The Last Policeman

The Last Policeman, Book 1

By: Ben H. Winters

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

As Seen on Today with Hoda & Jenna

“A genre-defying blend of crime writing and science fiction.”—Alexandra Alter, The New York Times

Winner of the 2013 Edgar® Award for Best Paperback Original!

What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?

Detective Hank Palace has faced this question ever since asteroid 2011GV1 hovered into view. There’s no chance left. No hope. Just six precious months until impact.

The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job—but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week—except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares.

The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman offers a mystery set on the brink of an apocalypse. As Palace’s investigation plays out under the shadow of 2011GV1, we’re confronted by hard questions way beyond “whodunit.” What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?

©2012 Ben H. Winters (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

More police procedural than scifi

More of a police procedural than a scifi novel, this book didn’t quite grab me until the very end, when there was a twist that convinced me I should continue on to read the next book in the series.

[I listened to this as an audio book read by Peter Berkrot. I thought he sounded a bit older than the age of the main character, but other than that did a good job.]

Not entertaining but interesting enough.

A slightly above average detective murder mystery.

It honestly felt so similar to any other murder mystery except for an added sense of impending doom for everyone involved. This added a tad bit more of flavor the what you'd typically get delivered in this kind of story.

In the back of my mind I was on the border of 'getting it' and also understanding how awfully pointless it must all feel.

The part I get is wanting to try your best to follow your dreams to become a detective and do one last good job before the world ends. It's understandable to try and keep going as if nothing in the world is going to change as a way to cope.

It makes for a interesting concept and story of trying to understand all of this from the percpective of someone who is trying to deal in a world that's about to end anyways. I found it interesting. It was just interesting.

Entertaining it was not.

I thought the whole murder mystery consistently felt too small scale, too petty in comparison to what's coming, too unimportant. Sure maintaining humanity is important but there's the end of the world to worry about that outweighs the small scale crimes going on to someone who doesn't matter.

I was hoping that some twist or whatever might reveal it all to be something more then what it's initially appearing to be.... This never happens. It consistently and throughout was small scale and somewhat felt like a waste of my time.

I appreciate how interesting it was and that it wrapped up the storyline without any cliffhangers. but

The only cliffhanger you get has more to do with the overall world building and a suggested plot that will be deep dived later on. Unfortunately I don't trust that this story is going to respect my time enough for me to even fathom getting the 2nd book to see what happens next.

Not quite what you might expect

An interesting mix of genres. Part police procedural, part science fiction, part dramatic dystopian intrigue.

Great narration

Crime thriller posing as something deeper with end or the world conspiracy theories sprinkled in but never properly explored. A bit boring.

Apocalypse Noir

I found The Last Policeman a very engaging listen. It's not your everyday story of the approaching apocalypse, but it is a gripping and realistic one told through a single and rather poignant voice.

Detective Hank Palace leads us through a seemingly pointless murder investigation. After all, who cares how someone died when the world is about to end? But in the process of discovering the truth behind the sad end of mathematically gifted insurance adjuster, we are faced with the question of who we are, and what our life is worth when there is no legacy to leave behind and no one to leave it behind to.

I wish I could have given this a 4.5, because it really is a wonderful novel. But there were some places where the story lagged a little. Nonetheless, don't let it put you off. Great tale.

Pretty good mash up of whodunit & apocalyptic

This is an entertaining story of a young detective trying to solve a murder in a time when no one cares because the world is about to end. It's well-written, but not very deep. It's a good read but more of a time-filler than an occasion for reflection.

Fantabulous !!!

Great read! Narrator is Peter Berkrot and he is amazing!! If it weren't for Peter this book wouldn't have been as amazing! What a great talent he has! You won't be sorry folks!

Doing your job when it almost doesn't matter

What did you love best about The Last Policeman?

The setting - almost the end of the world

Who was your favorite character and why?

Detective Palace has that last man standing type attitude that's fun.

What about Peter Berkrot’s performance did you like?

He conveyed the character and his emotions well

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

They say that there is really only three types of conflict: man vs. man/God/society; man vs. nature; and man vs. self. This story pretty much embodies all three.

I very much enjoyed the setting this was placed - a world that's less than a year away from being blown to smithereens. And Detective Hank Palace somewhat outdated need to solve a murder case. Palace is a pretty likeable character and the story is told from his perspective. I would have liked to read more why he felt the need to do what he was doing. The author doesn't reveal that until much later but it's almost a necessary character detail to get in early.

The mystery is fine and is accented by goings on in the world and how people react and change with the ever closing time of a cataclysmic strike on the Earth by a big rock. The one big negative thing I can say about the book is that I, as the reader, don't really get a hand in figuring out the mystery sooner than Palace and sometimes not even with Palace.

The world somewhat not seen is kind of the star of the show and it feels like you're reading with tunnel vision on a medic in the middle of a big battle. Sometimes you can look around and get a seance of the scene but you're mostly focused on the thing in front of the medic.

Overall, it was a decent story with a great premise and I would probably check out the other stories in the series. Final Grade - B

Fun book, didn't blow my mind.

Any additional comments?

Got this audiobook for a road trip. It was a fun listen. Pretty simple and straight forward. Love the concept.

A different kind of story

I liked the story. I liked the characters. A little bit pulp fiction (not the movie), a little bit philosophical, a little bit Independence Day.

Detective Palace is just an ordinary guy in extraordinary times, determined to do his job when the whole world is coming apart.

I'm waiting for the next book. Be a shame if it doesn't materialize.