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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Solid 3.5. Not as graphic as I was expecting, which was a relief. I liked both Maggie and Kate, and the story kept me interested enough to pick it up any free minute I had.
I was very excited to read this book after reading Pretty Girls, unfortunately I did not enjoy it very much. On the positive side, Cop Town was a very fast read and for the most part an engaging story. However, it was over-shadowed by the repetitive racism and sexism (along with other isms). It was obviously a well researched book, and likely reflected the era accurately, but there seemed to be an over emphasis on this aspect, which took away from the story. Each character in the book was deeply flawed, and I couldn't find even one for whom I wanted to root. The end of the book seemed like a bit of a cop-out (pardon the pun) - I was disappointed in the explanation for the crimes, and upon finishing the book I had a lot of unanswered questions.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I read this because I inadvertently checked it out online from my library. It counted as one of my five checkouts for the month whether I read it or not, so I read it. That probably shaped my response. It's not the kind of book I generally read. Slaughter is a good story teller-- but not great. The plot is fairly engaging, but it's pretty violent. There are some distracting word choices, like "the blood flowered on the white shirt." There is a major bait and switch in the plot (which is a potential spoiler.). This could easily have been avoided, and it felt like a cheap trick. The story takes place in 1975 which is apparently an excuse for a story full of rampant racism--there is also plenty of homophobia and sexism. Slaughter manages to show the reader at least a few times that the sexism is problematic, but she is less successful with showing that about the homophobia and even less successful with the racism. The book moves along overall, but there are repetitive sections and some unnecessary sections, including lots of background on Maggie which is pretty irrelevant to the plot. It's also one of those books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being another) where the female characters respond to violence in their lives by becoming violently aggressive themselves. This seems to be a point if view endorsed by the author. A more skilled writer could have developed all of these ideas better.
I didn't finish this book. I love Karin Slaughter and so my abandoning "Cop Town" mid-read is unusual. But the unrelieved misogyny, relentless, arrogant, and hateful, depressed me too much to continue. I can't rate it; I didn't get far enough into it to have an opinion other than to know it wasn't for me.
This was a good historical crime thriller. I liked the multiple layers to the story, though there was a lot of racism, sexism, and slurs throughout the book. It definitely sets the tone but can be challenging to read.
Slaughter, as always, keeps me excited to pick her book back up and keep reading. This one lacked a bit of the vavavoom of the Trent series, but was enjoyable nonetheless.
I didn't like this book as much as her other books. It was good, but oh my, it was depressing. The discrimination within the APD was horrific. I hate to think that this is how it was in Atlanta in the 70s but I know it's true. I don't know if this is going to turn into another series, but I'd read another for sure. I did love some of the characters and I'd like to know what happens next.
1974 Atlanta. Kate Murphy and Maggie Lawson. Two women from different backgrounds, trying to prove their worth as police officers. An impossible task in the macho world of the Atlanta PD. What’s worse ... A serial cop killer is hunting down and executing white cops. The city is on the edge of a race war.
Suspense, action and heartbreak. Sensitive issues, like racism and sexism, are brutally displayed. The character development is scaring credible and the atmosphere dark as hell.
Suspense, action and heartbreak. Sensitive issues, like racism and sexism, are brutally displayed. The character development is scaring credible and the atmosphere dark as hell.