The last policeman is a 2012 american science fiction mystery novel by ben h winters it follows a police detective in new hampshire as he investigates a suicide he believes was really a murder his efforts are complicated by the social political and economic effects of preparations for and anticipation of an asteroid impact six months in the future. The last policeman is ben winters attempt to tackle the incredibly popular dystopia subgenre in a new and interesting way a man is found hanged to death in a mcdonalds bathroom a rookie detective thinks it was murder but nobody else cares because the earth is about to be wiped out by an asteroid. The last policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre apocalyptic united states the economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields churches and synagogues are packed people all over the world are walking off the job but not hank palace. The last policeman trilogy series ben h winters with an approaching asteroid on a collision course with earth the end of the world is just months away but as civilization frays at the edges police detective hank palace is determined to stay on the job and investigate the crimes everyone ignores