Reader Review of "The Rabbit Factory" by Marshall Karp

[John Masse]

This latest book review is very close to my heart. Both because the book was so enjoyable, and I have become fairly close to the author. The book is "The Rabbit Factory". The author is Marshall Karp.

Dean Lamaar is a huge fixture in American culture. He stands alongside Disney, Warner, and the other top family entertainment producers from the WW2 era. Creating characters, movies, TV shows, and a place for families to vacation (Familyland), he is cemented in the minds and hearts of many Americans as the "Prince of Joy and Laughter". But the company went through financial trouble, was sold to the Japanese, and slowly Deanie was phased out until his death. But his legacy lives on in films, TV, and Familyland. Though the company has moved into "edgier" territory, the core remains the same. Though some don't see it that way. The company’s mascot, Rambunctious Rabbit, is murdered. Well, not the rabbit, but the Familyland employee who wears the costume. LAPD detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are called onto the case. Could this be a threat against the company, or a personal vendetta on the man inside the big fluffy suit? The debate between theories is soon settled when another person with Lamaar ties is brutally slain. As the pressure from the perpetrators, the media, and the government intensifies, Lomax and Biggs race against the clock to bring the criminals to justice. But as the family friendly façade is pulled back, the pair discovers secrets, lies, backstabbing, and the ultimate plan for revenge. Can they stop the culprits in time, or will an American legacy crumble beyond repair?

The book is the first in the Lomax and Biggs series. If I didn’t already have the intention, I’d have run out to my local book store (not name dropping until I get sponsors) and picked up the rest of the series. Though, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Marshall Karp, I was given the books. Signed, sealed, and delivered in one piece.

Now it is a bit of a lengthy read (632 pages). But it is more than worth it. Being a first novel, it takes time to introduce the characters, set up things for the future books, and other essential elements that made this a fantastic book. The comparison has been made before, but for fans of Janet Evanovich, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not checking out Marshall Karp. He ties together a well crafted plot, nail biting suspense, and a wit as sharp as razor wire so seamlessly, that it feels like this couldn’t possibly be his first novel. Though Mr. Karp isn’t new to the mighty written word, though you’ll learn more about that in my Author Spotlight of him (SHAMELESS PLUG!!!!).

Humor and mystery are both hard to come by in good heaping portions. But you can find both with “The Rabbit Factory”. I was intrigued all the way through, and was stricken with hard cases of belly laughs multiple times throughout the book. Plus, it’s Patterson recommended, which shows just how good Marshall Karp is. To get the biggest name in fiction to say you’re big…that’s big. “The Rabbit Factory” is a must read for fans of books everywhere.