This one's a fun piece of brain candy. The story, like the movie which it inspired, is set in a world where cartoon characters are living, breathing beings--co-existing as second class citizens in a world with human beings. In the book version, private detective Eddie Valiant is hired by 'toon Roger Rabbit to get information regarding a labor dispute. Roger's under contract with the DeGreasy cartoon syndicate and is stuck in a second-banana role in the Baby Herman strip. He wants to be released from his contract to seek a better gig. He's heard rumors that another publisher wants to buy out his contract, but the DeGreasy brothers have refused to sell. Eddie makes a half hearted attempt to investigate the case, enough to justify charging his client. But before he can bring his case to a close, both Roger and one of the DeGreasy brothers are murdered. Suddenly Eddie finds himself in the midst of a mystery he can't resist--a mystery that takes through the dark underside of the cartoon industry. The story's written like a detective pulp novel, full of cheesy metaphors. It's a darker tale than the movie version, but one that still captures a bit of the wonder of having 'toons living and working among us.
--J. ( )