This review can also be found at Things I Found While Shelving 
 Most of the time when reading dystopian fiction, its set after whatever apocalyptic catastrophe - man made or natural - already happened, and humans are trying to piece the wreckage back together and turn the ravaged world back into a place they want to live. 
 In The Last Policeman, Ben H. Winters brings us something different. This isn't a post-apocalyptic society. It's a pre-apocalyptic society. There's an asteroid heading for Earth and it's going to hit and there's nothing anybody can do about it. In this world where they're simply waiting for the end, the police force's power and inclination to do their job has lessened and lessened. Why? Because the world is ending, so what's the point? 
 But Detective Hank Palace is set on doing his job and doing it well. When a case that looks like another suicide turns up, Palace is convinced it's a murder, and despite the mockery of his fellow policemen, Palace does everything he can to investigate. He makes a few wrong turns, follows some red herrings, but he is persistent and certain in his conclusions. 
 Well written, with an interestingly crafted world - the world giving up as it waits for the end - The Last Policemen is a gripping read and definitely a good choice for anyone fond of detective novels. 
 My only complaint is that, towards the end when Palace knows who the killer is, he goes over it in his head but doesn't tell the reader. Which would be fine. Except this is in first person. It throws me every time. We're in Palace's head, and he's telling us he's thinking over his evidence and his conclusions, but he doesn't tell us what they are, and it's just weird...