Phil Broker Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Phil Broker Books
The Price Of Blood | (1997) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Big Law | (1998) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Absolute Zero | (2002) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Vapor Trail | (2003) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
After The Rain | (2004) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Homefront | (2005) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Broker | (2017) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Phil Broker is the main character of Chuck Logan’s book series. Phil is portrayed as a former police officer from Minnesota. He was the top undercover cop in his town, and he also had some experience working in Vietnam. Phil was once assigned that involved looking for gold in a U.S. commando mission. He is married previously to Caren, who has then moved on to another man named Keith Angland.
Phil’s life was once saved by his then friend and now famous writer, Hank Sommer. Phil has always been at the top of his game as his exploits have shown, and he knows that crime does not pay. Being the retired police offer that he is, Phil never seems to get a break from his community, as friends from a long time ago keep asking for his help in investigations.
Broker married again eventually, this time to Nina Pryce, daughter of a military man discharged dishonorably. Broker’s views on the military and the police are blatantly contrary to Nina’s, which often leads to short conflicts. And although “retired,” Phil’s reputation as an unorthodox and truly controversial undercover cop has not wavered. In contrast, his Nina has always been known to belong to the new generation, the perfect contrast of her partner.
Phil’s legacy of living a dangerous and perilous life continues on to his daughter, Kit Brokeris. Kit seems to have greatly inherited her father’s fighting spirit, and as she and her father aim to start living a peaceful life in Glacier Falls, Minnesota, things don’t turn out as peaceful as expected.
Key Phil Broker Stories
The Price of Blood (1st book of the series)
Phil’s adventures begin in The Price of Blood, which is the first of 6 books in the Chuck Logan masterpiece. Fresh from his 20 years of service, Phil sets his eyes on the next chapter of his life – a life beyond the perils of his days in uniform. Phil then meets Nina Pryce, daughter of a discharged former man in uniform as well.
Phil and Nina go on a search to find tons of gold that were hidden during a U.S. commando mission. And true to all gold chases, they’ve been beaten by other interested parties. They have company in Phil’s former colleagues, and though they have their own dysfunctional problems as a team, they’ve proven to be a formidable one. Their opponents are certainly just as cunning and determined, with one having all the resources needed for a conquest, and the other with absolutely nothing left in his life to lose.
This first of six installments perfectly opens the door into the lives of Phil, Nina, and the rest of the characters. They embark on a treasury search of gigantic proportions, with immense ramifications for their lives. It’s not just gold that’s on the line here – it’s never been just that.
The Big Law (2nd book of the series)
Phil Broker’s adventures long after he has given up his badge and uniforms for good take him to the Witness Protection Program. His battle against the very program that saves big time whistleblowers stems from the fact that the Program is rumored to protect the killer of his ex wife.
The story goes on full steam when Phil Broker’s ex wife, Caren, gives valuable information to the authorities about her current husband, Keith Angland. Keith has been long monitored because of word spreading out regarding his involvement with a Chicago based mob. Caren then looks for allies, and supposedly finds the perfect one in Tom James, a frustrated news reporter.
Tom, seeing an opportunity to escape his miserable career and life, teams up with Caren and ultimately gains her trust. Caren then decides to reward Tom her full belief, signified by her putting a huge amount of money – money obviously obtained from her dead husband’s informant days – in Tom’s hands.
Tom, being the manipulative man that he is, kills Caren and points the finger to someone else. He then runs to the aid of the government and into the Witness Protection Program.
Broker now has no choice but to resort to unconventional, unorthodox ways to get his hands on James. After all, Phil has made a career out of the unconventional and the unorthodox.
The Big Law effortlessly depicts the double edged sword that is the Witness Protection Program. It shows just how difficult it is to work around a system that unfortunately protects the wrong personalities.
Phil Broker: Filmography
Phil’s story has been partly played on the big screen. Chuck Logan’s beloved character from his books was successfully catapulted into cinemas by Jason Statham in Homefront, Logan’s 6th book of the series.
Directed by Gary Fieder, Homefront shows the retired Broker attempting to live a normal life as he settles in a simple town, only to cross paths with danger again. He and his family are confronted with what started as child’s play, but eventually became a high stakes game of life and death.
One of the most popular quotes recognizable from the movie: “How far would you go to protect your home?”
This 2013 film celebrated to the tune of $6.9M in its opening weekend, with a strong following the rest of the way. International screenings were also a success, with Portuguese and Dutch cinemas piling up on movie admissions.
Phil Broker: The Final Word
Chuck Logan’s lead character creation definitely does not disappoint in the paperback or on the movie screen. Readers and watchers alike are able to relate to the persona of Phil Broker. He is represented in a way that many people identify themselves with him – a man looking to start a new and peaceful life after a storied career in military service.
The entire book series is meant to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and Logan truly does not disappoint. Phil Broker has found a niche among lead characters. It can safely be described as a seamless combination of entertainment, educational as well as an informative piece of literature.
While Phil Broker’s stories allow him to display flashes of his old self, he remains certain that all he wants is a life of comfort and serenity. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for Broker’s fans), Phil’s life is anything but.