The Last Policeman

Ben H. Winters can write a compelling novel. The Last Policeman (title of both a trilogy and the first volume thereof) begins in March 2012 and concludes, along with the world, on October 3, 2012 when a giant asteroid collides with the Earth. In each volume, Detective Hank Palace works to unravel a particular mystery, but the real puzzle at the heart of the trilogy is what Albert Camus proposed as the only truly serious philosophical problem: suicide. That is, given the sobering reality that every person is born to die, what gives any person's life a meaning sufficient to make delaying that death worthwhile? 

Winters is clearly aware he is following in the footsteps of Camus's existentialist novels and philosophy, having described The Last Policeman as "existential detective novel." By condemning the entire world to destruction, Winters forces each of his characters to determine the reason that she or he will keep going. Those reasons are highly individualistic and, unsurprisingly, infrastructure rapidly unravels as hyperinflation gives way to something like martial law which in turn collapses into simple anarchy, as even members of police forces and the military cannot be compelled to uphold a system which very soon will no longer exist.

The Christian response to the existential question, of course, is found in Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." However, I recognize that those outside the Church don't recognize this wisdom, and am personally interested in how the existential question is worked through in the narrative arts. Last Night and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World are riveting cinematic examples of the genre, at least to me. I appreciate the clarity which the End of Days brings to each character's every choice.

The existential dilemma forms the background. Hank Palace and others wrestle openly with it, but what makes this trilogy a page-turner is Winters' ability to construct an opaque but plausible mystery and engaging characters. I read it as fast as I could; I suggest you do the same.