Rabbit Factory

The hilarious and suspenseful introduction of Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs.

Welcome to Familyland, an offshoot of Lamaar Studios. Once a small, Southern California animation house, it has grown into an entertainment conglomerate encompassing movies, television, music, video games, and a sprawling theme park.

When an actor portraying Familyland's beloved mascot, Rambunctious Rabbit, is brutally murdered on park grounds, Lamaar executives are worried that the idyllic image of '50s America represented in Familyland will be shattered. They ask Mike Lomax and his partner Terry Biggs, the LAPD detectives assigned to solve the case, to keep the circumstances surrounding the death of their mascot quiet.

When a second Lamaar employee is killed, Lomax and Biggs uncover a conspiracy to destroy Familyland and settle an unknown vendetta. Still under pressure to keep the case away from the public eye, the detectives are met with a third murder — and an outrageous demand: Anyone who associates with Lamaar — employees, customers, anyone — will be killed.

Bringing a fresh duo of cops to the thriller set, The Rabbit Factory is both suspenseful and satiric; a taut mystery wrapped in sharp, comedic prose.

"[A] crisp cast of characters headed by a captivating detective team....Like the best of Donald Westlake and Carl Hiaasen, The Rabbit Factory is deftly plotted and deliciously askew." Booklist (Starred Review)

"Marshall Karp could well be the Carl Hiaasen of Los Angeles — only I think he's even funnier. The Rabbit Factory will touch your funny bone, and your heart." James Patterson

"[T]he whole farrago is gorgeously, hilariously, cherishably bad: an out-of-control Simpsons plot, though without the humor, irony or intelligence." LA Weekly

"What might have been a darkly satirical insider's view of the entertainment industry or a detective/buddy novel attempts to be both and loses its fizz well before its 600-plus pages play out." Library Journal

"[A] crisp mystery laced with humor, pathos, violence and surprising humanity....[T]horoughly entertaining..." Columbus Dispatch

"A big, leisurely paced thriller....Karp craftily engineers a statement on ethical values, both institutional and personal. A bloated piece of work, devoted more to the pleasure of reading than the offer of a dazzling denouement." Kirkus Reviews

"[B]rings to mind Robert B. Parker, Janet Evanovich, Dean Koontz, Stuart Woods and a lot of other fast-paced authors." Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"[W]ell written and easily digestible. I had a hard time putting it down, and not because I was in a hurry to see the crime solved, but because the writing is so well done. I'm hoping this is only the beginning of crime stories starring Lomax and Biggs." Flint Journal

"This book is fun. And funny...very well-written." Contra Costa Times

"[A] stellar debut...wickedly funny...this quirky, off-kilter novel also has a really big heart...[and] an emotional core that will make readers care about these tough but vulnerable crime fighters and keep them hoping for a sequel." BookReporter.com

"The Rabbit Factory is beautifully written, with lifelike characters, humor, and a sense of intimacy that only good research and experience can provide...fun to read, full of humor along with accumulating suspense. And even with that many pages, you'll be sorry there aren't more!" Who-Dunnit.com

"It's refreshing to have so many likeable characters in a crime novel. Lomax and Biggs in particular are an engaging pair, with a nice line in witty repartee....Karp's genial style and humorous anti-establishment digs make an entertaining read" Sunday Telegraph (UK)

"Totally original, a sheer roller coaster ride, packed with waves of humor and a dynamic duo in Lomax and Biggs. Karp shows a master's touch in his debut." David Baldacci

Marshall Karp's writing career has spanned a wide range of fields, from advertising and marketing to television, screen, and stage. He is the author of the play Squabbles and the screenwriter for the 2000 film Just Looking. The Rabbit Factory is his first novel.