Happy Policeman [Hardcover]

Patricia Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 1994

It began six years ago, on Bomb Day, when the aliens put up the Line to block out the rest of the world. On all the radio bands there is nothing now but static, and beyond the glowing paisley barrier there may be only a radioactive waste. Yet in Coomey life goes on quietly. Until Loretta Harper, the pudgy Mary Kay rep and perennial Homemaker of the Month, is found dead in the woods. It's the first murder in six years, and police chief Dewitt Dawson, with a curse, starts his investigation. Did the Torku kill her? Or was it Foster, the town banker turned flower child? Even Janet-the police chief's own wife-may be involved. Both lyrical and humorous, Happy Policeman is a story of everyday people trapped in an existential test tube. A story of duty and rebellion. And of aliens who watch-and wait-to see if DeWitt will learn the truth about time, responsibility, and universes that leak.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anthony's fourth novel (after Cold Allies) details a half year in the life of DeWitt Dawson, the 40-ish police chief of Coomey, Tex. Though a one-stoplight town, Coomey is remarkable because, for six years, it's been circled by "the Line"-a paisley band of light that blocks all light, heat, broadcast waves, people, animals and objects from entering or leaving town. Local opinion has it that a nuclear holocaust has wiped out the rest of Texas (and maybe the world) but that Coomey has been spared by the intervention of the Torku, diminutive English-speaking, Zen-preaching aliens from outer space. Only the Torku can cross the Line, which they do daily, in UPS trucks bearing enough groceries, gasoline, VCRs and Mary Kay cosmetics to keep the town civilized. Projected onto this wild whimsy are a thin murder mystery-two children are missing and their mom is found dead in the woods-and a more substantial domestic drama involving Dawson, his wife, their teenaged daughter, Dawson's homely but wholesome mistress and a sociopathic deputy sheriff. While investigating the murder, Dawson learns much about the mutability of family and societal relationships and his own capacity for physical and emotional violence. The climax of his personal story-when the alleged murderer must be tried and executed (or lynched) by a community that knows him intimately-coincides with the disappearance of the aliens and the town's reintegration into the world. As a sociological parable, this novel is a touch glib, but Anthony's sure pacing and character development make it enjoyable and rewarding nonetheless.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Inside the paisley barrier that separates the town of Coomey, Texas, from the rest of the world, life goes on as usual. The Torku, alien saviors of the town, supply the citizens' every need, while the locals count themselves lucky to have survived the nuclear holocaust that ended life on Earth. When Loretta Harper's mutilated body is discovered in the woods, however, and police chief DeWitt Dawson takes it upon himself to investigate, the fragile tranquility of Earth's last community begins to dissolve. Anthony (Cold Allies, LJ 12/92) consistently demonstrates her genius for innovation. Her ability to capture the eeriness of alien civilization while simultaneously exploring the foibles of human society marks her as one of the genre's premier authors. A priority purchase.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1st edition (September 2, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151384789
• ISBN-13: 978-0151384785
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,405,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Once again, the science fiction is a minor aspect, August 13, 2004

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Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Happy Policeman (Hardcover)

As in her latest work, "God's Fires" (a highly-recommended book about the Inquisition and aliens), the science fiction aspects recede into the background. Patricia Anthony's focus has always been with relationships and the human experience - some might say dilemma. She highlights these two elements by using aliens as background noise...they are not so different from us after all OR they are so different we can only relate to one another.

Post-nuclear Texas, a small town has been cut off from the rest of the world by an invisible shield erected by aliens who live among them. The incongruous element was that life went on as normal without a lot of consternation. It is a typical town with an evangelistic preacher, love affairs, law breakers and a tired, guilty Chief of Police. A murder has occurred at the start of the book and the search for the killer forms the germ of the plot.

Yet...and this is the reason for the four stars, when all is said and done, there is more said than done. (WARNING -SPOILER) One could almost sense that the entire six years of the barrier was surreal. What is even more perplexing is that everything that occurred in the town actually happened only in another setting. Instead of hanging a condemned man, we discover he has hung himself in his prison cell in the "real world". No one understands, least of all the people involved, and when they emerge they discover that the world has carried on as before.

So, is it a commentary over taking life for granted, over what is possible in the universe of reality, on the meaning of reality itself. Your guess is as good as mine. But read the story for the richness of the characters (the moment when he finds out about his wife and deputy is a classic) and the effectiveness of the dialogue.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Again!, March 25, 2007

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B5Anteros (New England) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Happy Policeman (Paperback)

She's done it to me again. Kept me hooked throughout the book and then... weird ending.

Just like "God's Fires", "Cold Allies", "Brother Termite," which I actually finished after this one, and now The "Happy Policeman."

This book reads like an episode of The "Outer Limits" on steroids. It's usually my cup of tea when it comes to science fiction. And for most of the book, it is! The thing is that when I read this type of story I expect a payback for all my time expended!

Sigh... Oh well. At least she's a fantastic writer. Do I recommend the book? Yes, but with the reservation I've mentioned. Perhaps I just don't get it and it's possible you will.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars her most underrated book, April 2, 2001

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David Myers "david" (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Happy Policeman (Hardcover)

Patricia Anthony is underrated in general, but this is her most overlooked book. Too bad, because it's THAT GOOD. Although the premise is a simple twist on an old ghost town of sorts, it is sci-fi/specu-fic at its best.