The Last Policeman
Cover of U.S. paperback original
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| Author | Ben H. Winters |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Doogie Horner |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
Soft science fiction, police procedural |
| Publisher | Quirk Books |
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Publication date
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July 10, 2012 |
| Media type | paperback original, ebook |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | |
| LC Class | 2011963358 |
| Followed by | Countdown City, World of Trouble |
The Last Policeman is a 2012 American soft science fiction mystery novel by Ben H. Winters. It follows a police detective in New Hampshire as he investigates a suicide he believes was really a murder. His efforts are complicated by the social, political and economic effects of preparations for, and anticipation of, an asteroid impact six months in the future.
Winters describes the work as an "existential detective novel", turning on the question of why people do things in spite of their long-term unimportance. He consulted with experts not only in astronomy and police techniques but psychology and economics. The book was well received by critics, and won the 2012 Edgar Award in the category Best Paperback Original. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has optioned it for a possible television series. It is the first in a trilogy; Winters published Countdown City, the second volume, in mid-2013.World of Trouble, the final Last Policeman novel, was released in July 2014.
The novel is divided into four parts—"Hanger Town", "Non-Negligible Probabilities", "Wishful Thinking", and "Soon, They Will"—each containing five chapters, and an epilogue. Each part has an introductory graphic giving the date, and the asteroid's right ascension, declination, elongation and delta, or distance from Earth, in astronomical units. The first part is dated March 20; the epilogue, April 11.
In April 2011, astronomers discover a new asteroid, 2011GV1. Analysis of its unusual orbit shows that it may come very close to Earth soon. By August, not only is that likely, the probability of an impact reaches five percent, triggering an economic panic that results in the bankruptcy of prominent corporations including McDonald's, 7-Eleven, Dunkin' Donuts, and Starbucks. Panera it is noted in the book still exist but their founders have undergone a cultlike religious rebirth and staffed them with people who share their beliefs.
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