Helpful Score: 1
Cop Town tells the story of Maggie Lawson, a female police officer from a family of cops. Along with her broody brother and alcoholic uncle, she serves in the Atlanta PD, which remains largely racially divided despite the supposed end of segregation. Maggie partners reluctantly with a rookie, Kate Murphy, to investigate a series of cop killings, the latest of which her brother Jimmy was a witness to. Jimmy is less than forthcoming about what happened during the killing of his partner, and the search for the killer tests Maggie's bonds with her family and fellow police officers.
This book is as much about racial and socioeconomic tensions and gender discrimination as it is about chasing a serial killer. The relationship between Maggie, who is from an impoverished family of alcoholics and the white collar-bred Kate steals the show. The squad is tough on rookies, especially females, who are barely tolerated despite the length of time they have served. The only part of the book that didn't work for me were the brief chapters focusing on the killer, because the other characters were so much more interesting.
Cop Town has a very dark tone. The reader can feel the tension when Karin Slaughter describes interactions between Maggie and her abusive uncle, and will burn with anger at the leering and harassment Kate endures at the hands of the older male officers, who can't move on from a time when racism and sexism were acceptable.
Karin Slaughter has been one of my favorite authors for many years, and though I love the Grant County books, Cop Town is now my favorite of her works. It is just about perfect.
This book is as much about racial and socioeconomic tensions and gender discrimination as it is about chasing a serial killer. The relationship between Maggie, who is from an impoverished family of alcoholics and the white collar-bred Kate steals the show. The squad is tough on rookies, especially females, who are barely tolerated despite the length of time they have served. The only part of the book that didn't work for me were the brief chapters focusing on the killer, because the other characters were so much more interesting.
Cop Town has a very dark tone. The reader can feel the tension when Karin Slaughter describes interactions between Maggie and her abusive uncle, and will burn with anger at the leering and harassment Kate endures at the hands of the older male officers, who can't move on from a time when racism and sexism were acceptable.
Karin Slaughter has been one of my favorite authors for many years, and though I love the Grant County books, Cop Town is now my favorite of her works. It is just about perfect.
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