by Ben H. Winters
Quirk Books, 2012. 316 pgs. Mystery
Suppose you were a beat cop who wanted to be a detective and you were suddenly granted your wish because the world is going to collide with an asteroid in the near future so the guys in front of you for the job have walked away from the department to work on their bucket lists or to spend the last months of remaining time with their families. This is Hank Palace's situation, and in a world where suicide is commonplace, the remaining police force of Concord, New Hampshire, thinks Hank is a nutcase for investigating a hanging in the men's room at McDonald's as a murder. And yet . . . why did the man hang himself with a belt other than his own? and why are files missing from the dead man's workplace? who was the woman hurrying towards the fatal McDonald's who quickly reverse course when she saw the police? Hank's single-minded pursuit of the truth is both exemplary and disturbing--why ruin more lives that are already universally ruined? Because things must be made right. The end of the world scenario of this detective novel makes it both thought-provoking and strange. First in a series which probably won't last too long.
LW
1 comment:
Hank Palace has always wanted to be a detective, and started working his way up as a beat cop a couple of years ago. But when the news broke that a world-ending asteroid will be hitting the planet in the near future, Palace got his wish much earlier than expected. In a time when suicides have become common, Palace can't help but feel like his latest case is more than just a suicide, but convincing his colleagues is another matter. I found the typical crime procedural much more compelling when set against the stark background of a dying world. Palace is a great character and I look forward to reading more in this series.
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