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.

Fun hybrid story, very well told

Would you consider the audio edition of The Last Policeman to be better than the print version?

Peter Berkrot's acting skills add more to this book than the print version can deliver. I don't "hear" characters' voices when I read. Berkrot gives everyone a distinctive voice, and reads brilliantly. Absolutely perfect. I was completely captivated.

What other book might you compare The Last Policeman to and why?

This reminded me a little of "Land of Laughs," where there is a very straight narrative going on that's just a little tongue-in-cheek. "The Last Policeman" has a nice, light touch and is lots of fun to listen to. Ben Winters has avoided the irritating aspects of the police genre, while having fun with many of the conventions - In some respects, this reminded me of Ed McBain, only set in Concord, NH, as the world starts to end. In other respects, it reminded me of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Which scene was your favorite?

It was a minor scene, but when Detective Henry Palace sends a message to his old girlfriend via the barrista at a pirate Starbucks, that was classic. You'll see why when you hear it.

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

I did.

Intriguing circumstances, standard performance

The plot and circumstances of this book (namely, how society deals with the knowledge of its own eventual demise) are thought-provoking and well captured. I was chewing on some aspects of this story long after finishing the book.

Berkrot's narration is a little off, though; the story is told from a first-person perspective of a 27-year-old detective, but his voice suggests a much older, more experienced fellow. I often had to stop and remind myself that the character was my own age - not only for the main character, but some of the supporting characters as well.

Terrific police procedural at the end of the world

This is a compelling book. It's told from the first person view point of a newly promoted detective in small town Concord. He's investigating what looks like a suicide, but could be much more. All of this is set against a backdrop of an imminent apocalypse due to an impending massive meteor strike that is due to collide with earth in six months. This is a great police mystery novel with a big story.

Interesting Read

While there were certainly times I was frustrated with the protagonist, overall this was an interesting read. I'd recommend it.

Entertaining

Being a new detective presents a unique set of challenges when the world has a built in expiration date.

A "planet killer" asteroid is heading towards earth, and the date has been confirmed. There's a 100% chance it will hit. Some people "go bucketlist" leaving their jobs and living out their dreams, some just keep living their lives as normal - what else can they do? And some ... well, some commit suicide. Or do they?

Da da da.......

Fun book. Entertaining, quick read.

Understated apocalyptic book

You know the scene in any number of zombie films where the main character is flipping through channels, and as they do the commercials, clips of shows and news anchors say the plot without the character noticing? This book is a lot like that in the best way.

I highly recommend the series as a whole but this book on it's own stands of it's own accord as well. A tight but not flashy whodunit set in a very thought provoking setting, which is really the interesting part. It asks some questions about people's ability to recognize patterns and behaviors in others but not themselves.

As an aside, having just finished the 3rd book, it was nice to find a disaster series that is not out-and-out propaganda. If the writings of "A. American" or William Forschten give you pause but you still want to read apocalyptic fiction, you may like this series better.

I liked it enough to continue with the series

I really liked the concept and am interested enough to continue with the series.

Excellent book with an interesting premise

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, already have :-)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"The End of the World is coming, but that doesn't mean you can get away with murder..."

Interesting and melancholy; narrator a bit too old

Would you consider the audio edition of The Last Policeman to be better than the print version?

The audio version was good, but not transcendent. Knowing that the main character is young (late 20s, early 30s), the narrator (though good) sounded too old to be the main character. He sounded like a 40-50-ish guy.

Any additional comments?

Noir police mystery under the looming catastrophe of a meteor on course to directly hit the earth. Winters intersperses the book with little details to underscore how humans might react to impending doom, how it was a television event when it was determined whether what had been a 50/50 chance of being struck would become either 0 or 100%, how at the extremes people either become "bucket listers" or suicides, how the drudgery of daily life can act as a panacea or as the ultimate insult to the will to live. Conspiracy theories abound, religious groups urge prayer, the comforts of daily life are slowly giving way with fewer and fewer people interested in keeping them up and running. The underlying mystery is interesting, but doesn't really seem to be the point. Interesting and intelligent, a nice first entry into what is a trilogy.

Compelling, Heartbreaking Listen

I have done the pre- and post-apocalyptic story before, and have never found that type of story to be to my liking. However, I am glad I decided to give this book a try. I was hooked from the very beginning of the story. I will definitely read the next two books as soon as they become available.

Detective Hank Palace sees a murder where everyone else sees a suicide. What was most interesting to me was how Detective Palace finds the motivation, and the clues to continue the investigation under such distressing circumstances. The cast of characters and society felt real to me regarding the reactions to the news of the asteroid. Some people keep moving forward, some try to complete their bucket list and others just become useless, and at worse, dangerous to the community.

I found that when I was listening to this book my entire mood would change to mild distress and sadness. I was reading a second book at home that had me laughing and in an entirely different mood, but as soon as I turned on this audio book, I would go immediately to a darker place. The author was very good at getting me emotionally involved in the story.

The narrator, Peter Berkrot, was good, not excellent. Some of the voices he used sounded strange and had a sarcastic sound when I thought the dialog should have been interpreted differently. But that is a small complaint and did not bother me overall.

I notice that "The Last Policeman" just won a 2013 Edgar Award. I congratulate Ben H. Winters and look forward to how this trilogy plays out.