Karin Slaughter is a best-selling crime writer whose latest book, Cop Town, is set in 1974 Atlanta. It’s the story of a couple of young female officers who are trying to prove their worth in the macho Atlanta PD and also tracking down a serial killer who is targeting cops. Kate Murphy is a young widow from a privileged background and new on the job. She’s partnered with Maggie Lawson, whose brother and uncle are also police officers.
Cop Town raises issues of racism, sexism, homophobia and class inequality. Slaughter says that by setting the book in the 1970s, she gives readers some remove to look at how things used to be and perhaps understand how much and how little things have changed.
Karin Slaughter is one of the featured authors at the 2014 South Dakota Festival of Books. She joined Dakota Midday and discussed using crime novel to explore social and political issues.