Book ~ "Blood Thirsty" (2008) Marshall Karp

From LomaxandBriggs.com ~ Barry Gerber, one of the most hated men in Hollywood, is a no show for a red carpet event. The next morning he turns up dead, killed in such a bizarre way that neither Detective Mike Lomax nor Terry Biggs nor anyone in Forensics has ever seen anything like it before. Two days later, the prime suspect – another despised Show-business Bad Boy – is found murdered in the same sadistic manner.

The list of suspects is as long as the credits in a summer blockbuster. Everyone hated the murdered men. Terry Biggs jokes that this could be an elaborate public service effort to make Hollywood a better place to live and work. But he and Lomax soon find that all jokes are off as they wade through a daunting number of leads to uncover who will be the next victim. What they stumble upon is a motive far more primal than they had ever imagined.

This is the second in the series of three (I read #3 first, then #1).

I like mysteries and I enjoy Karp's comical writing style.

I didn't get a chance to figure out "whodunnit" because we find out about halfway ... but it's interesting to see the twists and turns before the end.

Definitely a series I'd recommend.

Book ~ "The Rabbit Factory" (2007) Marshall Karp

From LomaxandBiggs.com ~ Welcome to 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 called Familyland.

When an actor portraying Familyland's beloved mascot, Rambunctious Rabbit, is brutally murdered on park grounds, Lamaar executives fear that their idyllic image of '50s America will be shattered. Feeling pressure from the studio, LAPD Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs must conduct their investigation while avoiding the public eye.

But as more murders are committed, Lomax and Biggs uncover a sinister plot. Someone has a vendetta against Lamaar, a vendetta worth killing for. With the media closing in and political pressure mounting, the partners must race to discover the Lamaar-hating madman before he brings the family entertainment giant to its knees.

After reading and enjoying Karp's third book in the Lomax and Biggs series a couple weeks ago, I wanted to read the first two (this is the first one).

It's quite long (632 pages) but good ... I didn't find it dragged.

Interesting twists along the way and I didn't figure out who dunnit 'til the end when it was revealed.

And it's not just a murder mystery ... you meet Mike Lomax whose wife had died six months earlier and how he is getting on with his life. His wife left nine letters for him to open, one a month (similar to PS, Cecilia's Ahern's PS, I Love You).

So if you are looking for a mystery with humour, you should check it out.

Book ~ "Flipping Out" (2009) Marshall Karp

From Amazon ~ LAPD homicide detectives Michael Lomax and Terry Biggs take on a killer targeting a group of police officers' wives. When spouses of some of Lomax and Biggs's closest co-workers are found murdered, they begin their investigation by questioning the surviving members of the LA Flippers, the partnership of cop wives who, along with popular mystery writer Nora Bannister, have found a lucrative way to flip houses in the highly competitive Southern California real estate market. With the body count rising and pressure from Lomax and Biggs's superiors to close the case fast, the wisecracking duo must somehow track down a cunning psychopath before Biggs's wife becomes the killer's next target. Blending the gritty realism of a Joseph Wambaugh police procedural with the sardonic humor of Janet Evanovich, Karp delivers a treat that's not only laugh-out-loud funny but also remarkably suspense.

This is the first book I've read of Karp's ... and I liked it.

Lomax and Biggs are fun, though I found Terry a bit too sarcastic at times.

I figured out who dunnit about halfway through but I didn't know why 'til the end.

If you like humorous mysteries, you should check this one out.