#24: World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters

As a meteor closes in on Earth, intent on bringing humanity to its end, a former policeman and quasi-private eye searches the pre-Apocalypse for his missing sister in World of Trouble, the third chapter of The Last Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters.

This is a great genre-bending series of novels, with satisfying mysteries threaded into a generally downbeat end-of-world scenario.  Overall this is a good series for fans of both apocalyptic stories as well as private eye tales, although this one relies pretty heavily on readers having completed the first two novels. 

Winters is handy with reference points from both sci-fi and mystery genres; sort of a Philip Marlowe, as protagonist in On the Beach.

Although the optimistic, such as myself, sees a narrow window for a fourth book--and I do mean a narrow window--this seems to be the end of a good storyline.  I am eager to see where Winters goes next with his writing.

I pre-ordered this on Amazon and read it quickly, eager to share with like-minded friends.

#38: Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

A small-town cop grows to believe that a suicide at a local fast-food restaurant might have actually been murder; but as a giant asteroid is coming to destroy the Earth, nobody much cares but him in Ben H. Winters' genre-bender Countdown City.

A strange mash-up indeed, as if Philip Marlowe washed up in Nevil Shute's On The Beach, and bumped in to Lew Archer.  Countdown City is a very philosophical entry in the apocalyptic genre and a cracking mystery to boot, topped with a harrowing ending (and it's not the world blowing up, this is the first of a trilogy).

This is the book I find myself recommending to everyone this season, joining The Dog Stars, Night Film, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as my recommendations to people who just enjoy good reads.

I bought this in paperback sight unseen because of a recommendation from a friend (who happens to be the cousin of the author), and was sufficiently floored enough to pass it around to several others when I was done.  Suffice to say, recommended.

#41: The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

A giant meteor is going to destroy Earth in a few months; in the meantime, a solitary policeman in a small town continues to try to hold out order against the chaos in Ben Winters' effective end-of-the world crime novel The Last Policeman.

Winters' protagonist figures out that a local suicide--one among many happening by the score across the globe--was actually a murder, and decides to solve it despite a general indifference by his colleagues and a continuing weakening of the social structure.

Satisfying as both an apocalyptic novel and a good police procedural, Winters also features an interesting lead character whose backstory is teased out slowly throughout.  There is enough left unsaid to warrant at least one more sequel (the meteor still being a ways off at the end of the story), and I will seek it out when it is released.

I bought this from Amazon because the author is the cousin of my wife's friend, if that isn't a convoluted enough reason, and found this to be a really good surprise.  Recommended for fans of both genres.