Cop Town is set in mid-70s Atlanta, where a serial killer dubbed the “Shooter” has picked off four police officers, spurring a city-wide manhunt. The story follows the Lawson family. Jimmy is the golden boy and former football star and now a respected member of the force, whose partner was the most recent victim of the Shooter. Terry is the older brother, protector of Jimmy, and hell-bent on finding and executing the Shooter. And Maggie, the younger sister who has joined the force as part of an affirmative action program seeking to integrate the force. The bulk of the first third of the book focuses on Maggie being forced to endure unimaginable harassment and abuse at the hands of the male cops, including her brothers, and the travails of Kate Murphy, a new female cop who is beautiful and a widow, whose first day on the job coincides with the new shooting. The depiction of the treatment of the female cops, both White and Black, is harrowing and undoubtedly true to life. The luscious descriptions provide both a historical record and also a view into how far things have come since then.

The police procedural/mystery is the hunt for the Shooter. The second half of the book focuses on this, in which both Kate and Maggie are key players. The harassment and discrimination depicted in the early chapters seems to fall away as they play their part in solving the mystery and exposing the Shooter. The chase is compelling, but loses some of the gritty flavor of the first half of the book.

The author’s prose and descriptions are delicious and compelling, and it’s the writing that makes the book worth reading. There are unexpected and out-of-character sex scenes where Kate seems to be both the stout-hearted cop wannabe and also the soft, vulnerable, and easily-seduced ingénue. This juxtaposition is hard to reconcile.

The eventual conclusion of the mystery is twisty and satisfying, along with the women’s power closing statement from Maggie. The writing throughout is wonderful. There are elements of the plot that are at best outdated and at worst stereotypically challenging. The glimpses into the killer’s mind are disturbing and racially offensive, so be prepared to be shocked and appalled.

As a time piece, this is interesting reading. As a standard mystery/thriller it’s a bit cluttered. But the combination of the two makes it definitely worth reading.