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BIG LAW, THE by Chuck Logan Harper, February 2003 480 pages $6.99 ISBN: 0061096873 Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

The Big Law is author Chuck Logan's third, after The Hunter's Moon and The Price of Blood. If the other two are as good as this one, fans of moody, dark hard-boiled thrillers will be seeking them out in sizable numbers.

Ex-cop Phil Broker, now a resident of the North Shore of Lake Superior, near Grand Marais, unwillingly becomes involved with St. Paul Police Lieutenant, Keith Angland, when Angland's wife Caren, appeals for help. Caren was once Broker's wife. The relationship is further conflicted by the fact that Angland was once Broker's boss in the PD. Broker is alone with his infant daughter while his wife and Kit's mother is in Bosnia with a Military Police unit as the story opens. With the exception of the innocent Kit, no one comes out of this one clean.

It appears Angland is moonlighting as a mob informant and Caren is ready to blow the whistle if she can get Broker to help. There's a lot of cash hanging around as well. Not wire transfers or accounting entries but real cash--bags of it. Meanwhile, as Caren Angland runs for Broker's home, she entangles herself with a St. Paul newspaper reporter looking for a hot story to redeem himself with his editors. The FBI gets involved, as does the Witness Protection Program of the US Marshall Service, along with assorted local lawmen.

It may sound complicated and when the author inserts internal dialogues for the characters, one might worry about pace and structure. But author Logan writes with a sure hand and the clean structure never leaves the reader floundering. The author's style is spare and direct, the dialogue is honest, and the story bowls along at increasing speed and levels of tension. This is a great story, strong examination of characters' motivations, and enough tension to satisfy anyone.

The dust jacket is handsome and understated, providing clues without revealing essential story elements and the color combination is nice.

Note: This review is based on the original 1998 edition. The new edition is due in February 2003.

The reviewer is author of

INNER PASSAGES and

A SUPERIOR MYSTERY

http://www.Minnesotacrimewave.org

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, December 2002

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)

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