Maia, a
gigantic asteroid, is approaching and will collide with Earth on October
3. Though its point of impact is
unknown, the asteroid is so large that its collision will have planet-wide
effects; much, if not all, of the world’s population will be killed. Governments have enacted strict new emergency
laws as societal structures start to fall apart.
In March,
six months before Maia’s arrival, Detective Henry Palace of the Concord, New
Hampshire, police department, is called to the site of an apparent
suicide. Though new on the job, he
quickly becomes convinced that Peter Zel’s death was the result of murder, not
suicide. He continues the investigation
even though his colleagues are convinced Zel was just another “hanger” who,
like so many other people faced with possible extinction, opted to die at his
own hands.
Of course
the question at the centre of the book is “What is the point of solving cases,
even murder cases, when it seems that everyone may soon die anyway?” Many people have become “hangers” by choosing
to kill themselves; others have “gone bucket list,” leaving responsibilities to
chase their dreams. Many of those who
continue working do so only because they lack sufficient funds to financially
survive until Maia’s arrival. There are
others, however, who love their jobs and feel a sense of moral responsibility
to continue their work.
Henry falls
into this last category. He always
wanted to be a detective, and because many investigators have abandoned their positions,
Henry was promoted into his dream job. Though
he is living in a pre-apocalyptic world, he is determined to find some justice
for Peter Zel. His determination can be
admired but it comes at a great cost to others.
His investigation has a lot of collateral damage, so his insensitivity
is sometimes cruel. For instance, he
demands the coroner perform an autopsy though, as a consequence, she misses her
daughter’s music recital. People end up
losing jobs because Henry insists Peter’s boss find some files.
It is the
characterization of Henry that is a strong element in the book. He is young and inexperienced and so makes
mistakes. He is not the stereotypical great
detective; he solves the case just by being methodical. He is capable of compassion, yet at other
times is cruel in the choices he makes.
He has a tendency to be judgmental.
In other words, he is a very human protagonist.
The story
is narrated in first person point of view.
As a result, suspense is created because the reader knows only what
Henry knows. Towards the end, however,
it becomes aggravating when Henry speaks repeatedly of having figured out the
identity of the murderer, but he doesn’t reveal who it is. It’s a reality show technique where one has
to wait for the big reveal.
This is the
first of a trilogy; the other titles are Countdown
City and World of Trouble. The murder case is conclusively solved, but a
subplot involving Henry’s sister Nico is open-ended. I will definitely continue reading the
series.
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