Crime

"August, 1974. As a brutal killing and a furious manhunt rock the city, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the police force will also be her last. Kate isn't the only woman on the force who is finding things tough. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When Maggie and Kate become parters and are sidelined in the search for the city's cop killer, they decide to pursue their own line of investigation. But are they prepared to risk everything as they venture into the city's darkest heart?"
I struggled to finish this book not because of the quality of the author's writing but because it was difficult to read about the backward views of people regarding gender, race and religious preferences. I know that the situations were a work of fiction but the reality is that it accurately represents the way things were in 1974. Shocking to think about how painful life was for some people in those days. ( )

Dual review with Swedish first and then English!

SWEDISH REVIEW

De fördärvade är en fantastisk bok! Att läsa den här boken fick mig att inse att jag inte läser många kriminalromaner vars handling utspelas på 70-talet och det är synd eftersom det är en fascinerande tidsperiod. Särskilt, som i den här boken, för kvinnor som försöker hitta en plats i en mans värld

Jag verkligen älskade att läsa om Kate Murphy och Maggie Lawson, två mycket olika kvinnor från olika klasser. Kate kommer från en familj av poliser, både hennes farbror och bror arbetar på samma polisstation som hon gör. Men det är inte så att de gillar att hon är polis, särskilt inte hennes farbror. Maggie å andra sidan är änka, hennes man dog i Vietnam-kriget. Hon är också den nyaste polisen på polisstation, och hon lär sig snabbt att ingen, inte ens kvinnorna, kommer att hjälpa henne. Om hon vill jobba som polis, måste hon tuffa till sig och acceptera att bli mobbad. Och som kvinnor hålls de också borta från de verkliga fallen som jakten på polisens mördare. Inte för att det kommer att stoppa Maggie och Kate från att försöka ta reda på vem som dödar poliser.

De fördärvade är en träffsäker roman om en tid i förändring där kvinnor försöker bli mer självständiga. En sak som verkligen berörde mig var den skrämmande attityden gentemot kvinnor i den här boken. Även bland andra kvinnor, ja, även i en familj. Och sedan har vi den omaskerade rasismen och homofobin, särskilt bland manliga poliser. Men det är allt detta som gör den här boken så fascinerande att läsa. Karin Slaughter har verkligen fångat tidsandan och jag mentalt hejade jag på Kate och Maggie för att de våga stå upp mot männen och våga försöka hitta mördaren trots motstånd.

Detta är en av de bästa böcker jag har läst av Slaughter och hon har snabbt blivit en favoritförfattare!

Tack HarperCollins Nordic för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

Cop Town is a fabulous book! Reading this book made me realize that I don't read many crime novels set in the 70s and that's a shame since it's a fascinating period of time. Especially for women that are trying to find a place in a man's world, as in this book.

I loved reading about Kate Murphy and Maggie Lawson, two very different women from different classes. Kate comes from a family of cops, with both her uncle and brother working on the same force as she does. Not that they like that she is a cop, especially her uncle. Maggie, on the other hand, is a widow, her husband died in the Vietnam war. She is also the newest cop on the force, and she quickly learns that no one, not even the women will help her out. If she wants to work as a cop, then she has to toughen up and accept being bullied. And, as women are they also being kept away from the real cases like the hunt for the cop killer. Not that that will stop Maggie and Kate from trying to find out who is offing cops.

Cop Town is a gritty crime novel about a time in changing, with women more and more trying to be independent. One thing that really struck me was the appalling attitude towards women in this book. Even among other women, hell, even in a family. And, then we have the undisguised racism and homophobia, especially among the male cops. But, it's just all of this that makes this book so fascinating to read. Karin Slaughter has really captured the spirit of the time and I found myself mentally cheering Kate and Maggie for daring to stand up to the men in this book and daring to try to find a killer.

This is one of the best books I have read by Slaughter and she is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.

Thanks HarperCollins Nordic for the review copy! ( )

Cop Town centers around a group of Atlanta Police officers that are investigating the murders of their fellow officers. They are determined to find the killer and will do anything to make this happen. The group of officers are obnoxious "Good Ole Boys" that are use to getting their way and don't mind playing dirty! They treat women terrible and they don't have any tolerance for any race except for their own.
Jimmy, one of the officers has a sister named Maggie that is also an officer. She is constantly being put down by her Uncle Terry, who is one of the officers and one of the biggest bullies! When Kate starts her first day at the Police Department she is belittled by the male and female officers. Kate and Maggie become partners and as they also start to investigate these murders they slowly begin to respect each other in their own way. The male officers think they are ridiculous and not able to solve the case.....but is that true????
I just loved the twist and turns in this book! The mystery is great, but I also enjoyed learning about all of the character's life stories and what brought them to this point in life. ( )

The book explores the realities of life in the changing 70's in a culture clash in a violent city. The author captured the flavor of the 70s pretty accurately. It's an interesting read. ( )