My reading theme for the month (‘last’ in the title) spilled over into my mystery reading as well. I’m glad – because I discovered a couple of excellent new-to-me series.

 

* * * * * * *

1. THE LAST POLICEMAN by Ben H. Winters #1 Last Policeman series (Fiction, Literary, Trilogy, American)

Although I’ve listed this among my mystery books for the month, The Last Policeman could really be classified as a non-genre examination of what happens to society when people know the earth is going to be destroyed.

Scientists have determined that a meteorite will smash into earth in October and destroy life as we know it. Society is crumbling around Henry Palace, still trying to do his job as a Concord NH detective, a job to which he was recently promoted. He’s working on an apparent suicide that he feels is murder.

Winters say in understatement: “The end of the world changes everything, from a law-enforcement perspective.” We might question why even bother to investigate. But Winters convinces us that Henry is doing the only possible thing he can do.

I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this trilogy.

4½ stars

2. SAVAGE RUN by C.J. Box #2 Joe Pickett (Fiction, Mystery, Series, American)

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is called to investigate an act of counter-eco-terrorism in the Bighorn Mountains.

This is a sometimes funny, sometimes angry sequel to Open Season which I read and very much liked in April 2015. Reviewer Barry Trinkle says: “Box depicts the spare beauty and cussed individualism of the Intermountain West with the sure hand of a seasoned writer.”

I’m definitely continuing on with this series.

4½ stars

 
3. THE LAST DETECTIVE by Peter Lovesey #1 Peter Diamond (Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Series, English)

This was published in 1991 when computers had been in the general work force about 15 years but were not nearly as developed as today. Peter Diamond is the ‘last detective’ because he still insists that leg-work, and not computers, is what will solve a case.

I like Peter Diamond and enjoyed seeing him rely on the ‘old’ methods of detecting, while not completely ignoring the advantages of computer technology. This had a good mystery, with lots of dry humour.

By degrees, the pain spread and became less intense. Diamond opened his eyes. They watered copiously. Just as well, he told himself grimly, because he doubted whether the organ intended for watering would ever function again.

I do intend to carry on with this series. A big thank you to Cathy at Kittling: Books for bringing Lovesey— & Diamond—to my attention.

4 stars

4. A LAST GOODBYE by J.A. Jance (novella) Ali Reynolds & Joanna Brady (Fiction, Mystery, Private Investigators, Series, American)

I believe A Last Goodbye was a free Kindle novella that I downloaded because I once read a J.P. Beaumont novel by Jance that I really, really liked.

This book has the protagonists of two of her other very popular series meeting to . . . I can’t remember. There was hospital visiting and a dog (as evidenced by the cover) involved, but I forget the rest.

It was well-written, but forgettable.

3½ stars

5. THE DEVIL’S MAKING by Sean Haldane (Fiction, Mystery, Historical, British author – set in Canada)

It might be stretching it a bit to say this was set in Canada because in 1869, the Pacific-bordering territory of British Columbia had not yet joined Confederation. Nonetheless, Chad Hobbes, newly arrived in Victoria, finds himself made a police detective and sent to investigate the death of Dr. McCrory, a new age doctor who was found stabbed with his cut-off penis in his hand (it had been in his mouth).

My notes tell me that I thought the period details were incredibly well-researched but that the author was trying too hard to be crude. There were heavy-handed red herrings to one of the suspects, and the actual murderer was someone only on the very peripheral of the story.

I was also disturbed by the details of Chad’s awareness of women as sexual beings once he was no longer a virgin. Are men so constantly thinking these things?

Overall, as a period history perhaps, but as a murder mystery poorly done.

3 stars

* * * * * * *

Have you read any of these? Do any appeal to you?

P.S. The links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.