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catsncoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
judithdcollins's review
5.0
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Bantam Dell and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Loved this Atlanta Crime Thriller, COP TOWN!, Karin Slaughter’s upcoming new stand-alone crime thriller based in Hot Atlanta. A dark encounter of life on the streets, back in the seventies in a controversial city full of hatred and crime, in a predominantly male law enforcement world, with no respect for women, or other minorities.
The 70’s were proving to be a bad decade for police officers. Atlanta had suffered more losses than most and in the past two years they caught five cop killers though only one of them had seen the inside of a courtroom. The others had mysterious accidents and the fifth one had walked out of the courtroom a free man.
It was great returning to Atlanta, to all the familiar neighborhoods, with a beautiful, kick ass rookie cop, named Kate, a Jewish Buckhead gal, who recently lost her husband in Vietnam.
Kate, walks into the Atlanta Police Department, blindsided with every kind of racism, sexism, discrimination, and abuse you can only imagine, especially being a woman in a man’s world--- as readers get to experience firsthand her first EIGHT days on the force. (they are not pretty ones).
Kate gets paired with seasoned partner, Maggie Lawson. Maggie of course is under the thumb of her Uncle Terry and brother, Jimmy and her life is not easy (they even treat their own family like dirt). A lot of bad cops and not too many good ones.
No one gives Kate, the new girl a break, as she quickly gets introduced to hookers, drug dealers, crack houses, pimps, violence, bigotry and the down and dirty Atlanta (all the evil is not within the town, but inside the police force). Kate is not sure she will make it through day one. These people are crude, violent, sexist, and obnoxious. - She is not safe anywhere, and little does she know the killer is on her trail, as well.
A brutal murder has taken place and a serial killer is targeting cops and a divided police force with the mission of bringing a madman to justice. Maggie and Kate team up with Gail (this is one crazy and funny woman), to try and crack down a madman with no help from the macho pigs. No liberals, gays, or minorities are welcome by these guys.
As the suspense builds, readers hear from three POVs -Maggie, Kate, and the Killer, (Shooter/Fox). The killer remains a secret, as Slaughter does a bang up job keeping you guessing. There is much more to the novel than the actual murders and crime. The author dives into the life of Kate, her past, family, and her struggles with people being good and bad at the same time.
Maggie is quite a mystery; however, she and Kate learn from one another and develop a trust. (Liked the little sexy diversion of Dr. Philip Van Zandt -Dr. Zipless). Maybe more from Maggie in another book.
A fast-paced, heart-racing, riveting crime thriller which keeps you on edge-- from Chester Bridge, Little Five Points, Howell Mill, Cabbage Town, Midtown, Buckhead, Grant Park, Downtown, to Grady Hospital---getting a glimpse into the dark alleys and secrets of Atlanta’s finest—truly engrossing, filled with humor and sarcasm for a satisfying bestseller read.
Having moved to (Buckhead) Atlanta in the early nineties, missed all the happenings in the earlier times; however, have heard horror stories. Slaughter did an outstanding job with the fictional account, research, and reality of this devastating time.
For those who do not reside in the area, you will be glad to know a number of these seedy dark areas are now quite trendy and hip, with lots of lofts and restaurants.
Looking forward to reading more from this talented author!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
TOP 30 BEST BOOKS OF 2014
Loved this Atlanta Crime Thriller, COP TOWN!, Karin Slaughter’s upcoming new stand-alone crime thriller based in Hot Atlanta. A dark encounter of life on the streets, back in the seventies in a controversial city full of hatred and crime, in a predominantly male law enforcement world, with no respect for women, or other minorities.
The 70’s were proving to be a bad decade for police officers. Atlanta had suffered more losses than most and in the past two years they caught five cop killers though only one of them had seen the inside of a courtroom. The others had mysterious accidents and the fifth one had walked out of the courtroom a free man.
It was great returning to Atlanta, to all the familiar neighborhoods, with a beautiful, kick ass rookie cop, named Kate, a Jewish Buckhead gal, who recently lost her husband in Vietnam.
Kate, walks into the Atlanta Police Department, blindsided with every kind of racism, sexism, discrimination, and abuse you can only imagine, especially being a woman in a man’s world--- as readers get to experience firsthand her first EIGHT days on the force. (they are not pretty ones).
Kate gets paired with seasoned partner, Maggie Lawson. Maggie of course is under the thumb of her Uncle Terry and brother, Jimmy and her life is not easy (they even treat their own family like dirt). A lot of bad cops and not too many good ones.
