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The Last Policeman
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The Last Policeman Paperback - 2013

by Ben H. Winters

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Reader reviews for The Last Policeman

From the publisher

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

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(R) Award for Best Paperback Original!

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?

Details

  • Title The Last Policeman
  • Author Ben H. Winters
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition UNABRIDGED VERSI
  • Pages 336
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Quirk Books, Philadelphia, PA
  • Publication date 2013-05-13
  • ISBN 9781594746741 / 1594746745
  • Weight 0.65 lbs (0.29 kg)
  • Dimensions 8 x 5.2 x 1 in (20.32 x 13.21 x 2.54 cm)
  • Themes
    • Demographic Orientation: Urban
    • Geographic Orientation: New Hampshire
  • Category Fiction - Mystery/ Detective
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2013935622
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

“The best genre fiction holds a mirror up to society while also providing edge-of-the-seat excitement, and The Last Policeman did that and more.”—Las Vegas City Life

...a heck of a lot of fun.”—Locus

“Winters constructs a sturdy, functional, entertaining page-turner.”—Greg Cook, WBUR.org

“I'm eager to read the other books, and expect that they’ll keep me as enthralled as the first one did.”—Mark Frauenfedler, Boing Boing
 
“...darkly intriguing...”—Discover magazine

“Full of compelling twists, likable characters, and a sad beauty, The Last Policeman is a gem.”—San Francisco Book Review

“...resonant and powerful.”—Locus

“This is a book that asks big questions about civilization, community, desperation and hope.”—io9

“...an entertaining and well-plotted tale.”—Wired.com's GeekDad

“I'm in the middle of it and can't put the dang thing down.”—USA Today's Pop Candy
 
“...sharp, funny, and deeply wise.”—Slate.com

The Last Policeman succeeds both as a mystery, with a quirky detective and an intriguing whodunit, and as a piece of apocalyptic speculative fiction. That’s good news. The even better news is that this novel is supposed to be the first of a planned trilogy, with each case occurring closer to the moment when, as Henry repeatedly notes, ‘Bam!’ And that is something we can anticipate with a good feeling.”—Sacramento News & Review

“Winters is masterful in crafting a plausible image of a society that’s hanging onto sanity by its fingernails as it teeters on the edge of mass hysteria....This is a novel that grabs ahold of you and doesn’t let you go until the very end.”—The Nashua Telegraph

“If the next two books are as good as this one, I can't wait for the end of the world.”—Asbury Park Press

“...a solidly plotted whodunit with strong characters and excellent dialogue...This memorable tale is the first of a planned trilogy.”—Booklist

“This thought-provoking mystery should appeal to crime fiction aficionados who like an unusual setting and readers looking for a fresh take on apocalypse stories.”—Library Journal

“Ben Winters vividly describes the decline of civilization in this pre-apocalyptic story, and spins a wonderful tale...This engrossing story is the first in a planned trilogy. It is a well-written mystery that will have readers eagerly awaiting the second installment.”—NY Journal of Books

The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States.”—Tor.com

“Ben Winters makes noir mystery even darker: his latest novel sets a despondent detective on a suspicious suicide case—while an asteroid hurtles toward earth.”—Wired magazine

“Normally, only Stephen King and Dean Koontz can suck me into a book and not release their stranglehold until I, exhausted from lack of sleep, have turned the last page. Now [Ben Winters] has joined their ranks...The Last Policeman is extraordinary—as well as brilliant, surprising, and, considering the circumstances, oddly uplifting.”—Mystery Scene magazine
 
Absolutely outstanding, I completely loved it from start to finish and I’m already rueing the fact that there will only be two more in the series...this gets the highest recommendation I can give. Buy it.”—In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel

“A promising kickoff to a planned trilogy. For Winters, the beauty is in the details rather than the plot’s grim main thrust.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review

Citations

  • Library Journal, 03/01/2015, Page 56

About the author

Ben H. Winters is the New York Times best-selling, Edgar Award-winning, and Philip K. Dick Award-winning author of The Quiet Boy, Golden State, Underground Airlines, the Last Policeman trilogy, and the mash-up novel Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Ben has also worked extensively in television; he was a writer on the FX cult hit Legion as well as Manhunt on Apple TV+, and he is the creator of the CBS drama Tracker. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.

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The Last Policeman: A Novel
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The Last Policeman: A Novel

by Winters, Ben

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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)

by Winters, Ben H.

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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)
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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)

by Winters, Ben H.

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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)
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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)

by Winters, Ben H.

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The Last Policeman

The Last Policeman

by Ben H. Winters

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The Last Policeman

The Last Policeman

by Winters, Ben H.

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The Last Policeman : A Novel
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The Last Policeman : A Novel

by Winters, Ben H

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The Last Policeman : A Novel
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The Last Policeman : A Novel

by Winters, Ben H

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781594746741 / 1594746745
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Description:
Quirk Books. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Last Policeman : A Novel
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The Last Policeman : A Novel

by Winters, Ben H

  • Used
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Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781594746741 / 1594746745
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Description:
Quirk Books. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)
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The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy)

by Winters, Ben H

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