
Boy vs. Girl: THE LAST POLICEMAN and COUNTDOWN CITY by Ben H. Winters
Welcome to another installment of Boy vs. Girl, in which we (Casey Peterson and Marisa Atkinson) read and debate new books at least one of us is really excited about. This week we offer you a double feature, and discuss The Last Policeman and Countdown City, both by Ben H. Winters. These are Casey’s picks.
Casey: I’m going to start by saying how much I enjoyed these books. When I first heard about The Last Policeman, I knew I was going to like it. But I wasn’t prepared for how much I liked it. And then its sequel? Loved it. I’m going to guess and say that these books are a bit out of your wheelhouse: Detective novels, end of the world novels… not typically the sort of thing you’re reading, right?
Marisa: You’re right: on paper [pause for polite chuckling] these books aren’t my jam at all. But I was so into them once I started. Such is the power of Detective Henry Palace. I think readers will universally adore him.
Casey: There is something very readable about them, yeah. Both the mystery that drives each book, but definitely also Henry Palace’s voice. Marisa: Let’s talk about Henry Palace. How much do you love him on a scale of lots and lots to tons and tons? When you grow up, do you want to be Henry Palace? Casey: I think that Ben Winters really got this character right. Palace is about as hardboiled as they get. He talks to himself and he refuses to give up or settle for the easy answer. Plus, he can’t help but get tangled up in some broad’s sob story. Even if that broad is his sister… Marisa: You are right there: Winters just hit his mark so perfectly with Henry. He was sweet and earnest and bumbling in the very best way. His character could have easily gone over into cartoonish caricature territory, but instead he read as incredibly authentic. I was rooting for him, I was rolling my eyes at him, I was laughing at him a little, but mostly I believed in his mission and his ideals and I wanted him to come out triumphant. He’s like all of my favorite heart-of-gold detectives from Law & Order and Criminal Minds and Blue Bloods combined. Also, he’s a dog person, so bonus points. Casey: You’d mentioned that you liked Countdown City more than The Last Policeman. Why is that?Marisa: Something I’ve learned about my reading self in the last year or two is that I love a good pending apocalypse (or post-apocalyptic) novel. I think it started with The Age of Miracles (which to this day I’m not over and think about all the time), carried over to When She Woke, and then solidified with my late-blooming Hunger Games fever. And Countdown City was much more focused on the looming apocalypse (all of the nuances of the social, cultural, political, and scientific fallout) than The Last Policeman was. It just added another layer of drama to the whole thing that I really glommed on to.