the second book in the Broker series from Thriftbooks. It was a little different book for me and I have to admit that the only reason I got it was because in one of John Sandford's books, one of the characters picking up a Chuck Logan book before bed. So I looked it up and ordered it. No surprise that these guys are in Minnesota and must know each other.
So the book. It is not really a thriller but I must say Logan's writing setting the scene and the areas where people are is excellent and worth an extra star. I think the story is average and predictable under all of that. Still the second book will be a beach read for me and I enjoyed this one.

[Mike Nesemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know it’s set back a bit when the weary cop is a veteran of Vietnam, not of the forever wars. Good adventure yarn, weary cop (see above), strong heroine, super bad guys and twists. He also has some great lines, e.g., “She crossed her legs and her ankles cut the air like scissors.” “He had a heart of depleted uranium.”

[Heather Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I wanted to enjoy this book the flippant use of offensive language toward women and people of color prevented that. Many of the scenes and terms were inconsequential to the storyline and could have been eliminated without detracting from the book.

[Carylanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how I missed Chuck Logan in the 90's, but I did. Never too late to find a new series even if it's 20 years old. I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing novel. I'm getting a lineup now to follow Nita and Phil.

[Michael Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Read

A terrific first read, I thoroughly enjoyed and got caught up in the character development & storyline. My first time reading any of Chuck Logan’s work, it was a fine experience.

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una storia che ti prende dall'inizio alla fine: che guaio innamorarsi di un testimone!!

[Jmrathbone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried, I really tried three times. I couldn't finish the book

[John Ethier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good story - did an excellent job with the twists st the end

[Ginger Perry]

Dude can WRITE!

[Ronald Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

Story about post Vietnam. Fast moving, good plot, unpredictable. Fun read. Not a great fan of this writers style. Too wordy.

[Jody Patanjo · Rating 2 out of 5]

So confusing

I tried to make a go of it but the story was so disjointed and herky jerky. Pity too bc I loved the.main character

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

First entry in the series of novels featuring Phil Broker. The book's not without its dependence on common suspense novel tropes, and the author tends towards purple prose at times. The narrative strays at times over the course of the novel but by the end the pacing definitely picks up. I consider this an above average entry in the field and will read more by him.

3 1/2 stars.

[Bryce Morrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way overly detailed. I was 75 pages in and almost nothing had happened. Couldn't take it anymore.

[John Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing, and really enjoying, Chuck Logan's "South of Shiloh", I decided to go back and start over with his Phillip Broker series, beginning with "The Price of Blood." This was actually his second book but it was his first Broker book and, as with the first time I read it, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a terrific story, well written, with good action, and it sets up the Broker story line well for the books that follow. And, as with Shiloh, it had a very strong wrap up and Logan once again provided some interesting information background related to, in this case, the Viet Nam War days, especially the days after the U.S. pulled out. I think I'll just keep re-reading the Broker series.

[Chris Bridson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A treasure hunt with heaping amounts of double crossery. Pretty good page turner. The main character is a tough guy with a heart, which might be cliche, but he provides a good foundation for story telling. Broker's nearsightedness in regards to human motivations is a weakness many heroes suffer from.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Phillip Broker series.

Phillip Broker, Vietnam vet and undercover agent for the MN BCA, is approached by Nina Pryce, the daughter of an Army officer he served with. She claims her disgraced father was framed by his CO to steal 10 tons of gold and that the key is held by a Sgt now doing a 20 year sentence for bank robbery. The trail leads to Viet Nam and the mysterious Trin.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing characters: Nina Pryce and Phil Broker (first in series); Cop and daughter of someone he was in the service with, goes back with her to Vietnam to find gold and clear his name.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-thirds of the way through this book I was prepared to give it 3 stars, but a gread ending raised the rating. Part of the Phil Broker series. My only real complaints: book starts very slowly, book is way to darn long. However, I would recommend it to action-adventure fans.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story featuring Phil Broker, an undercover cop in Minnesota. Some good characterizations, and I like the author's style. I believe that I've read another book in the series; hope to come across the title as I go through old reading records. 3.5 stars

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay vacation read...not quite the standard of the rest of the Broker series...If I didn't accidentally read another,I don't think I would have read another

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

great

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of a great series. Only a couple of books...the first one being "Hunter's Moon". Action packed/fun

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written character driven novel. The first in the Phil Broker series. An undercover cop in a small Minnesota town.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. The first in the Broker series. The middle third was a bit rough.

Would read another.

Newmarket library.