The Big Law [Mass Market Paperback]

Chuck Logan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1999

When former cop Phil Broker's naïve ex-wife, Caren, blows the whistle on her feckless second husband, Keith Angland, a St. Paul cop making a cool $2 million moonlighting for the Chicago mob, she unwittingly signs her own death warrant. Unwisely for Caren, she not only shared her troubles with Broker, she also told Tom James, a reporter with fantasies of pulling off the perfect crime. Inspired by the $2 million payoff she entrusted to his safekeeping, Tom kills Caren in a brilliant frame-up that leaves her crooked cop-husband to take the fall.

Covering all the angles, Tom runs to the FBI -- "the Big Law" -- and wangles a new life in the Witness Protection Program. But Tom's perfect plan doesn't count on Broker. Hard-edged and relentless, Broker smells a rat and is determined to set things right. But to succeed, he's got to locate Tom -- a clever man with a new identity, a suitcase full of cash, and the Big Law on his side.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"An explosive thriller with plenty of action, edge-of-your-seat pacing, and an appealing hero."

From Publishers Weekly

Continuing the saga of loner ex-cop Phil Broker from The Price of Blood, Logan, a rising new maestro of suspense, explores the inner workings of the Federal Witness Protection Program in this crackerjack new spellbinder featuring dirty money, compulsion and revenge. When St. Paul, Minn., fading star reporter Tom James, a down-on-his-luck gambler, receives an anonymous tip that once-charismatic cop Keith Angland is on the take with the mob, the trail leads James to Angland's abused wife, Caren, who has decided to seek witness protection and turn over her husband's ill-gotten stash of $2 million in big bills and an incriminating videotape. (Caren is also Broker's ex.) While driving Caren to Broker's backwoods retreat, James persuades her to hide the tape and cash as he obsesses on stealing the loot for himself. An ensuing dispute with Angland at Broker's cabin provides James the opportunity to commit a convenient murder. Accusing Angland of the deed, James demands that the feds give him a new identity in exchange for the tape. The enthralling yarn becomes a cat-and-mouse game as Broker tries to locate James. Virtually seamless, the prose mesmerizes with intelligent contrasts between the monastic single-father hero and the obsessive-compulsive villain. The ingenious plot and cast of well-fleshed-out charactersAincluding a Russian Mafia czar and a sexy editorAcontinue to mark Logan as a standout in the genre.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (September 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061096873
• ISBN-13: 978-0061096877
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid entry from Chuck Logan, September 21, 2000

By 

Old Fisherman "Jim" (Orange, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Law (Mass Market Paperback)

Phil Broker is an ex-Saint Paul cop who now lives on Michigan's Upper Peninsuala with his infant daughter. However, when his ex-wife, Caren, finds her present husband is in deep with the Chicago mob she grabs the two million dollar payoff and goes running to Broker for help. On the way, she pairs up with morally-bankrupt reporter Tom James who sees his big chance to grab for the brass ring by murdering Caren, framing her husband, and disappearing with the two million into the FBI Witness Protection Program. But he didn't figure on Phil Broker who would stop at nothing, not even the FBI's Witness Protection Program, to learn the truth behind his ex-wife's death.

I've read Chuck Logan from the beginning and he just gets better and better. His writing is strong and his characters stand out. His writing style is very staccato and immediate but the action is exciting and the plot is clever. This thriller is way better than many of today's genre that masquerade as thrillers. I recommend this book highly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chuck Logan does it again!!, July 27, 2001

By 

H. JOHNSON "Nana" (ILLINOIS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big Law (Mass Market Paperback)

I can't believe this book sat on my shelf for over a year and I didn't read it. I finished it in one day! Once again, Chuck Logan immerses the reader in the world of his protagonist,in this case, Phil Broker. Hopefully we'll see more of Broker in future books. This is a great read and the "daddy" scenes are winners. The reviewer who says Broker doesn't care about his wife and child didn't read this book very carefully. What about the last sentence????? Maybe one has to understand about "compartments" to understand Phil Broker.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walter Mitty - stop dreaming, March 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Law: A Novel (Hardcover)

A colorless reporter tries to make his dreams come true. And he almost succeeds. Fabulous plotting, always new angles, never a dull moment. Tightly written. Interesting characters.This is the way mysteries should be written.