Mystery Book Review: Flipping Out by Marshall Karp

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is pleased to be participating in an online book tour for Marshall Karp. Today we are publishing a new review of Flipping Out. You can also win a free, signed copy of Flipping Out by Marshall Karp, courtesy of the author. Look for details following the review.

Photo courtesy Marshall Karp.

Flipping Out by Marshall Karp
A Lomax and Biggs Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-37821-1 (0312378211)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-37821-9 (9780312378219)
Publication Date: March 2009
List Price: $24.95

Review: LAPD homicide detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs investigate a series of murders that hit a little too close to home -- the victims are the wives of cops and Terry's wife may be next, in Flipping Out, the third mystery in this series by Marshall Karp.

Bestselling author Nora Bannister has hit on an innovative idea to boost the sales of her books: buy a house in need of an upgrade, throw a few dollars into sprucing it up, then set her next murder mystery at the house, giving it instant notoriety not to mention a premium price tag. The series is a bestseller, the cash pouring in. She allows some of her closest friends, wives of LA's finest including Marilyn Biggs, to become partners and profit from the successful venture. When one of the women is killed, and then another, it's clear someone is targeting them. But is it because of their success in flipping real estate, or because they're married to a cop?

Narrated by Mike, who delights the reader with his wry perspective on both his fellow officers and the investigation, Flipping Out is both a suspense-driven murder mystery as well as a darkly humorous novel. Though they are partners, Terry assumes more of the limelight here, after all it is his wife who may have a target on her back, but Mike steps in when Terry starts to overplay his role. It's a nicely balanced relationship, and the banter between them genuinely entertaining. The plot is cleverly devised, rarely pauses, and the transition from the setup and introduction of characters (read suspects) to the investigation smoothly and skillfully handled. Though red herrings abound, they are all consistent within the context of the story and offer real alternatives to the reader trying to identify whodunit.

Fast paced with plenty of twists and turns, at times wickedly funny, Flipping Out works on many levels as a crime novel. It is highly recommended.

Special thanks to William Morris Agency and Marshall Karp (LomaxAndBiggs.com) for providing an ARC of Flipping Out for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

If you are interested in purchasing Flipping Out from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Marshall Karp is offering one lucky visitor to Mystery Books News a chance to win an autographed copy of Flipping Out. To enter to win, send an e-mail message to flippingoutgiveaway@yahoo.com with the subject line Enter Me to Win! All entries must be received before Friday, April 17, 2009 at 11:59 PM ET. No purchase required to enter or to win; US residents only. A winner will be selected at random from all valid entries received.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Nora Bannister writes murder mysteries with a twist – a very lucrative twist. She buys a run-down house in LA, and while her business partners turn it into a showpiece, Nora makes it the scene of a grisly murder and the star of the next book in her bestselling House To Die For series.

As soon as the book goes on sale, there’s a bidding frenzy for the house. It seems a lot of people are willing to pay a lot of money to live in a real house where a fictional character has died a violent death.

Just before Nora’s latest book hits the market, one of her house-flipping partners is murdered. LAPD Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are assigned the case, but this one is a hot potato. The dead woman is also the wife of one of their fellow cops.

In fact, all of Nora’s partners are married to cops, so when the killer strikes again, Mike and Terry realize that somebody is out to murder the house flippers. And the next logical target is Marilyn Biggs – Terry’s wife.

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