What I’m Reading: Cop Town

I just finished up listening to Cop Town: A Novel by Karin Slaughter.  It’s no secret, Karin Slaughter is my favorite cop story writer.  Every one of her Will Trent series books have been really good.  Initially I was a little disappointed when this box wasn’t about Will Trent but after I started listening I quickly realized that I was okay with that.

I think one of the main reasons I liked the book is that is was set in the early 70’s when women were just first stepping up and becoming police officers.  I also liked it because there are strong flawed women as the main characters….I love strong women.  Of course the plot is good..and of course there’s a mystery.

Here’s what Amazon had to say about it. “Karin Slaughter, author of the bestselling Will Trent novels, is widely acclaimed as “one of the best crime novelists in America” (The Washington Post). Now she delivers her first stand-alone novel: an epic story of a city in the midst of seismic upheaval, a serial killer targeting cops, and a divided police force tasked with bringing a madman to justice.
 
Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city’s police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She’s determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way—wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It’s also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.
 
Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who’s feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart.”

Amazon readers give it 4.1 stars.  I did read some of the negative reviews and there were some saying the language was too rough.  Well it is.  It’s a cop book so I expected that.  Others say that the characters are a little stereotypical and that she portrays many of the men poorly.  I’ll say yes and no to that…many of the men were portrayed poorly…but honestly, I think that is much of what it was like when women tried to enter the police force in the 70’s.   All it all, I’d give it 4.5 stars.  I am still a Karin Slaughter fan and I truly hope that she does sequels featuring Kate and Maggie.