Lomax and Biggs Books In Order

Publication Order of Lomax & Biggs Books

Lomax and Biggs is a series of novels written by Marshall Karp.

+The Story

The story of the Lomax and Biggs series is nothing new. You have a couple of detectives who keep tackling interesting cases and delivering justice where necessary. As far as mystery novels, you wouldn’t be faulted for not thinking much of the Lomax and Biggs series.

After all, bookstores are chock full of novels about law enforcement protagonists who work difficult cases even while struggling to balance their work life with their home life, and most of them are series.

The Lomax and Biggs series stands out primarily because of Marshall Karp and his two protagonists. And this is usually what separates most of the good detective novels. Seeing as almost every book in the mystery genre follows individuals or teams of individuals with impressive detective skills working to solve difficult cases, you would think that the mystery genre is just one bland shade of the same color.

But the genre is full of series that stand out primarily because certain writers have a talent for creating unique protagonists. The best detectives in the best mystery novels are rarely the same, and their unique approach to life, in general, gives the mysteries they encounter a unique tint.

In this case, the Lomax and Biggs series stands out because Marshall Karp makes Lomax and Biggs very interesting. Karp endeavors to make them as realistic as possible. These two are no mavericks.

They do not have any special quirks or genius-level skills that allow them to dissect mysteries like no one else. Karp makes them ordinary individuals with normal sensibilities, the kind of people you might meet on the street.

Additionally, the books have a strong sense of comedy and have been commended for taking a more satirical approach to the mystery genre. Starting with ‘The Rabbit Factory’, the first book in the series, released in 2006, Karp has made an effort to keep things light and fun, determined to make his readers laugh even while shocking them with twists and turns.

It is also worth noting that the Lomax and Biggs series primarily focuses on mysteries set in Hollywood. That isn’t so surprising seeing as Marshall Karp worked in Hollywood for a while. He knows the lay of the land very well and has been known to satirize real life people, places and companies in the Lomax and Biggs books.

+The Author

Marshall Karp has been writing forever. He went from writing commercials to working on Television to creating his own plays and movies and eventually pushing his first novel out.

Marshall was born in Manhattan. While his teachers in high school pushed him to write, his parents preferred that he focus on something more practical. This is despite the fact that Marshall was failing everything except English Composition.

After a spell in the National Guard, which he joined to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam, Marshall became an advertisement copywriter. He eventually produced a number of notable commercials and climbed through the ranks until he acquired a managerial position which paid well but took him away from writing.

The author eventually chose to explore bigger things, working for ABC-TV to produce a sitcom at one time, writing for an NBC hit show called ‘Amen’, starting his own web designing company, eventually selling it, making a movie and finally sitting down to write his first novel.

The road to the Lomax and Biggs series has been a long one. But it has prepared Marshal Karp for the rigors of publishing.

+Lomax and Biggs Adaptations

There were plans in 2010 to turn ‘The Rabbit Factory’ into a television show. The Rabbit Factory is the first Lomax and Biggs novel. TNT ordered a pilot which Allan Loeb wrote the screenplay for.

However, TNT passed on the pilot and chose to not order a full season of episodes. Nothing has come of the project since.

+The Rabbit Factory

Familyland, an offshoot of Lamar Studios is a massive entertainment conglomerate dominating the Hollywood landscape. When the actor behind Rumbunctious Rabbit, their beloved mascot, is murdered, Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are brought it to solve the case even while maintaining the idyllic image of Familyland.

Maintaining Familyland’s image proves difficult when a second employee of theirs dies. Lomax and Biggs are put under pressure to catch a killer in the face of immense public scrutiny.

Marshall Karp produces quite the compelling first book. Lomax and Biggs feel like they could actually exist, and they work so well with each other. And the mystery actually tasks the mind.

Standing at the center of the story is Rumbunctious Rabbit who wasn’t nearly as nice as everyone suggested. There is heart to the story, especially taking into account the histories of Lomax and Biggs and the struggles they have encountered in the past.

The biggest complaint about this book is the fact that it is a little too long. Karp runs off on too many tangents.

+Bloodthirsty

Barry Gerber fails to make an appearance at a red carpet event and it raises questions, even though everyone in Hollywood hates him. When he turns up dead, Lomax and Biggs think they will have it easy when a prime suspect is made readily available, only for the Hollywood bad boy to die, and in a more sadistic manner than Barry.

With so many suspects in the pool, Lomax and Biggs find that making Hollywood a safer place is a far more difficult task than they anticipated.

The first book in the Lomax and Biggs series had too many threads running at the same time, which is why it was so long. This book is much shorter because Karp learned enough to focus the story this time round. The mysteries are sharper and so is the dialogue.

Karp keeps the twists and turns coming. At some point, readers are fooled into thinking they know what is coming, only for Karp to throw them a curve ball. The most intriguing aspect of this book is the antagonists. Rather than nefarious masterminds out to do evil, the antagonists here are just normal people looking to get a little bit of justice.

As always, Lomax and Biggs are great central characters.

One Response to “Lomax and Biggs”

1. Merilyn Dimmitt: 6 months ago

   Reserved your book Cut Paste Kill as enjoyed your writing with Patterson. This book has a great story line. However Terry is driving me crazy with constanly making everything a joke!

   Reply