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The Last Exit

Michael Kaufman

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 8 ratings · 8 reviews

Perfect for fans of Tom Sweterlitsch's The Gone World . In this thrilling futuristic novel, the secret to eternal life is closely guarded by people who will do anything to protect it -- even if it means destroying everything in their path.

Set in Washington D.C. 20 years from now, climate change has hit hard, fires are burning, unemployment is high, and co ...more

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Hardcover, 298 pages

Published January 12th 2021 by Crooked Lane Books

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Nov 29, 2020 Lukasz rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, netgalley, sci-fi

Review to come but it's neat. ...more

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Nov 06, 2020 AC rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

The Last Exit features two main characters:on is Jen Lu, a cop in a near-future earth where climate change has ravaged the planet and the Russians appear to have taken over DC(?) but we still have a President and Vice resident. The other is Chandler, an AI implant in Lu's head, who only "lives" for five years.

The world of this future has those in their late 40s and early 50s having a good chance of contracting mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in this work, changed slightly to The Last Exit features two main characters:on is Jen Lu, a cop in a near-future earth where climate change has ravaged the planet and the Russians appear to have taken over DC(?) but we still have a President and Vice resident. The other is Chandler, an AI implant in Lu's head, who only "lives" for five years.

The world of this future has those in their late 40s and early 50s having a good chance of contracting mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in this work, changed slightly to become the acronym ROSE). The top scientists have decided it's because there are too many old people, so the official policy becomes this: a child can receive the treatment for ROSE, but only if their parents decide to exit when they reach their mid 60s. The policy, of course, tends to result in a lot of elder abuse, with parents at time being abused by their children because the parents don't want to exit. The mega-rich, naturally, live by a different set of rules - they neither have to exit, nor do their children lack for the treatment, should they need it. The adults who seem to live forever are called Timeless, a strata unreachable for the usual day to day population.

Lu hears rumors of something called Eden - she isn't sure if it's a place or a treatment, but keeps running into mention of it, usually at murder scenes. She mentions it to her boss, but he tells her to stow it and focus on her job. But with Eden popping up again and again, she can't help but poke into it, despite the warnings from her boss, and despite the shadowy figures, including a rep from BigPharma, of course, who meet with her precinct to warn of a counterfeit treatment that causes people to age like progeria on steroids, leaving them dead within three days. Conspiracies galore!

The AI, Chandler, seems to be a route through which the author can get to the reader without it being infodumpy, and it does work to an extent. There were a couple of times when I wondered how it could have seen anything if Lu just scanned past something. These were minor issues, though.

Overall, it isn't a bad mystery, and while the social justice stuff is here, it is not completely in your face, so if you're of a more conservative bent, it likely won't be too preachy for you.

Three and a half stars out of five, rounded up to four.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

...more

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Nov 16, 2020 Roger Hyttinen rated it really liked it

The Last Exit is a dystopian sci-fi crime novel that follows Jen Lu, a detective in the Elder Abuse Unit, and Chandler, a SIM implant that is embedded in her brain. Her interaction with Chandler was kind of akin to having a conversation with a voice inside your head — although Chandler’s personality is that of a snarky, tough guy, which I found quite amusing. I immensely enjoyed the banter between Chandler and Jen and loved seeing Chandler’s personality develop throughout the pages.

In this world The Last Exit is a dystopian sci-fi crime novel that follows Jen Lu, a detective in the Elder Abuse Unit, and Chandler, a SIM implant that is embedded in her brain. Her interaction with Chandler was kind of akin to having a conversation with a voice inside your head — although Chandler’s personality is that of a snarky, tough guy, which I found quite amusing. I immensely enjoyed the banter between Chandler and Jen and loved seeing Chandler’s personality develop throughout the pages.

In this world, people are encouraged to “Exit” when they reach the age of 65; that is to say, they are expected to agree to kill themselves. Once they do, their children will be given the Treatment that’ll protect them against a deadly disease called ROSE, an illness similar to Mad Cow except that it’s fatal for a high percentage of the population. If the parents refuse to exit, the children are subsequently denied the Treatment. Needless to say, this opens the door to all sorts of elder abuse, with children forcing their parents to exit should they refuse.

Of course, all these rules don’t pertain to the mega-wealthy who are not required to exit at all and who can partake of a different treatment guaranteed to provide everlasting life (people who have this are called “The Timeless.”)

So what we have here, then, is a society where the wealthy can prolong their lives indefinitely, whereas those who aren’t rich are expected to terminate their life so that their children don’t die before their time (of 65). I found the idea of this society extremely intriguing….and chilling.

The intrigue of this story, however, lies in a black market version of the longevity drug called Eden and the subsequent outbreak of people experiencing accelerated aging and then dying, all within a couple of days. As detective Lu investigates, she unearths a mystery that runs a lot deeper than anyone had initially thought. She ends up getting thrust into the center of a deadly conspiracy. There are also those — including her boss — demanding that she abandon her investigation.

