What do you get when you mix a son of a hypocritical drunken preacher, a pedophile in disguise, and a kindly Irish bomber? Just another day at The Rabbit Factory.
LAPD cops Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are called in to investigate what they think is a simple one-off killing at a theme park named Familyland. But thing left behind at the crime scene means there may be more killings to come. When the murder count grows and the police are jerked around from upstate New York to the mob in Vegas does the truth come out, and Mike and Terry have to find Jesus and resurrect a leader among men.
I am a huge reader of mysteries, and the cop as investigator sub-genre is a favorite of mine. By the size of this book, though, I thought it would be overly technical and filled with details about the crime and the state of the bodies. Instead, I was delightfully pleased to discover the extra pages were filled with the exciting life and times of Mike Lomax. With a gambling addict brother who has lost a wad of cash at the very casino Lomax is investigating as a possible lead to the Familyland murders, he has his hands full personally and professional. What's more unlike other cops in this sub-genre, Lomax has a relatively good personal life - just enough drama to make him interesting but enough happiness to make him human.
A great plot well-told with fantastic characters earns Marshall Karp a place alongside mystery greats. I hope to get the chance to read more from him.