Monday, November 19, 2012

Review of The Last Policeman by Ben H Winters

 The Last Policeman

Ben H Winters
Quirk Books
ISBN13:9781594745768
288 pages

It’s been confirmed, asteroid 2011GV affectionately known as Maia is on a direct course for Earth. It’s too big to blow up, and it’s too big to avoid and it’s just the right size to end the world as we know it.
People of Concord NH are coping in different ways, the hangers, are committing  suicide, the bucket listers, have left for parts unknown to fulfill all their dreams before they die, and there are those like newly promoted detective Henry Palace who’re getting up every morning and going about their daily lives like they won’t be ending in six months.
Today Hank has another reason to do his job, a suspected suicide looks fishy to him, but to prove it’s murder he has to rely on resources that just don’t exist anymore, on specialized personnel that have long flown the coop and on citizens and witnesses who just don’t care. It’s hard to get answers when the questions are disregarded.

Ben Winters gives a unique look at apocalyptic fiction, he does this by focusing most his efforts on the day to day business of living while letting his doomsday device hang like a dark cloud over everything. His protagonist Hank Palace is young and naïve, his innocence is refreshing and his tenacity to do right by his victims is endearing. The storyline is believable yet fantastic. His characters are depicted expertly and run the gamut from good to evil, caring to indifferent, hopeful to despairing. His narrative moves effortlessly throughout the novel, is easy to read and understand. What makes it the most terrifying, is the reality that it represents, it’s that all too horrific, “could be”, image that we see that make the possible scenarios the hardest to dismiss.
Thank you Ben for a bizarre yet convincing tale of terror and I can’t wait to see where you take us and the world.

I am so pleased to announce that Ben has graciously agreed to be our guest next July when my forum at B&N.com will read and discuss this novel just in time for book two to be released.

Buy the book here visit the author's website here http://www.benhwinters.com/


2 comments:

  1. As you already know, I loved this book. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Ryan, yours too. Hope you can join us in 2013
    deb

    ReplyDelete