Paperback, 288 pages
English language
Published Nov. 24, 2012 by Quirk Books.
The Last Policeman is a 2012 American science fiction mystery novel by Ben H. Winters. It follows a police detective in New Hampshire as he investigates a suicide he believes was really a murder. His efforts are complicated by the social, political and economic effects of preparations for, and anticipation of, an asteroid impact six months in the future. Winters describes the work as an "existential detective novel", turning on the question of why people do things in spite of their long-term unimportance. He consulted with experts not only in astronomy and police techniques but psychology and economics. The book was well received by critics, and won the 2012 Edgar Award in the category Best Paperback Original. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has optioned it for a possible television series. It is the first in a trilogy; Winters published Countdown City, the second volume, in mid-2013. World of Trouble, the final …
The Last Policeman is a 2012 American science fiction mystery novel by Ben H. Winters. It follows a police detective in New Hampshire as he investigates a suicide he believes was really a murder. His efforts are complicated by the social, political and economic effects of preparations for, and anticipation of, an asteroid impact six months in the future. Winters describes the work as an "existential detective novel", turning on the question of why people do things in spite of their long-term unimportance. He consulted with experts not only in astronomy and police techniques but psychology and economics. The book was well received by critics, and won the 2012 Edgar Award in the category Best Paperback Original. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has optioned it for a possible television series. It is the first in a trilogy; Winters published Countdown City, the second volume, in mid-2013. World of Trouble, the final Last Policeman novel, was released in July 2014.
The mystery was kinda meh, but the world building was excellent. I really like the premise - end of the world is happening and what do cops do about crime when you know that it’s all over in a year?
I enjoyed the writer's style and the story. This is a murder mystery, but it's set in a world under a death sentence from an approaching asteroid. This isn't a spoiler- there's an asteroid on the cover and you find out about it right away. So our hero goes about trying to solve the mystery in a world where everyone expects to be dead in less than a year. I enjoyed it very much and am now reading the third book in this series.
This is a new genre on me, lol, but one I like. It raises all kinds of philosophical questions while being a damn good mystery/police procedural. Has me thinking all the time and journaling on the themes. What would I do if I knew? How would I act?
Went straight from this one into the 2nd book in the series. Not even a bathroom break in between, lol! It's that good. Highly recommend.
Winters sets his world down in bold, bleak, unforgettable strokes: gasoline is rare, suicide is rampant, and yet people still go about the business of living. The mystery is tight, the atmosphere is gloom and doom, and the writing is pitch-perfect. Damn great book, and I’m tracking down the other books in the trilogy now. I gotta know how this ends! HBO, get on adapting this now. I’m seeing a set of three movies, and then you’re done!
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