catiesbooksandthings's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first Karin Slaughter book and one of her stand alone novels. This book is set in the 70s and is nail biting and hooked me early on in the story. I could not wait to read more to find out what would happen. I had my guesses of who the killer was, but was totally shocked when the actual killer was revealed.
Cop Town is set in 1974 Atlanta, Georgia during a time of significant social turbulence. The story follows Maggie who is apart of the police force and newcomer Kate Murphy, a beautiful young Jewish war widow. Maggie is the sister of the Golden boy police officer Jimmy who's partner is killed along with 4 other police officers by an unknown shooter. All killings are linked and they are racing the clock to figure out who the shooter is before they have another dead police officer on their hands.
The pacing is perfect, the characters are complex and allow you to develop an emotional connection and response to the story. I highly recommend this novel and cannot wait to read more from Karin Slaughter!
Cop Town is set in 1974 Atlanta, Georgia during a time of significant social turbulence. The story follows Maggie who is apart of the police force and newcomer Kate Murphy, a beautiful young Jewish war widow. Maggie is the sister of the Golden boy police officer Jimmy who's partner is killed along with 4 other police officers by an unknown shooter. All killings are linked and they are racing the clock to figure out who the shooter is before they have another dead police officer on their hands.
The pacing is perfect, the characters are complex and allow you to develop an emotional connection and response to the story. I highly recommend this novel and cannot wait to read more from Karin Slaughter!
jtferdon's review against another edition
4.0
1970’s Atlanta - the story of women cops trying to make it in an era before women were accepted in law enforcement. This book was even more gritty than other books I have read from Slaughter. Racism, bigotry, sexism and many other issues are addressed in this novel. I think the author handles all well and the story was engaging.
amanda_serenity's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
brittany_tellefsen's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 3.5 rounded up
Before I provide my thoughts on the actual book, I want to provide a bit of context regarding my history with Karin Slaughter because I feel it's important considering how different this story is from some of her previous ventures
My primary introduction to Karin was Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter, two of her more recent stand-alone novels and they were fucking fantastic. Dark. Gruesome. Twisted. Absolutely perfect. This prompted me to start her Grant Country series which, after reading the first two books, did not impress me. Now, to be fair, these were her first two books ever so, naturally, she has grown as an author. And I will likely continue in that series.
I then went to Pieces of Her, which put me into a rage unlike I have never before experienced with a book's MC (please see review for more information) and most recently, I picked up the sequel, Girl, Forgotten, which reinstated Karin Slaughter as the master I know she is.
Cop Town is a middle-read in terms of her publishing history. So I have read newer and I have read older, and have a fairly well-rounded view of her story-telling. But it's also her first stand-alone as well as her only true historical thriller. This wasn't a book that had one perspective in the past, like with some of her other stand-alones. This was purely set in 1975 and Karin Slaughter does a great job of bringing to life what that actually means.
I mention this because I have heard from many people that this is their least favorite Slaughter book, and that is likely because this book is purely focused on the racism and sexism of the 1970's, and just how difficult life for women in a police uniform was. And in order to truly capture what that meant, Cop Town was extremely gritty, filled with relentlessly awful people, meaning the story line was dark and gruesome as you would normally expect, but it was just so infuriating as well as overall grim. It was sometimes difficult being inside this story just because of how fucking awful the two main characters were treated by the Good Ole Boys in the Atlanta PD and how prejudice literally every one was, even the MC's themselves.
And yes, you can expect a great deal of colorful terminology representative of the 70's such as kike, slit, faggot, and all of the other lovely names that people felt were appropriate for those who were different or who chose to live outside the norms of society.
At the time that Slaughter wrote this, she had been fully entrenched in her Grant County and Will Trent series. So for those who had been with Slaughter on that journey, they were now being introduced to a different ball game. And for those, like myself, who have read her newer stuff, the content of this story was as abrasive and jarring as we have come to expect, just in a different form and fashion. I wasn't necessarily prepared to hate practically all the characters. But again, she does such an excellent job of showing what it meant to be a woman cop in 1975 Atlanta, or what it meant to be black, gay or Jewish. What it meant to be different.
