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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Apr 2006, 632 pages
Paperback:
Mar 2007, 550 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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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.
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.
CHAPTER 1
Eddie Elkins ambled down Fantasy Avenue. A
light breeze penetrated his costume, and he felt
relatively cool inside the furry white rabbit suit.
Of course, these were the balmy days of April. July
and August would be unbearable, but for Eddie, it would
be a small price to pay.
Six weeks ago he had lied, cheated, and bribed his
way into the best job in the world. And now, he was
Rambo. Rambunctious Rabbit, the most famous character
Dean Lamaar ever created. The acknowledged superstar
at Lamaar's Familyland.
Eddie waved at the kids as he wandered through the
sprawling theme park. Occasionally some wiseass teenager
would give him the finger, but for the most part kids
loved him.
And Eddie loved kids. In fact, he loved them so much
that he was mandated by Megan's Law to register with the
Los Angeles police, so they could notify people in his
community that he had moved into their neighborhood.
But he hadn't registered. Not this time. He had complied
...
The Rabbit Factory is a big, fun read leavened with just enough pathos to balance the humor. No doubt Marshall, who cut his teeth writing TV commercials (which are rarely longer than 60 seconds) could write a novel in less than 600 pages - but not when he's writing in the voice of Mike, the narrator and chief protagonist of The Rabbit Factory, who has a story to tell and is not going to be hurried while telling it - and what a story it is, replete with a large cast of lovable characters, a high body-count (but without any graphically violent scenes) and some well placed stabs at the ethical values of big corporations...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
James Patterson
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.Karp's 1st time novelist status belies his experience as a writer - gleaned from
many years as an advertising copyrighter on accounts such as Coca-Cola, Gillette
and Paine Webber (remember the "Thank you Paine Webber ads?), followed by
further time spent as a writer/producer on TV sitcoms such as "Amen", "Baby
Talk" and "Working It Out". He has also written a play, "Squabbles", which
has been performed in over 500 theaters, and a movie, "Just Looking", that was
released in 2000.
He was born and brought up in and around New York City. Graduating with a
BA in English during the Vietnam era he spent six months on active duty with the
National Guard in Missouri, before signing up as an advertising copyrighter.
He spent the ...
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