Countdown city

by Ben H. Winters

eBook, 320 pages

English language

Published July 16, 2013 by Quirk Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-59474-627-7
Goodreads:: 17288905

Detective Hank Palace returns in the second in the speculative mystery trilogy set on the brink of the apocalypse.

There are just 77 days before a deadly asteroid collides with Earth, and Detective Palace is out of a job. With the Concord police force operating under the auspices of the U.S. Justice Department, Hank's days of solving crimes are over...until a woman from his past begs for help finding her missing husband.

Brett Cavatone disappeared without a trace—an easy feat in a world with no phones, no cars, and no way to tell whether someone’s gone “bucket list” or just gone. With society falling to shambles, Hank pieces together what few clues he can, on a search that leads him from a college-campus-turned-anarchist-encampment to a crumbling coastal landscape where anti-immigrant militia fend off “impact zone” refugees.

Countdown City presents another fascinating mystery set on brink of an …

Detective Hank Palace returns in the second in the speculative mystery trilogy set on the brink of the apocalypse.

Countdown City presents another fascinating mystery set on brink of an apocalypse--and once again, Hank Palace confronts questions way beyond "whodunit." What do we as human beings owe to one another? And what does it mean to be civilized when civilization is collapsing all around you?

5 editions

Phil in SF reviewed Countdown city by Ben H. Winters (The Last Policeman, #2)

The end of the world as they know it and no one is fine

4 stars

Henry Palace, former policeman, along with the rest of the world has like 77 days until an asteroid slams into Earth ending life as they know it.

There being a shortage of food, no monetary economy and not much to do except wait for the end of civilization, Palace agrees to take on a case finding the husband of someone he knows.

It's way more shit happens on the way to the apocalypse than detective fiction, where The Last Policeman was a good combination. A good the apocalypse is on us story, though there's a few too many characters to keep straight, and the plot is more complex than it should have been.

Henry Palace, former policeman, along with the rest of the world has like 77 days until an asteroid slams into Earth ending life as they know it.

There being a shortage of food, no monetary economy and not much to do except wait for the end of civilization, Palace agrees to take on a case finding the husband of someone he knows.

Rick Klau reviewed Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

Review of 'Countdown City' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Intriguing, challenging follow-up to the first book in the series. When I finished the first, I didn't know where a sequel would go – and this did a great job of continuing the story in a new and different way. Unlike the first, it clearly telegraphs where the next book will focus – but that doesn't take away from the overall story.

There were times I wished Winters would share more as it played out... when Hank figures something out but won't explain it, it left me frustrated that I'd have to keep reading to learn whatever it was. It didn't detract from the story so much as it distracted me from it – I still enjoyed reading the story, and am looking forward to the third entry in the series. Just wanted the author to trust us with the revelations as they happened.

I continue to enjoy the mix …