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timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
There's a bit of an SF element, but it would be misleading to call this an SF book.
Would you carry on with months to go till the end of the world? Detective Palace would and does. But almost everyone - good guys and bad - is at a different place on the spectrum of dealing with impending doom.
Can old-style deducing and figuring out motives work?
Yes, of course, but our guy is a rookie detective and doesn't end up on a straight stern chase after the killer. And he's got his own background, which we learn in due course.
I really liked the way Palace was an ordinary schlub, smart but not too smart, with a few doubts. Nice change from "so I sock him in the jaw and he tells me he got the gat from Fat Louie."
If there's a fault is that I guessed the killer way too early. But I still had to know what had happened so it was a minor fault - and I didn't know for sure that I wasn't being misled.
I'll look for book 2. It will be interesting to see how this develops as the doomsday clock counts down.
Would you carry on with months to go till the end of the world? Detective Palace would and does. But almost everyone - good guys and bad - is at a different place on the spectrum of dealing with impending doom.
Can old-style deducing and figuring out motives work?
Yes, of course, but our guy is a rookie detective and doesn't end up on a straight stern chase after the killer. And he's got his own background, which we learn in due course.
I really liked the way Palace was an ordinary schlub, smart but not too smart, with a few doubts. Nice change from "so I sock him in the jaw and he tells me he got the gat from Fat Louie."
If there's a fault is that I guessed the killer way too early. But I still had to know what had happened so it was a minor fault - and I didn't know for sure that I wasn't being misled.
I'll look for book 2. It will be interesting to see how this develops as the doomsday clock counts down.
tregina's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book very much. It wasn't flashy or showy or action-packed, and it wasn't meant to be, even though it was a pre-apocalyptic whodunit. It reminded me very much of the movie Last Night in the way it depicted the different ways in which people face the end of the world, and focused on the ones who were just trying to keep doing what they do.
thisisthelion's review against another edition
4.0
The world is going to end soon so who cares about that guy who committed suicide in the bathroom of a McDonald's restaurant? Henry Palace does.
This is a police procedural with a touch of sci-fi/dystopia. I expected the book to relay more heavily on the sci-fi stuff. I wouldn't consider this a sci-fi novel per se. It's more of an exploration of human behaviour. In the face of an upcoming asteroid collision that will exterminate the Earth. And that's what I liked about the book, how every characters tried to come to terms with their impeding doom in different ways. And the case keep me guessing and Palace is a compelling lead so I'll say the book was a success.
There's room for a few unanswered questions that will play in next books. I for one don't say to say goodbye to Palace so soon.
This is a police procedural with a touch of sci-fi/dystopia. I expected the book to relay more heavily on the sci-fi stuff. I wouldn't consider this a sci-fi novel per se. It's more of an exploration of human behaviour. In the face of an upcoming asteroid collision that will exterminate the Earth. And that's what I liked about the book, how every characters tried to come to terms with their impeding doom in different ways. And the case keep me guessing and Palace is a compelling lead so I'll say the book was a success.
There's room for a few unanswered questions that will play in next books. I for one don't say to say goodbye to Palace so soon.
trin's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this so much. I really wish the rest of the series lived up to it, but uh... spoiler alert, it didn't.
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up, because I'm intrigued and want to see what happens in the remaining six months (enough for two other books/cases, apparently).
Biere Library Storytime Book Club's October/November 2023 pick for the pulp/noir genre! It definitely fits the quick read I'd associate with pulp, along with being a detective story that has red herrings and a dame in distress (kinda, I'm sort of counting Nico's calls to her brother and Naomi here). The asteroid is a looming presence which makes this feel like near-future sci-fi, and I'm still wondering about the calculated number Hank finds.
I definitely am interested in seeing more of how people respond when they definitively know that there's a finite end, along with the implications and repercussions (or does anything matter? Or maybe if nothing matters, what you do with your time matters more?)
I did not solve the murder before Detective Palace did.
Biere Library Storytime Book Club's October/November 2023 pick for the pulp/noir genre! It definitely fits the quick read I'd associate with pulp, along with being a detective story that has red herrings and a dame in distress (kinda, I'm sort of counting Nico's calls to her brother and Naomi here). The asteroid is a looming presence which makes this feel like near-future sci-fi, and I'm still wondering about the calculated number Hank finds.
I definitely am interested in seeing more of how people respond when they definitively know that there's a finite end, along with the implications and repercussions (or does anything matter? Or maybe if nothing matters, what you do with your time matters more?)
I did not solve the murder before Detective Palace did.
olaughlind's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
5.0
This book has such an interesting premise that before I read it, I wondered if it could really be as fascinating as it sounds. It totally is, though. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to society if an asteroid was coming to end all life on earth in a matter of months. The mystery itself is suspenseful with lots of plot twists that kept my adrenaline pumping.
hermelina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0