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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Good, but not amazing :). The two strong female characters work well, though I am not a fan of knowing where things are headed before the main characters do....the time lag makes the novel lose a bit of life and momentum. So it was a bit predictable in that way. The humour throughout made the read enjoyable as was the depiction of women in the Atlanta Police In the 70's.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A lot of misogyny and racism that was difficult to hear. Slow story
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cop Town is a stand-alone for Karin Slaughter, rather than one of her other series. In this book, she takes us back to the bad old days of the mid-70s, with the first few women breaking into the good-old-boys club that is the Atlanta PD. Rampant harrassment, assaults and invective are just what happens showing up for roll call each day. Maggie Lawson's uncle and brother are cops, but have no respect for her as one. Kate Murphy, the rookie, has no clues and no support. And someone is killing cops. Maggie's furious to be stuck with the new girl, but the women are going to do their best to help catch the killer.
Cop Town is not my favorite Slaughter novel, though there are many things that I think she did well. The story centers around a cop family in Atlanta in the 1970s. I feel like setting was one of this novel’s strong suits; the vibes from the era as well as the southern location were strong. That being said, however, I almost could not take the institutional (and not-institutional) racism and sexism that was so prevalent among the characters. It was disgusting, and though it may be realistic, it was just too much. I wanted more grit from this novel that wasn’t related to these elements. I enjoyed the different viewpoints from characters of different cultures, such as the two female cops and a few of the more minor characters, like a prostitute and a pimp.
mysterious
slow-paced
This was too long. And the sexism is exhausting.
At first I wasn't sure I was going to make it through this book. The police force in Atlanta ca. '76 is so racist, homophobic and generally misogynist, it was just a bummer to be dwelling in that world. But what I liked so much was the multigenerational cop family and its internal conflicts, especially over Maggie, the protagonist, being one of Atlanta's first female cops. The part I didn't like was the other protagonist, Kate, who is a widow from a rich family and somehow quickly becomes an asset to the team. It seemed unrealistic to me.