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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was initially taken aback by the sheer brutality of Cop Town. Karin Slaughter really packed-in literally everything wrong with human society here that I found myself flinching. I'm certainly not desensitized to violence against women, homophobia, racism, sexual assault, corruption and any form of discrimination. I want to live in a world where these do not exist. Sadly, that world is a fantasy. I also do not want to read about these topics because they're absolutely triggering.
I guess I'm used to a comfy read. This book was not. Peeling this off, this is a story of two female cops, one rookie, another with a few years of experience under her bet. They dive in a dangerous investigation of an active serial killer targeting Atlanta police officers. All the charm, wit, advantages and equality of a 1970s America complicated things for them. I really hope that what these girls faced everyday is 100% fiction. Please? It's just too much.
I enjoyed the shifts in third person perspectives here. I got to know the lead characters really well. Like most of police procedurals I have read, the investigation here did not prevent an explosive finale from happening and the correct conclusion was discerned deep into the third act. I guess that's a meh. I suppose that the world built here with the rampant social injustice is the star of the show.
Anyways, if anything, this made me curious about another Karin book maybe later this year. I read a paperback while listening to the audiobook version. The narration was good. This is surely competent work, hopefully this is not her best. Recommended.
I guess I'm used to a comfy read. This book was not. Peeling this off, this is a story of two female cops, one rookie, another with a few years of experience under her bet. They dive in a dangerous investigation of an active serial killer targeting Atlanta police officers. All the charm, wit, advantages and equality of a 1970s America complicated things for them. I really hope that what these girls faced everyday is 100% fiction. Please? It's just too much.
I enjoyed the shifts in third person perspectives here. I got to know the lead characters really well. Like most of police procedurals I have read, the investigation here did not prevent an explosive finale from happening and the correct conclusion was discerned deep into the third act. I guess that's a meh. I suppose that the world built here with the rampant social injustice is the star of the show.
Anyways, if anything, this made me curious about another Karin book maybe later this year. I read a paperback while listening to the audiobook version. The narration was good. This is surely competent work, hopefully this is not her best. Recommended.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my third Karin Slaughter book in as many days, so I guess I was bound to find one I wasn't absolutely in love with. Which is not to say I thought this book was any worse than the ones in the Will Trent series, but it definitely wasn't for me.
My biggest problem was the historical fiction aspect. This was set in a police department in 1974. Lots of racism. Lots of sexism. Lots of homophobia. Lots of antisemitism. Lots of just about any kind of prejudice you can imagine. It was aggressive and constant and graphic. And I'm in no way blaming Karin Slaughter for that. She was capturing what it was like during the time, but I read thrillers for fun. I want them to be fun, and the constant onslaught of aggressive prejudice in this book made it kind of unpleasant. When I read books that heavily focus on prejudice, I prefer them to be more in the literary fiction/drama categories rather than thriller/mystery. So this whole paragraph is basically just me saying the book wasn't for me, but not because it was doing anything wrong.
I think I also wasn't quite as interested in the story. So much of the book focused on specifically the prejudice the two main female cops experienced. There was a serial killer who was killing cops, but the two kind of shared spaced 50/50 instead of being mostly about the killer with the prejudice as a backdrop. I wasn't the biggest fan of that partially because of my reason above, but also because the killer story line just felt weaker overall. I didn't care that much about it. I'd half figured it out and when it was revealed, it just felt a little like a letdown. Not terrible, just kind of meh alright.
But that isn't to say I didn't enjoy this book. Three stars is honestly what I give most cop thrillers. It was entertaining. I still finished it in a day because I was so invested, and I'm still planning to immediately pick up another Karin Slaughter book. What she does so well is capture characters and their perspectives, especially when those perspectives are prejudiced or kind of crappy. She loves to write characters who are bullies and I love reading it from her. This book just wasn't the book for me.
Overall, I'd recommend if you're specifically interested in reading about cop prejudice in the 70s. She captures it graphically and it was a main focus of the story, so I think people who want that would probably love this book. But it wasn't what I was really looking for. Still a decent book, though. I still think Karin Slaughter is great.
My biggest problem was the historical fiction aspect. This was set in a police department in 1974. Lots of racism. Lots of sexism. Lots of homophobia. Lots of antisemitism. Lots of just about any kind of prejudice you can imagine. It was aggressive and constant and graphic. And I'm in no way blaming Karin Slaughter for that. She was capturing what it was like during the time, but I read thrillers for fun. I want them to be fun, and the constant onslaught of aggressive prejudice in this book made it kind of unpleasant. When I read books that heavily focus on prejudice, I prefer them to be more in the literary fiction/drama categories rather than thriller/mystery. So this whole paragraph is basically just me saying the book wasn't for me, but not because it was doing anything wrong.
I think I also wasn't quite as interested in the story. So much of the book focused on specifically the prejudice the two main female cops experienced. There was a serial killer who was killing cops, but the two kind of shared spaced 50/50 instead of being mostly about the killer with the prejudice as a backdrop. I wasn't the biggest fan of that partially because of my reason above, but also because the killer story line just felt weaker overall. I didn't care that much about it. I'd half figured it out and when it was revealed, it just felt a little like a letdown. Not terrible, just kind of meh alright.
But that isn't to say I didn't enjoy this book. Three stars is honestly what I give most cop thrillers. It was entertaining. I still finished it in a day because I was so invested, and I'm still planning to immediately pick up another Karin Slaughter book. What she does so well is capture characters and their perspectives, especially when those perspectives are prejudiced or kind of crappy. She loves to write characters who are bullies and I love reading it from her. This book just wasn't the book for me.
Overall, I'd recommend if you're specifically interested in reading about cop prejudice in the 70s. She captures it graphically and it was a main focus of the story, so I think people who want that would probably love this book. But it wasn't what I was really looking for. Still a decent book, though. I still think Karin Slaughter is great.
If you have ever wondered what it was like to be a female cop back in the 70s then I suggest reading COP TOWN. It's set back in the days of the old guard when women and blacks were not accepted. Back in the days when being a cop was to engender respect and the ability to take the law into your own hands. It's dark, gritty and after reading COP TOWN, I have nothing but respect for the women that blazed the way.
The book jumps between the two women, Maggie and Kate. Maggie has been a cop for over four years though she gets nothing but insults from her family for her choice of a profession. Kate, who is from money and recovering from her husband's death, is a total rookie and is assigned to be Maggie's partner. I enjoyed watching the by-play between the two women and some of it was rather humorous.
I have really enjoyed Ms. Slaughter's books in the past but I do have to say that COP TOWN is not one of my favorites. She did a fantastic job with the atmosphere, and the pacing was spot on. My issue was that I didn't relate to either of the main characters, didn't really care what happened to them and I really need to be rooting for a character for any sense of suspense to develop. I felt as though there was a glass wall between myself, and both Kate and Maggie.
Still all and all, I found reading COP TOWN to be an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. If you get a chance to pick up a copy, please do and let me know what you think about Kate and Maggie.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was almost a DNF. I know it’s about the 1970s integration of women and African Americans into the Atlanta police department, but the language was intolerable. Definitely not my favorite Karin Slaughter. #DoNotRecommend (TW: racism, homophobia, sexism, anti-semitism)
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated