Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) - , reviewed on 8/29/2015 + 569 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Ben H. Winters "The Last Policeman" is a traditional whodunnit murder mystery with one huge twist. A huge asteroid is heading towards Earth; life as we know it will largely be wiped out after impact which has been determined to be approximately 6 months in the future.

Society, government, supply-and-demand ... all have altered as the possibility of the end of the world grew from a slight possibility to a certainty. After all that, who would care about just one more suicide in Concord, New Hampshire? One cop recently and rapidly promoted from patrol to replace the growing number of early retirees from the force, along with the growing number of people deciding to end it all before the meteor does.

This book can be read on two levels police procedural, and societal study. (I hate to say "Science Fiction", since there is very little science involved. Take away the mathematics of watching the asteroid approach, and science plays almost no role in this book.

I could write a whole second review simply talking about the characters in this book their thoughts, their actions, their interactions, and how masterfully the author works them ... but I'll avoid the temptation of drawing out this review any longer than it already is.

This is the first book in a trilogy. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the second book in the series along with the first, but based on my enjoyment of this tale I am already searching out the 3rd book.

RATING: 5 stars.

DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book free of charge without obligation, although the publisher did hope (without obligation) that I would be willing to read and review it for them.

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