In just two books (Hunter's Moon was his first book), Chuck Logan has established himself as a thriller writer with all the necessary gifts for greatness: a strong and original voice, a formidable narrative engine, and a heart big enough to give life to a wide variety of characters. At the center of the story are Phil Broker, an undercover cop in a small Minnesota town, and Nina Pryce, a career soldier and the daughter of the man who shaped Broker's life in Vietnam. Both are fascinating people, bristling with edges and attitude, and Logan has surrounded them with dozens of other characters of equally surprising depth. Add to that a crackerjack treasure hunt and a trip to present-day Vietnam that reeks of reality and you've got what could well be the best thriller of the year.

From Booklist
Logan dishes up a blood-and-guts action adventure about a Vietnam vet and a female ex-soldier with a chip on her shoulder. Late in the Vietnam War, Phil Broker was involved in a scam to steal $10 million in gold from the Vietcong. The operation went sour, the gold was lost, and Phil's commanding officer, Ray Pryce, died in the shootout and was posthumously court-martialed for his role in the debacle. Thirty years later, Broker is approached by Pryce's daughter, Nina, who has a lead on the missing gold and wants to prove that her father took a fall for someone else. Broker agrees to go to Vietnam with her to find the gold, unearth the truth about her father, and enjoy the sweet rewards of revenge. Not for the faint of heart, Logan's novel offers genuine suspense, stomach-turning violence, a devilishly twisted plot, and larger-than-life characters. Riveting reading for unsqueamish adventure fans. Emily Melton

From Kirkus Reviews
An ex-soldier who was among the last Americans to escape Vietnam before the Communist takeover returns to Southeast Asia in search of a fortune in gold that disappeared on his last mission. Two decades after the fall of Saigon, Phil Broker is again a lieutenant, this time with Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A divorced loner who keeps to himself, the undercover cop experiences a severe culture shock when Nina Pryce bursts into his life. A decorated heroine of the Desert Storm campaign, she's the daughter of a dead Army officer whose memory remains tarnished by the abortive gold hijacking that was the real purpose of the evacuation operation in Vietnam during which Broker nearly lost his life. Determined to clear her father's name, Nina wants his sometime subordinate to help her unearth exculpatory evidence and the bullion lost in country. Although appalled at the prospect of raking up the past, Broker (who could use some money to save the resort his parents run on Lake Superior) joins forces with Nina. On medical leave from the BCA, he meets with his former commanding officer Cyrus LaPorte, a buccaneering pillar of New Orleans society who wants the missing ingots for himself. Despite the best efforts of LaPorte's homicidal minions, Broker and Nina make it to Vietnam with crucial information on the whereabouts of the gold. Once there, they link up with Nguyen Van Trin, a hard-drinking ex-ARVN colonel who's not prospered under Red rule, and they locate the buried treasure as well as proof of Pryce pŠre's innocence. Doing so, however, the Vietnam vet and the woman he's come to love must deal with latter-day betrayals, making a last stand against dangerous mercenaries in the employ of LaPorte. An admirably flinty, adroitly plotted, and worthy successor to Logan's first hard-boiled thriller (Hunter's Moon, 1996). ($50,000 marketing budget; regional author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Book Description
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.

About the Author
Chuck Logan is the author of The Big Law, The Price of Blood and Hunter's Moon.Formerly an illustrator, a graphic designer and a veteran of the war in Vietnam, he lives in Stillwater, Minnesota with his wife and daughter.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

SYNOPSIS

Police officer Phil Broker is still haunted by his memories of his time in Vietnam, and the daughter of his old commander from the war is not making it any easier to put those memories to rest. Her father may have passed away, but she is determined to prove him innocent of the charges that resulted in his being dishonorably discharged. And if she and Broker can find the ten tons of gold her father was involved with during a commando mission, all the better, right?

FROM THE CRITICS

Kirkus Reviews

An ex-soldier who was among the last Americans to escape Vietnam before the Communist takeover returns to Southeast Asia in search of a fortune in gold that disappeared on his last mission.

Two decades after the fall of Saigon, Phil Broker is again a lieutenant, this time with Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A divorced loner who keeps to himself, the undercover cop experiences a severe culture shock when Nina Pryce bursts into his life. A decorated heroine of the Desert Storm campaign, she's the daughter of a dead Army officer whose memory remains tarnished by the abortive gold hijacking that was the real purpose of the evacuation operation in Vietnam during which Broker nearly lost his life. Determined to clear her father's name, Nina wants his sometime subordinate to help her unearth exculpatory evidence and the bullion lost in country. Although appalled at the prospect of raking up the past, Broker (who could use some money to save the resort his parents run on Lake Superior) joins forces with Nina. On medical leave from the BCA, he meets with his former commanding officer Cyrus LaPorte, a buccaneering pillar of New Orleans society who wants the missing ingots for himself. Despite the best efforts of LaPorte's homicidal minions, Broker and Nina make it to Vietnam with crucial information on the whereabouts of the gold. Once there, they link up with Nguyen Van Trin, a hard-drinking ex-ARVN colonel who's not prospered under Red rule, and they locate the buried treasure as well as proof of Pryce père's innocence. Doing so, however, the Vietnam vet and the woman he's come to love must deal with latter-day betrayals, making a last stand against dangerous mercenariesin the employ of LaPorte.

An admirably flinty, adroitly plotted, and worthy successor to Logan's first hard-boiled thriller (Hunter's Moon, 1996).

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Chuck Logan displays rare and powerful talent.
--James Grady — James Grady