21st Century Literature discussion
1/22 Last Policeman
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The Last Policeman - Full Book, spoilers ok
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I'll admit that 25% in, I thought I had solved the case. I was sure Zell had analyzed data and found the asteroid wasn't actually going to hit the earth, and that he was killed for that for some reason. I liked that Winters leaves you all kinds of clues to make you suspicious of everyone, but not enough that you could reasonably figure it out.
And I quite liked the middle section where they rule it a suicide, just before new evidence definitively makes it a murder.
What did others thing of the ending?
I was definitely drawn in by this book. The personal fight against nihilism I thought was the best aspect but the mystery part is decent too. I liked the fact that Hank gets it wrong - and not just once. He is a very young and inexperienced detective, with his little blue notebooks writing things down verbatim, and that is pretty rare in the genre. Although I was pretty suspicious of the husband when he first showed up, it took a while to see how it all connected. From a craft perspective, it felt a bit like old-fashioned noir which is the right tone for Hank, both because the world around him is dark and because he is using tradition as an anchor.
I ended up reading all three books in the series. The first one is the best, I think, but they make a nice whole, good story, ending that makes sense. I've become somewhat weary of the trope of the messed-up detective. Why do detectives need to be hungry, tired, beat up, seriously injured, etc. before they can solve the case? Do detectives have to be brutalized?
I do appreciate the character of Henry. He's clearly trying to make sense of a world that he's stuck in. His own circumstances and the meta circumstances make that a tall order. It's also interesting to read this alongside On the Beach (about nuclear holocaust), and the new film Don't Look Up (almost exactly the same asteroid).
Jenna wrote: "The personal fight against nihilism I thought was the best aspect but the mystery part is decent too."That aspect felt like the distinguisher between a typical mystery novel vs something more "literary fiction." But then again, I haven't read that many mysteries.
I also like your note that the world around him is dark. It's such a dark setting for a book - the end of the world, suicides happening all over the place - but it didn't feel like a depressing read to me. It had a good pace that kept me interested, and I had hope that there was still good in the world despite all the gloom.
Catherine wrote: "I ended up reading all three books in the series. The first one is the best, I think, but they make a nice whole, good story, ending that makes sense. I've become somewhat weary of the trope of t..."
Catherine that makes me want to read the next two. I'd love to see how it ends... And interesting to compare against two other apocalyptic pieces.
What point do you think Winters was trying to make about society or humanity with the story?
Civilization is a collective act, and it requires faith in the future for most of us. Hank is the only person around who wouldn't fail the marshmallow test even now, because he wants to believe that civilization had some intrinsic value for even tiny amounts of time, that policing is good, it's what he always wanted to do right? Being a detective and keeping the world safe IS his bucket list. But it's also weird because the status quo is bad for a lot of folks- the setting in a pretty homogeneous cultural environment takes this off the table letting us enjoy Hank without having to ask whether all aspects of the status quo really should be defended to the end.
Jenna wrote: "Civilization is a collective act, and it requires faith in the future for most of us. Hank is the only person around who wouldn't fail the marshmallow test even now, because he wants to believe tha..."I am so struck by how humbly dogged Hank is, like you say Jenna, at least partly because being a detective is all that he's ever wanted to be (and I loved that Winters saved the reveal about why till towards the end of the book, keeping the reader wondering). I was so touched that as he piecemeal lost the tools of this trade, he never slowed down - starting by using those test-taking blue books from school to take notes, and ending up riding his bicycle for hours to follow an important lead.
The sad, humble, dogged detective is an old trope, but I never tire of Winters' version, and I've met two others so far, in Underground Airlines and Golden State.
I read this book and two others, but not in this series, by Winters during 2020. I read them all in audio while on long walks/hikes. They were decent company. This one, while the earliest written, was the best. I rated all 3 at three stars. I picked them up on Audible because they were free or on sale. If I were to find the other two in this series on Audible either free or on sale I would consider obtaining and reading. I had to read my review to remember this book (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) . One does have to admire his doggedness.
Bretnie wrote: "Catherine wrote: "I ended up reading all three books in the series. The first one is the best, I think, but they make a nice whole, good story, ending that makes sense. I've become somewhat weary..."
Bretnie wrote: "Catherine wrote: "I ended up reading all three books in the series. The first one is the best, I think, but they make a nice whole, good story, ending that makes sense.
I've become somewhat weary..."
Good question. I think of this scene from Young Guns 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgqjO...
(The transcript is something like this:
Three men are playing Fantan when someone runs up and tells them that the world is ending. The first man says, “I’m going to go to the temple and pray.” The second man says, “I’m going to get a case of mescal and six whores. The third man says, “I shall finish the game.”)
This isn't quite what's going on. But I think the view in the book is that people react differently, and a few will just, doggedly, finish the game.
Catherine wrote: "This isn't quite what's going on. But I think the view in the book is that people react differently, and a few will just, doggedly, finish the game."I love this analogy, Catherine, I think it captures a good deal of the story Winters was probably trying to tell.
Linda, since you read it a while back, does anything specific stick out to you from what you remember? Either positive or negative or neutral? What stayed with you 2 years later?
Great quote Catherine! I just read the second two books, and I wont spoil, but as the astroid's approach swells from impending imminence to immediacy, I thought that Winter gives us a great progression in Hank's emotional landscape as well. The mystery part of the books fades into background noise (for the reader if not for Hank) and we are left with vivid portraits of diverse human reactions to fear, especially Hank's, which I thought was successfully rendered and experienced.
Jenna wrote: "Great quote Catherine! I just read the second two books, and I wont spoil, but as the astroid's approach swells from impending imminence to immediacy, I thought that Winter gives us a great progres..."Good to know, Jenna. I'm not much of a series reader, especially when the series is 'more of the same', with the detective solving another mystery. I should have known that Winters would do more than that. Now I'm really looking forward to the others!
Interesting Jenna! I have too many series that I've started and not finished, and I'd love to pick some of them back up, so maybe a goal for 2022 for me to continue some of the series I've liked.
Bretnie, I remember the rather strenuous walk I was on when I read this more than the book, but I what did stick was how tenacious the young detective was and how focused he was on solving the case despite the encouragement to let it just be a suicide. That is a key trait of my favorite detectives and PI's.
I jotted down a quote from the book that stood out to me capturing the post-asteroid society:"It's exhausting. People hiding behind the asteroid like it's an excuse for poor conduct, for miserable and desperate and selfish behavior, everyone ducking in its comet tail like children in mommy's skirts."
I think I jotted it down since it felt so relevant today even without an asteroid. I find myself disappointed with people usually when they are being terrible hiding behind something else.
I don’t mean to be condescending it is only my opinion. Some parts of the book I found compelling, the coming apocalypse, reactions to that knowledge and the heroes maintaining what is right to his mind, the delivery of justice and so on as his way of coping. The mystery was secondary and it was a bit stop start for me, good distraction don’t think I will be reading the rest of the series.
Differing opinions welcome Greg! What parts didn’t work as well for you? (Or others?)
21st Century Literature
Books mentioned in this topic
Underground Airlines (other topics)Golden State (other topics)
Much happens after part 2 - we think Zell's death is resolved, but then everything changes.
What did you think of the last third of the book and how things unfolded?