Last Policeman Discussion #2

January is rapidly fading.  Here are some things to think about in The Last Policeman.

Many of the people Hank meets and/or interviews tell him how they are handling the news of Maia's coming.  Some go "bucket list", leaving their jobs and going off to do what "they'd always wanted to do".  Others keep on with their work, like Dr. Fenton, the pathologist, who says, "This is what I've always wanted to do." (part one, chapter 5)

Which person are you?  Would you stay with your job, your family, your community?  Or would you go do something you've always wanted to do?

What about the children?  Sophia Littlejohn keeps delivering babies. And there are more babies being born all the time.  And the Concord School District has stayed open. (part one, chapter 4)  If you had a child, what would you do?  Would you be able to control your feelings for the sake of the child?

Last Policeman nominated for Edgar award for Best Paperback Original

Each Spring, Mystery Writers of America present the Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in the genre.

Our book this month, The Last Policeman, has been nominated for the Edgar Award in the Best Paperback Original category.  This honor is very deserved and puts Winters in company with previous winners Lisa Scottoline and Harlan Colben. 

Last year's winner was The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett.  It is also a cross-over novel from a science fiction writer.

The Last Policeman Discussion #1

Different people in the book react differently to the asteroid.  Det. Palace wants to continue to investigate deaths - not assume they are all suicides.  Henry Zell keeps actuarial tables.  Others go "bucket list" - trying to fulfill their lifelong desires.

What do you think you would do?  How would you handle the uncertainty of not knowing if you will be in the area hit by the asteroid? 

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

The Last Policeman has been billed as a "pre-apocolyptic" by reviewers.

"Postapocalyptic novels are a dime a dozen, but how many good preapocalyptic novels can you name?" (Booklist, vol 108, number 21).

"In a pre-apocalyptic world, one detective still keeps watch--but to what end?" (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2012)

With six months to go before the Earth is destroyed by asteroid 2011GV1, most of the police force and the general populace have given up.  The most common call out for the police is for suicides.  On the other hand, detective Hank Palace still believes in the cause of justice.  He is called to investigate the apparent suicide of insurance agent Peter Zell.  Hank does not believe it is suicide, but cannot convince his colleagues that the death bears further investigation.

The book poses the ultimate question: what would you do if you knew the world was ending in six months? 

The Last Policeman is the first in a planned trilogy.  Good Reads reviews

Copies of the book are available at the library.

"Girls in White Dresses" Discussion #6

Where do you imagine Isabella, Mary and Lauren will be in five years? 

Did you enjoy reading the book?  What other books have you read that are similar?

Suggested Reading:

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This concludes Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close.  In January, we will discuss The Last Policeman by Ben Winters.

eBooks available for "Girls in White Dresses" and "Last Policeman"

Two books, Girls in White Dresses, and The Last Policeman, are available from the Library's Overdrive ebook service.  They can be checked out and downloaded to an ereader for 14 or 21 days.

Find the Overdrive ebooks on the library web page.  You will have to have a Grace A. Dow Memorial Library card number, and live within our legal service area.  Please call the library reference desk if you have questions:  989/837-3449.