Cover image of "Countdown City," a novel in which the world is falling apart

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Martha Milano’s husband, Brett, is missing. Actually, she’s Martha Cavatone, because that’s his name. But Hank Palace remembers her as the girl in high school he had a crush on when she babysat him and his little sister. And now a tearful Martha has turned to him to find Brett. Even though he’s no longer a detective with the Concord Police Department, Hank can’t resist the opportunity to do something. Because the world is falling apart all around them. “On October third, seventy-seven days from today, the asteroid 2011GV1, 6.5 kilometers in diameter, will plow into planet Earth and destroy us all.” And people are “leaving in droves on their Bucket List adventures.” Which no doubt explains Brett’s absence, Hank thinks. But off he goes on another innocuous investigation that will pull him into a secretive conspiracy that claims to know how to stop the asteroid.

The threads of civilization are unraveling

Here we are again, then, in Concord, New Hampshire, as the world is about to come to an end. In The Last Policeman, we learned of the long, increasingly desperate search through the skies for the asteroid’s path. And we saw as the scientists became 100 percent certain that a collision would occur, the threads of civilization began to unravel at an accelerating pace. Government services faltered. Electricity, water, police protection, and the food supply—all became increasingly erratic. Destructive and sometimes homicidal gangs roam the streets despite martial law and near-ubiquitous police presence. The suicide rate is skyrocketing. And millions of refugees from the Eastern Hemisphere are on their way to the USA, because that’s where the asteroid will hit. And now, in Countdown City, Hank’s search for Brett Cavatone forces him to navigate through Concord’s ever more dangerous streets on a case even he thinks is foolish.

Countdown City (The Last Policeman #2 of 3) by Ben H. Winters (2013) 316 pages ★★★★☆

Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award

Artist's conception of an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Even before it strikes, the world is falling apart.
In less than three months, the killer asteroid in this novel, like the one depicted here, will collide with Earth. Billions will die. But will everyone? Image: NASA/Goddard

There’s a lot of dying going on

Naturally, Hank’s investigation turns out to be anything but foolish. And he’s a talented detective who manages against great odds to track Brett down, only to see him killed. But there’s a lot of dying going on all around. And as a fellow former detective observes, “I suppose it would be useless to note . . . that there is no point in investigating anything. It’s not like, you find this killer, and he’s locked up and you get a promotion. The office of the attorney general is shuttered. There are literally raccoons living in there.” And in any case, what Hank discovers along the way is that Brett is himself on a mission. He’s set out to take on the United States government single-handedly. And somehow that doesn’t seem as ridiculous as it sounds. No more so, in any case, than the mysterious conspiracy Hank’s sister, Nico, is trying to drag him into.

About the author

Photo of Ben H. Winters, author of this novel in which the world is falling apart
Ben H. Winters. Image: Amazon

Wikipedia notes that “Benjamin Allen H. “Ben” Winters is an American author. He is best known for mystery/sci-fi novels such as The Last Policeman and Underground Airlines, and for creating the CBS show Tracker.” Winters was born in Maryland in 1976 and  graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. He’s the author of twelve novels, five plays, and numerous other written works. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.

You’ll find my review of the novel preceding Countdown City at The Last Policeman (A mystery set on the cusp of an apocalypse).

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