What would you do if you knew, with 100% scientific certainty, that a six-kilometer-wide asteroid was going to slam into Earth in exactly six months? Most people in Ben Winters' world choose to "Bucket List"—they quit their jobs, do all the drugs they were afraid of, or move to the beach to watch the waves until the firestorm arrives.
But not Hank Palace.
Hank is a newly promoted detective in Concord, New Hampshire. He still wears his suit. He still shows up to the precinct, even though the phones barely work and the economy has basically evaporated into a mist of "Impact Preparation" laws. Ben Winters The Last Policeman isn't just a mystery; it’s an existential crisis wrapped in a police procedural. It asks a question that feels uncomfortably relevant in 2026: Why bother being good when the world is ending anyway?
The Hook: A Suicide That Isn't
The story kicks off in a bathroom at a defunct McDonald's. A man named Peter Zell is found hanging by an expensive leather belt. To every other cop in the room, it's just another "hanger." Concord has become a "hanger town" because, honestly, the suicide rate is skyrocketing as the asteroid (named Maia) gets closer.
Hank Palace doesn't buy it.
He notices the bruises on Zell's head. He sees the expensive belt on a guy wearing a cheap, off-the-rack suit. While the rest of the world is screaming at the sky or hoarding canned peaches, Hank starts a file. It’s absurd. It’s glorious. Winters writes this with a sort of dry, sardonic wit that makes you want to hug Hank while also telling him to just go get a drink and relax.
Why Ben Winters The Last Policeman Flipped the Genre
Usually, "end of the world" books are about the after. We've seen a million post-apocalyptic deserts. Winters decided to write the pre-apocalypse.
It’s the slow slide into the abyss that’s actually terrifying.
- The Economy of the End: Starbucks is bankrupt. 7-Eleven is gone. Marijuana is legal because the government figured, why not? But other drugs? The penalties are harsher than ever to keep a lid on the chaos.
- The Bucket Listers: This is the most "human" part of the book. People just... stop. They leave their families to find "the one that got away" or they drive across the country until they run out of gas.
- The Existential Detective: Hank Palace represents the part of us that needs order. He’s not a super-cop. He’s just a guy who likes the rules.
Winters actually did his homework here. He consulted psychologists and economists to figure out how society would actually fracture. He didn't just guess. He mapped out the "Impact Preparation Security and Stabilization Act" (IPSSA) and showed us how martial law would look if it were enacted by people who also knew they were going to die.
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The Mystery at the Center
As Hank digs into Peter Zell's life, he discovers the guy was an actuary. He calculated risks for a living. The irony is thick enough to choke on. Zell was looking into insurance fraud and life insurance claims—things that shouldn't matter in six months, but people are still greedy.
That’s the dark secret of the book: even with a giant rock heading for us, humans stay human. We still lie. We still kill for money. We still obsess over details.
Is It Science Fiction or Noir?
Honestly, it’s both. Or neither.
The New York Times called it "genre-defying," and they weren't lying. It won the Edgar Award for mystery and the Philip K. Dick Award for science fiction. That’s a rare double-crown. It works because the asteroid isn't a "problem" to be solved by a ragtag team of oil drillers (sorry, Bruce Willis). It’s just a fact. It’s a countdown.
The writing style is clipped and lean.
"I’m staring at the insurance man and he’s staring at me," Hank says at one point. It’s simple. It’s direct. The pacing mimics the ticking of a clock. You feel the six-month deadline in your bones as you turn the pages.
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The Trilogy Expansion
If you finish the first book and feel like you need more (and you will), there are two sequels: Countdown City and World of Trouble.
By the second book, the police force has been disbanded. Hank is a "private" eye in a world where "private" means he has a bicycle and a notebook. By the third, the asteroid is practically in the atmosphere. The progression from "civilized murder mystery" to "survivalist chaos" is handled so smoothly you barely notice the rug being pulled out from under you.
What Most Readers Get Wrong
A lot of people think this is a "hopeful" book because Hank is a "good" guy.
I don't think so.
Hank is a man obsessed. His dedication to the law is almost a mental illness in this context. He isn't necessarily trying to save the world; he’s trying to save himself from the realization that his life meant nothing. By solving Peter Zell's murder, he validates his own existence. It’s a selfish kind of nobility, and that’s what makes it feel so real.
You’ve got characters like his sister, Nico, who falls into conspiracy theories. She thinks the government is hiding a way to stop it. That’s another human trait Winters nails: the inability to accept a "no-win" scenario. We have to believe there’s an ark or a laser or a secret base.
Actionable Insights for Readers and Writers
If you're looking to dive into Ben Winters The Last Policeman, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Read it as a character study: Don't focus solely on the "whodunnit." Focus on why Hank cares. If you can understand his motivation, the ending of the trilogy will hit you like a ton of bricks.
- Pay attention to the background noise: The news reports and radio snippets Winters includes are masterclasses in world-building. They tell a story of a world giving up in real-time.
- Notice the lack of technology: As the grid fails, the mystery gets harder. It’s a great look at how much our modern justice system relies on things that can be switched off.
Whether you're a fan of noir or high-concept sci-fi, this series is essential. It doesn't give you easy answers. It doesn't promise a happy ending. It just shows you a guy doing his job while the sky falls.
Next Steps for the Last Policeman Experience:
- Track down the Quirk Books original paperback: The cover art with the asteroid "dots" is iconic and sets the mood perfectly.
- Compare it to Winters' later work: Check out Underground Airlines if you want to see how he handles alternate history with the same "grounded" feel.
- Look for the TV adaptation rumors: While it’s been optioned several times (once by Lorenzo di Bonaventura), reading the source material is the only way to get the full existential weight of Hank’s journey.