I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book and loved how each piece of the tightly plotted puzzle falls slowly into place as we race to the finish line. The author redefines here the boundaries of crime fiction with a novel that is part dystopian/sci-fi, part thriller, and part mystery. I loved Jen’s character in this book; she’s intelligent, relentless, and determined, and the crisp banter between her and Chandler caused several laugh-out-loud moments.

But at the end of the day, I found this to be an engrossing and intelligent story — a complex, somewhat chaotic, dark, and entertaining read as we follow the sinister and menacing machinations of a foe whose identity is up to Jen to uncover. And in so doing, puts her own life in danger. Weird, wacky, and wonderful!

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book. ...more

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Jan 04, 2021 Kathy rated it really liked it

The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman is an imaginative sci-fi mystery set in the future.

With an AI brain implant named Chandler, Jen Lu is a detective with the DC Metro's Elder Abuse Unit. Elder abuse has become a serious issue because parents must "exit" when they turn 65 in order to let their children receive the "Timeless" treatment that will save them from a rapid onset spongiform encephalitis. If they do not exit, their children will die a horrific death. Jen has heard mention of "Eden" which The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman is an imaginative sci-fi mystery set in the future.

With an AI brain implant named Chandler, Jen Lu is a detective with the DC Metro's Elder Abuse Unit. Elder abuse has become a serious issue because parents must "exit" when they turn 65 in order to let their children receive the "Timeless" treatment that will save them from a rapid onset spongiform encephalitis. If they do not exit, their children will die a horrific death. Jen has heard mention of "Eden" which appears to be a black market version of the treatment. When she mentions her suspicions to her boss Captain Kyrie Brooks, he tells her there is nothing for her to investigate. But when people begin dying from an advanced form of the encephalitis, Jen ignores Brooks' order and soon stumbles into a possible conspiracy. Will Jen uncover the truth before more people die?

Jen is in her late thirties and loves her career. With her mother nearing the age of 65, Jen is struggling a bit with the upcoming exit. Her childhood was quite abusive but her mother's dementia has changed her into a completely different person. Jen has been in a yearlong casual relationship with Zach whose parents have no worries about their exit. Zach, on the other hand, is against their decision even if it might cost his life. Since Jen has not opened up to him about her childhood, he does not understand how she can be so at ease with what is about to happen to her mother. Jen and Zach are growing closer, but since she is unable to tell him about Chandler, she is uncertain about the future of their relationship.

Jen's partner Les is also her best friend but she is keeping her Eden investigation from him. So when she is forced to go a bit rogue, she is on her own except for assistance from an unexpected group of people. She is inventive as she gains access to details that will hopefully lead her to the answers she is searching for. Cool advances in technology are also quite beneficial when she discovers she only has a short period of time to catch the people responsible for distributing the drugs that are causing the multitude of deaths from the advanced encephalitis. When she finds herself in a very dangerous situation, is there any chance Jen will escape? And will her suspects escape before they can be brought to justice?

The Last Exit is a riveting mystery with a fantastic cast of characters and a creative storyline. The sci-fi elements are richly developed and easy to visualize. Jen's investigation is fascinating and moves at a brisk pace. With intriguing twists and turns, Michael Kaufman brings this clever futuristic movie to an edge of the seat conclusion. This exciting first installment of the Jen Lu Mystery series will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. ...more

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Dec 06, 2020 Trijntje rated it really liked it

This is the second fantasy book I've read recently set in the not-terribly-distant future, with lots of adjustments for what that future might look like.
In this future, climate change is accepted and its effects are woven into everyday life, which is an interesting take: at some point we're all going to have to live with it, and this is a glimpse of what that future looks like - when it's simply accepted that there is no more green grass in public spaces, the temperature in Washington DC is in ...more

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Dec 24, 2020 Maggie Holmes rated it liked it

Shelves: books-read-in-2020, prepub

This book is a fast read with interesting characters. However, it really reads like a movie script. Lots of action, descriptions of characters, tension. It wraps up a little too neatly, although the climate has already been destroyed so I'm not sure anyone will really live very long. I would have thought DC would be underwater by now.
There isn't enough depth to make it good for a book discussion, or for a reread. It would be a good audiobook with the two voices of Jen and Chandler.
Supposedly th ...more

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Sep 20, 2020 Paul rated it really liked it

The plot and many aspects of this tale feel quite timely in the fall of 2020. I liked this scifi story because of the characters, the engaging plot, and the somewhat realistic future portrayed. I don't know if this could be considered a thriller, but it does contain a mystery. With good tech and good writing, many scifi fans will probably like this one.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!! ...more

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Jan 11, 2021 Jaymie added it

Shelves: dnf-2021

I wanted to like this. I wanted it to be like Lock In (Scalzi) with the law enforcement mystery AND the science fiction pieces. But it just didn't click for me. DNF 30%. ...more

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