Ben H. Winters

Losing his job in the wake of an asteroid collision that is set to decimate the planet in 74 days, Detective Hank Palace agrees to help a woman from his past find her missing husband in a world that is rapidly descending into apocalyptic chaos. By the Edgar Award-nominated author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Original.

Countdown City

Dave | Storyphoria

While I enjoyed Countdown City more than The Last Policeman, it didn’t leave me NEEDING to see how this trilogy would end.

I’ll be finishing it for sure and the second book absolutely left me feeling a little more curious than the first did, in terms of what comes next, but it still hasn’t completely HOOKED me, if that makes sense.

It is still suffering from an identity crisis as the missing persons half of the story still butts heads with the impending doomsday from the asteroid half of the story and the ending left me feeling a bit like it just fizzled out or I missed something.

Overall it's an enjoyable ride and the series IS getting better with each book. It's a decent, though not "Blow your socks off" great, series and while I don't put it at the top of my favorite books list, it absolutely doesn't feel like I want a refund of my time. 

You can read my FULL review over on the AIC Stories website at :

http://aicstories.com

Janice Hopper

Books like this usually worry me & make me depressed. And make no mistake, this is a grim book. But I really like what the author is doing with the story. I like the main character, and wish him well, even at (almost) the end of the world.

Ben Nathan

It was good. Not as good as the first one, but still interesting and engaging. I think the world being built is unique and makes sense to me. That said, I have this feeling that book 3 will be better than book 2 was. The twists in this one are less gradual as he seems more interested in developing the world and the sense of false hope out there. Again, good though I wouldn't read it unless you love the first one and need more.

Bryan Alexander

With Countdown City I continue my belated education in the mystery genre. I also carry on reading Ben Winters' Last Policeman series, as I read its first book several months ago (review). Overall, this was a pleasure to read, combining a solid mystery plot with descriptions of the end of the world.

If you haven't read this book or its predecessor, that combination is what the story's about. An asteroid is going to strike the Earth and wipe out the human race, which has caused cultural panic. Amid this crisis a New Hampshire detective tries to solve cases, despite everything.

In Countdown City Henry Palace works a missing person case, despite having been kicked off the force, and the general lack of anyone caring, or being willing to help. A neighbor wants help tracking down her husband, and Palace sets to work. I can't say much more without entering spoilerland. Suffice to say things aren't what they seem, and many twist and turns ensue.

Meanwhile, the world-killing asteroid draws ever closer, and civilization is degrading. Winters excels at sketching out this pre-apocalyptic vision, showing vivid, often personal details. The gloom and desperation of this makes Palace appear heroic, even quixotic, in the best detective story tradition. Down these soon-to-be-liquified streets a man must go.

These two genres integrate brilliantly at the novel's conclusion, and here I must flag spoilers. (view spoiler)[Palace tracks down the missing man in a series of increasingly desperate, then tragic situations: a utopian student commune, Coast Guard ships massacring refugees, a water riot turns into civil war, and which sets the state capitol on fire. Along the way Palace connects with his sister, Nico, and learns that she's part of a group that hopes to blast the asteroid away just before impact. Finally Palace flees the state and holes up with cop buddies, plus a friendly crack dealer/coffee supplier.  (hide spoiler)]

I found the book hard to stop reading, actually. The mystery engaged me, and the end of the world especially grabbed my attention. I recommend this to other readers, and look forward to The Last Policeman's (and the human race's) conclusion.

Countdown City

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