The Price of Blood

Rating:
Summary: THE PRICE OF BLOOD
Review: Another Vietnam vet from my unit, the 175th Assault Helicopter Company, "OUTLAWS" sent this on to me as a good read. It certainly was, and I devoured it for quite a few nights on end. It has some brutal horror to it, and makes me glad I am not a cop nor continued in the service. The physical Vietnam Broker returns to is probably just as described, and I have never had any wish to revisit. Trin is accurately described as a Vietnamese, and I can picture the life these former VC veterans and ARVNS had after 1975. The only complaint I would venture about the novel is that it is hard for me to believe some really tight vets would have this much intrigue between each other at all. Much too evil. I would assume their relationships would be more like Trin's and Broker's. However, the book is a real page-turner and I look forward to many works from author Chuck Logan. In the meantime, we former helicopter pilots should produce more on our Huey flying experiences! OUTLAWS IN VIETNAM is my contribution and can be found here on Amazon, too.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!
Review: I had a hard time getting through HUNTER'S MOON, but I knew Chuck Logan had to have a good book in him, and believe me, this is definitely a good book. The story is thrilling, the characters are believable, and the ending is top notch. Way to go, Chuck Logan. Now that you've figured out how to write a great book, let's have more.

Rating:
Summary: Great start...
Review: I read, at least, five books a week and once in a while, buy one I've read before. This was the case with Chuck Logan's, "The Price of Blood." I must admit, I was delighted to find I enjoyed it even more the second time around. The beautifully fleshed out characters, the plot and search for hidden treasure, the contrast between brutality and compassion, along with subtle, but titalating love scenes can do nothing but cause you to turn pages with a longing for more. The ending is up for grabs until the last page and makes you hunger for his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Great start...
Review: I'm always interested in books about Vietnam vets written by Vietnam vets and that was what got me to read this book. The protagonist, Phil Broker, served in the waning days of the conflict and was, unwittingly, involved in the theft of 10 tons of gold from the bank of Hue. The plot is all about hunting the gold, assorted derring do, having illusions about your old comrades shattered or renewed, and generally driving on. It also has one of the most interesting female characters I have found in a long time: Nina Pryce, ex-Gulf War heroine, daughter of a disgraced officer, and likely to "be the first woman to win a CIB." (The CIB is the Combat Infantryman's Badge, probably the most coveted of Army awards since getting it honestly requires the recipient to have actually been involved in action with the enemy). The book gets off to a great, but somewhat confusing, start but like a runner on a steep hill, slows considerably thereafter. The middle of the book is almost interminable. Good solid prose, but 'way too much of it. The ending, well, read it yourself, but skim the middle 100 or so pages... no loss. This was a great 180 pager stretched to fill almost 400. Do they pay authors by the word, or what?

Rating:
Summary: Oh, the deception!
Review: Shame on all of you. After reading these sterling reviews, I was prepared for a real treat when I picked up Logan's novel. My goodness, the horror I felt as I slogged through this interminable mess. After an intriguing start, the plot feels as if it's walking through quicksand. Long after we know the setup--gold in Vietnam, must beat evil old army buddy to it--Logan hurtles his hero all over the country in pointless, needlessly detailed subplots. I mean, my God, this just absolutely killed the suspense he had so perfectly created in the early going. Also, Logan completely abandons the disarming touches of almost self-mocking humor in favor of corny, heavy-handed machismo. I was still laughing but at parts which were clearly intended to be dramatic and hard-boiled. Logan needed to lop about 150 pages out of the center of this thing and then he might have had something. By the end, I just didn't care anymore, I only wanted the book to end. Logan can surely write--and he knows it. He suffers from a case of literary narcissism and seems incapable of writing a short, well-crafted sentence. His tough guy act strives for Hemingway but I can only imagine Papa scoffing at some of the long-winded tripe this bloated work contains.

Rating:
Summary: The Price of Blood
Review: This author, Chuck Logan is a talented writer. He has a good grip on the requirements for successful commercial fiction. The Price of Blood is a suspense thriller with so many twists and surprises one almost need to keep a list. To say that the reader is kept off balance a good deal of the time is to understate the case.

Phil Broker is an undercover cop, with almost twenty years in service to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal apprehension. He served some time in harness, but his inability to deal with tight structure and a rigid chain of command sent him into the murky, swirling waters of undercover law enforcement. Broker has become a master of the sleight-of-hand maneuver. He's a veteran of Viet Nam, but he's not by any measure a superhero, which makes him an intriguing protagonist.

Comes suddenly to his home, interrupting a sting, the grown-up daughter of his commanding officer in the last action Broker saw in Vietnam. Nina Pryce, who's father was posthumously cashiered amid charges of lethal incompetence and stealing treasure, has dumped her own army career while trying to clear her father's name. Now she wants Broker's help to rehabilitate her father, and not incidentally, her own career. Reluctantly, he decides to help, pushed into the effort by some very weird and dangerous characters.

Like Logan's other books, The Price of Blood brims with verisimilitude, action, a pell-mell pace and a pretty high body count. It's exciting, clean, and makes an exciting entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Adventure, Gold, Love, what else do you want?
Review: This is an excellent adventure/thriller. Logan has crafted a story that is exciting as any I have read. Excellent character development and a surprise end to the story. I recommend this book to all adventure lovers.