It’s
officially summer so you may be hopping on a plane, heading to the beach, or
for the unlucky - working countless hours at the office while under stress that
makes it difficult to relax. Regardless
of your summer circumstances, Karin Slaughter’s new police mystery, Cop Town, is the perfect novel to help
you make your summer escape. Sometimes violent crime, a serial killer on the
loose, and a little blood and gore are just the right recipe to combat a hot
summer day.
Slaughter,
best known for her acclaimed Will Kent series, has written a stand-alone novel
set in 1974 Atlanta where the cops are almost all racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic,
women-hating creeps. Maggie Lawson is a young, but seasoned cop from a family
of policemen, a very dysfunctional family with a sad history. She hates the way
the department functions but knows enough not to fight city hall. But then
Maggie’s brother Jimmy’s partner is killed by a serial cop killer and Jimmy only
escapes because the killer’s gun jams.
Maggie can’t call this business as usual especially when some of the
reported details of the murder don’t support the evidence. Soon Maggie is
paired with rookie cop Kate Murphy, a pretty, privileged widow, who’s smarter
and more tenacious than the rest of the squad expect. Her first day on the job
is much worse than a “girl” from her background could have imagined but she
simply won’t quit. Kate has lots to prove and solving the biggest crime in
Atlanta would demonstrate that she’s more than what others expect. Kate is a
character who could star in almost any award-winning literary novel. Slaughter develops her before the reader’s eyes
as if she were a Polaroid print coming into focus. Here’s hoping Slaughter decides to grow a
series around Kate Murphy.
The
1974 setting is brilliantly evoked especially with the playing of Carole King’s
Tapestry album in the background of
many emotional scenes. The setting also showcases the low regard for women and
minorities in the workplace forty years ago. These details make the book much
more than a police procedural – it’s a nuanced portrait of the way people treat
the “other” when they can get away with it.
Good
mysteries ask questions. This one asks
many including: Who is this shooter who’s executing cops in pairs? Who are these people who treat the law as
their own personal smorgasbord, taking whatever they wish from it regardless of
who gets hurt? Will Kate and Maggie
capture the killer before becoming his next victims? Have things really changed in the last forty
years?
Masterful
mystery writers have one essential characteristic in common – pacing. Slaughter’s
unrelenting excellence in using pace to make her plot twists sing make this
thriller one that will keep even the jaded mystery reader turning the pages for
more. There's much more to Cop Town than this review will divulge and readers will discover many secrets as Slaughter's careful pacing cleverly reveals them.
Summing
it Up: When you pack for the beach, make sure you include Cop Town with the hot dogs, beer, and beach toys. This thriller will reward you as much as s’mores
and fireworks.
Rating: 5 stars
Category:
Chinese Carryout, Fiction, Five Stars, Mysteries and Thrillers
Publication
date: June 24, 2014
Read
an Excerpt: http://www.karinslaughter.com/all-books/cop-town-2/#readexcerpt
What
Others are Saying:
Publishers
Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-345-54749-1
Excellent review. I have this to read too so you've made me excited to get to it!
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