No one gives Kate, the new girl a break, as she quickly gets introduced to hookers, drug dealers, crack houses, pimps, violence, bigotry and the down and dirty Atlanta (all the evil is not within the town, but inside the police force). Kate is not sure she will make it through day one. These people are crude, violent, sexist, and obnoxious. - She is not safe anywhere, and little does she know the killer is on her trail, as well.
A brutal murder has taken place and a serial killer is targeting cops and a divided police force with the mission of bringing a madman to justice. Maggie and Kate team up with Gail (this is one crazy and funny woman), to try and crack down a madman with no help from the macho pigs. No liberals, gays, or minorities are welcome by these guys.
As the suspense builds, readers hear from three POVs -Maggie, Kate, and the Killer, (Shooter/Fox). The killer remains a secret, as Slaughter does a bang up job keeping you guessing. There is much more to the novel than the actual murders and crime. The author dives into the life of Kate, her past, family, and her struggles with people being good and bad at the same time.
Maggie is quite a mystery; however, she and Kate learn from one another and develop a trust. (Liked the little sexy diversion of Dr. Philip Van Zandt -Dr. Zipless). Maybe more from Maggie in another book.
A fast-paced, heart-racing, riveting crime thriller which keeps you on edge-- from Chester Bridge, Little Five Points, Howell Mill, Cabbage Town, Midtown, Buckhead, Grant Park, Downtown, to Grady Hospital---getting a glimpse into the dark alleys and secrets of Atlanta’s finest—truly engrossing, filled with humor and sarcasm for a satisfying bestseller read.
Having moved to (Buckhead) Atlanta in the early nineties, missed all the happenings in the earlier times; however, have heard horror stories. Slaughter did an outstanding job with the fictional account, research, and reality of this devastating time.
For those who do not reside in the area, you will be glad to know a number of these seedy dark areas are now quite trendy and hip, with lots of lofts and restaurants.
Looking forward to reading more from this talented author!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
TOP 30 BEST BOOKS OF 2014
gimpyknee's review against another edition
5.0
A thoroughly entertaining read.
Note to Ms. Slaughter: Terry Lawson was no Marine. There were no Marines stationed in Amsterdam during the closing days of WWII. There were no Marines fighting in Europe in 1945 and no Marines present at any of the liberations of concentration camps. They were fighting in the Pacific.
Note to Ms. Slaughter: Terry Lawson was no Marine. There were no Marines stationed in Amsterdam during the closing days of WWII. There were no Marines fighting in Europe in 1945 and no Marines present at any of the liberations of concentration camps. They were fighting in the Pacific.
stevem0214's review
5.0
No Will or Sarah here...all new characters...but great characters!! This is another great, twisted, story from Karin Slaughter. I hope she's got a new series here!
littletaiko's review
3.0
I've been a fan of the author's Will Trent and Grant County series so was intrigued when she wrote this stand alone set in Atlanta in 1974. The story follows two women, Maggie and Kate, on the Atalanta police force who are having to deal with the pressures of being in a hostile work environment, family issues, and trying to track down a killer who is targeting police officers. Maggie is from a family of police officers but that does not make her life any easier. Her uncle Terry is a good ole boy who along with his cronies do not take kindly to anyone else trying to get into their business. Kate is a young widow who needs to find something to do to fill the void in her life. It was a bit hard to get my head into what life for women would have been like in the 1970's and I found myself frustrated with some of the characters actions, especially Maggie. Then again while I liked Kate more, there's a part of her story line that seemed unnecessary. This being a Slaughter novel, there is plenty of violence, swearing, and sex - definitely lots of swearing.
annhenry's review
3.0
I gave this a three but only out of loyalty. I felt dirty after reading this book and at one point almost didn’t finish it. Not her best.
jazzijessi's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really struggled with the first half of this book. I put it down for a couple of weeks then I picked it back up and raced through to the end. Really great ending and glad I read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Violence, Antisemitism, Homophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
izypup's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
True to its time period, just about every slur possible is said in this book. It’s not really my place to comment on the use of slurs to make a time accurate book but was extremely aware that this is written by a white woman from Georgia who I do not believe to be Jewish. Another thing that gave me pause and took me out of the story is the fact that every man is enamored with Kate, even the gay ones. And even when her uniform is three times too big and couldn’t possibly show her boobs off
Fox/Bixby even holds off on killing her because he wants to have sex with her too badly
I almost thought that Rick would be the shooter based on how much attention he got and that he was also a vet but was the “safest guy”. I didn’t mind it just being one of the assholes who stuck around Terry though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Police brutality, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Murder, Outing, Pedophilia, Medical content, Rape, War, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexism
Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Suicide, Gaslighting, Bullying, Classism, Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
Minor: Vomit, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, and Suicidal thoughts