COP TOWN
by
Karin Slaughter
Kate Murphy
is not quite the typical rookie one would expect at the Atlanta Police
Department. She doesn’t fit, in many ways, especially in 1974, when the book
takes place. Nonetheless, she is the star of Cop Town, a novel by Karin Slaughter.
At the
beginning of the book, Jimmy Lawson’s partner, Don Wesley, is murdered,
bringing the total of executed police officers to five in three months. The
other murders, however, were executions, with the pair of officers each being
shot once in the head while on his knees. According to the old guard at the
police department, the issue is racial – it is time, they believe, for the
white males to take back the power that is rightfully theirs.
It is into
this environment that Kate Murphy begins her job as a police officer. She is an
unlikely rookie, performing unlikely actions, and growing into the profession
at an unlikely rate.
I did not
particularly care for Cop Town. There are, roughly, three reasons for this.
First, in
my opinion, the start is very slow. I had a difficult time getting into the
book. Although the pace picks up, I almost did not stick with the book long
enough to reach that point.
Second, I
found the plot to be somewhat predictable. Although I did not correctly select
“who-done-it”, I was in the right ballpark.
And, third,
I found the book to be weak on character development. In my opinion, but for a
few exceptions, the characters are flat – one dimensional. There is not one
character with whom I connect, or for whom I feel particularly empathetic, and
so many of the characters are simply stereotypes. Perhaps this is what
Slaughter intends. But, I think her message would hit harder if she were more
subtle. This complaint, however, might be a result of my own preferences. My
interests lean more towards drama, not true mysteries or thrillers in which extensive
character development is not as important.
Cop Town provides interesting descriptions
of the many different areas of Atlanta. The novel does not feel realistic to me.
It does not resonate with my own recollections of 1974; however, I am
unfamiliar with 1974 Atlanta, Georgia.
If you like
straightforward thrillers, you might enjoy Cop
Town. It did not, however, appeal to me.
NOT RECOMMENDED
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