Cop Town tells the story of Maggie Lawson, a female police officer from a family of cops. Along with her broody brother and alcoholic uncle, she serves in the Atlanta PD, which remains largely racially divided despite the supposed end of segregation. Maggie partners reluctantly with a rookie, Kate Murphy, to investigate a series of cop killings, the latest of which her brother Jimmy was a witness to. Jimmy is less than forthcoming about what happened during the killing of his partner, and the search for the killer tests Maggie's bonds with her family and fellow police officers.

This book is as much about racial and socioeconomic tensions and gender discrimination as it is about chasing a serial killer. The relationship between Maggie, who is from an impoverished family of alcoholics and the white collar-bred Kate steals the show. The squad is tough on rookies, especially females, who are barely tolerated despite the length of time they have served. The only part of the book that didn't work for me were the brief chapters focusing on the killer, because the other characters were so much more interesting.

Cop Town has a very dark tone. The reader can feel the tension when Karin Slaughter describes interactions between Maggie and her abusive uncle, and will burn with anger at the leering and harassment Kate endures at the hands of the older male officers, who can't move on from a time when racism and sexism were acceptable.

Karin Slaughter has been one of my favorite authors for many years, and though I love the Grant County books, Cop Town is now my favorite of her works. It is just about perfect.

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This book was a fast read as I couldn't put it down. Engrossing and gritty -- it gives the reader a not-so-pretty picture of what it must have been like as a woman on a mostly-male police force in the 1970's. I've always loved Karin Slaughter's storytelling style; she delves deeply into each main character's strengths and flaws, and you start to really understand what makes them react the way they do.

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3.0 out of 5 stars -- Gritty stand-alone depiction of harassment, racism, homophobia and misogyny in the Atlanta Police Department circa 1974. (read June 28, 2014)

New police recruit, the widowed and beautiful upper crust Kate Murphy, is stunned and nearly ready to quit on her first day of the job. After running the gauntlet of groping hands and leering eyes on her way to the women's locker room, she wonders why she ever signed up for this and figures this will be just one more job failure in her life. The station is all abuzz that morning, however, because of the most recent cop shooting in a serial case that's about to get personal as Kate becomes involved with the investigation alongside veteran officer Maggie Lawson. Officer Lawson also has a brother and an uncle on the force, but that doesn't provide her or the other female cops with any respect. The women are all subjected to abuse and derision while the men drink, graft, and beat down suspects in a climate that is rife with tension and where everyone is suspicious of "the others" who are not "like them." Nobody "different" gets a pass from these male cops and the women are usually left out of the big cases.

Maggie and Kate start looking into the case of the Shooter and discover secrets, lies, and coverups that ultimately lead them right into danger without support from their male colleagues. Is there a place for women in the Atlanta Police Department?

I have read all of Karin Slaughter's previous books and enjoyed the Will Trent series and most of the Grant County novels. She has fantastic writing skills that usually suck me right into the plot and make me care about the characters. I just wasn't that enamored of this novel -- the setting, time period, and tone of the narrative didn't keep me locked to the pages as usual. This is a stand alone and perhaps the start of something new for the author, but I doubt I'd read another featuring these characters or the Atlanta PD in this era. I'm certain that the legion of this author's fans will disagree, but ever since Slaughter "got me" with a plot kicker in one of her Grant County books (you all know which one I'm talking about), I've been less than faithful and her books are hit and miss with me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell, and LibraryThing for the ARC to review.

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This is the story of two female cops working for the Atlanta Police Department in 1974. It's Kate Murphy's first day on the job and she really wonders if she is cut out to be a cop. She is partnered with Maggie Lawson who after a couple of years on the job, still hasn't been accepted by the boys in blue, especially her brother and uncle who are both cops.

In the last few weeks, four police officers have been murdered by the Atlanta Shooter. Maggie's brother, Jimmy Lawson, carries his mortally wounded partner into the ER, claiming that someone shot at them. When Maggie listens to his story, she has questions; but Jimmy isn't talking. The police are hunting for a killer. Maggie and Kate start their own investigation into what happened in the alley where Jimmy's partner was killed.

This story shows the sexism, bigotry, racism, and corruption of the Atlanta Police Department in 1974. I believe I only found one male cop that didn't make me sick. Kate and Maggie are both great characters who showed they had what it takes to be a cop by the end of the book. After being told that female cops cannot be promoted to Detective, it was good to see Maggie and Kate figure out the identity of the killer. My rating: 4 Stars.

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This was not Karin Slaughter's usual book. I must admit it has been a long time since a book has held me on edge like this one did. It is based on some truth, some fiction, and you can imagine it all happening in real life.
I highly recommend this book as it will keep you wanting to read one more chapter and you really can relate to the characters. I only wish there was a part 2.

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