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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Police murders; the cop killer's crimes; violence in 1970s Atlanta; a scene of assault
Language
A lot
Strong period language including racial slurs; the register of a 1970s precinct
Sexual Content
Some
Moderate; assault is part of the narrative
Substance Use
A lot
Strong; 1970s police culture and its relationship to alcohol; characters who drink heavily
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong; systemic racism and sexism depicted with historical accuracy; the violence of institutional exclusion; what it cost women and Black officers to exist in the APD
What this book is about
Karin Slaughter's standalone historical thriller is set in Atlanta in 1974, when a cop killer is targeting the APD. Two women on the force — Kate Murphy, a college-educated newcomer, and Maggie Lawson, a tough second-generation cop — are thrown together while the department's male establishment ignores them. Slaughter's period thriller examines racism and sexism in law enforcement with her characteristic ferocity, and the mystery is as tight as anything she's written.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Racial slurs throughout in historical context
Sexual harassment and assault of female officers
Police violence
Heavy alcohol use in period context
Reader Verification
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