The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp
Category: Mystery Grade: A-
Sometimes you just luck in to one. This is Karp's first novel, although he's been writing (mostly screenplays) for a long time. I hadn't seen any reviews of it or had any recommendations. It just happened to be sitting on the "new stuff" table at the little book store we go to up here. The title sounded kind of interesting so I picked it up.
I was a little worried in the begging since the first character we meet is a pedophile who bribed his way in to a job as a starring character at a Disneyland like amusement park. I really didn't want to get in to a really heavy book so I was actually reasonably happy when this character gets murdered on page 10. He's murdered at FamilyLand, the park, in his costume. So right away you're left to wonder whether this is going to be about a vigilante or about somebody with a grudge against the park.
Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that this only the first in a series of murders designed to destroy the company that runs the park. Bodies fall, but somehow, the book stays pretty light and at times funny. Karp clearly intends this to be the first in a series since he spends a lot of time developing his main character - an LAPD detective name Mike Lomax. Lomax is only six months from the death of his wife and he's just starting to rediscover his life. There area bunch of interesting characters developed around him - his colorful father, his ne'er-do-well brother and, of course, a new girlfriend.
There are a lot of sideplots, but somehow Karp manages to keep all of the balls in the air without your feeling overloaded. The main plot has just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and the sideplots interleave seamlessly. You get blindsided by the plot enough times to keep you interesting and, despite they mayhem, keep you laughing.
Its a 600+ page book but thats a little misleading since the print is big and the pages are small. It took almost no time to read. Nothing serious; didn't learn a thing; thoroughly enjoyed it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hey Marc,
Sometimes you just luck into one. I never heard of you and I don't know squatola about blogs, but my daughter, a New York high fashion priestess turned North Carolina goat herder just started blogging, so I started exploring the blog world.
I was a little worried in the beginning, because I clicked next, next, next and wound up confronted with wedding highlights in many languages. Then I saw search all blogs. Naturally I ego-Googled. And there you were giving me an A- on my first novel. I'm Marshall Karp, the guy who wrote The Rabbit Factory.
Thank you (a) for taking a chance on my book (it's a non-discounted 25 bucks at the little book stores) and (b) for telling the world (okay, your world).
Today is July 8 and I'm in LA for a signing at the Mystery Bookstore, then wending my way through California, winding up at the 4 day Book Passage mystery writers conference in Corte Madera. Then a quick stop in Houston and back to upstate NY where I'm working on Bloodthirsty, the next book in the Lomax and Biggs series.
I don't usually write to reviewers (although some have been so glowing I've thought of sending lingerie) but blogging is about connecting, and I wanted you to know that someone out there read you and appreciates that you took the time to write.
As for my goatherder daughter, her blog is at
http://ifthataintcountryillkissyour.blogspot.com. And I'm marshall@lomaxandbiggs.com.
Write on.
Post a Comment