I didn't necessarily love Cop Town, primarily because everyone was awful and I didn't necessarily connect with the "Whodunnit" reveal and motive, but it was absolutely a stronger story then her earliest Grant County novels and even a newer standalone like Pieces of Her. I encourage anyone who considers themselves a Slaughter stan, to go into this one prepared for a story that was unlike what she had written before and after.
Before I provide my thoughts on the actual book, I want to provide a bit of context regarding my history with Karin Slaughter because I feel it's important considering how different this story is from some of her previous ventures
My primary introduction to Karin was Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter, two of her more recent stand-alone novels and they were fucking fantastic. Dark. Gruesome. Twisted. Absolutely perfect. This prompted me to start her Grant Country series which, after reading the first two books, did not impress me. Now, to be fair, these were her first two books ever so, naturally, she has grown as an author. And I will likely continue in that series.
I then went to Pieces of Her, which put me into a rage unlike I have never before experienced with a book's MC (please see review for more information) and most recently, I picked up the sequel, Girl, Forgotten, which reinstated Karin Slaughter as the master I know she is.
Cop Town is a middle-read in terms of her publishing history. So I have read newer and I have read older, and have a fairly well-rounded view of her story-telling. But it's also her first stand-alone as well as her only true historical thriller. This wasn't a book that had one perspective in the past, like with some of her other stand-alones. This was purely set in 1975 and Karin Slaughter does a great job of bringing to life what that actually means.
I mention this because I have heard from many people that this is their least favorite Slaughter book, and that is likely because this book is purely focused on the racism and sexism of the 1970's, and just how difficult life for women in a police uniform was. And in order to truly capture what that meant, Cop Town was extremely gritty, filled with relentlessly awful people, meaning the story line was dark and gruesome as you would normally expect, but it was just so infuriating as well as overall grim. It was sometimes difficult being inside this story just because of how fucking awful the two main characters were treated by the Good Ole Boys in the Atlanta PD and how prejudice literally every one was, even the MC's themselves.
And yes, you can expect a great deal of colorful terminology representative of the 70's such as kike, slit, faggot, and all of the other lovely names that people felt were appropriate for those who were different or who chose to live outside the norms of society.
At the time that Slaughter wrote this, she had been fully entrenched in her Grant County and Will Trent series. So for those who had been with Slaughter on that journey, they were now being introduced to a different ball game. And for those, like myself, who have read her newer stuff, the content of this story was as abrasive and jarring as we have come to expect, just in a different form and fashion. I wasn't necessarily prepared to hate practically all the characters. But again, she does such an excellent job of showing what it meant to be a woman cop in 1975 Atlanta, or what it meant to be black, gay or Jewish. What it meant to be different.
I didn't necessarily love Cop Town, primarily because everyone was awful and I didn't necessarily connect with the "Whodunnit" reveal and motive, but it was absolutely a stronger story then her earliest Grant County novels and even a newer standalone like Pieces of Her. I encourage anyone who considers themselves a Slaughter stan, to go into this one prepared for a story that was unlike what she had written before and after.
silverhill's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Bullying, Death, Gore, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Outing, Stalking, Blood, Confinement, Physical abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Alcohol, Vomit, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Rape
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)
This was Karin Slaughter's first standalone novel, and even though it does not have Will and Sara, it was damn good. This one is set in 1974 and looks at the life of female cops in Atlanta. While there is a divide between the genders, there is also a divide between race. Kate Murphy, on her first day learns that being a cop isn't teamwork as much as staying out of certain group's way. She is paired with Maggie Lawson, who comes from a family of cops. As cop is gunned down, they are set out to find the killer. I really enjoyed listening to this on audio and I was gripped till the end.
(Review Not on Blog)
This was Karin Slaughter's first standalone novel, and even though it does not have Will and Sara, it was damn good. This one is set in 1974 and looks at the life of female cops in Atlanta. While there is a divide between the genders, there is also a divide between race. Kate Murphy, on her first day learns that being a cop isn't teamwork as much as staying out of certain group's way. She is paired with Maggie Lawson, who comes from a family of cops. As cop is gunned down, they are set out to find the killer. I really enjoyed listening to this on audio and I was gripped till the end.
vtlism's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Well done in terms of writing, but not for me. Full of disgusting racist, sexist, homophobic, violent characters I would rather not experience even if they get their comeuppance.
mkersten1026's review against another edition
3.0
I love all Karin Slaughter books, but this was my least favorite.