Lisa Lutz

Lisa Lutz discusses Trail of the Spellmans .

The Spellmans – not the most ‘normal’ of families at any time – are suffering through a period of greater lunacy than usual, both personally and professionally. Each of them is engaged in an investigation that seems to have no purpose. Odd all the way around. [Once again, Lisa will be here to celebrate Izzy’s birthday, so come have cake!] She will be on hand to sign books and speak informally to her fans. All we ask is you purchase one of her new books at our store, so we can continue to host these great events! (seattle mystery book)… (more)

Join us as Lisa Lutz talks turkey about her latest Trail of the Spellmans, the fifth book in her beloved Spellman series. We'll have some wine and cheese and we encourage you to bring your concealed voice recorders--Lisa will dish about her time as a private investigator and provide tips on how to tail someone. It's only creepy if you think of it as creepy! Lisa will also share a sneak peek of her forthcoming picture book, HOW TO NEGOTIATE EVERYTHING (see an excerpt of it in TRAIL!) with art by local children's book illustrator, Jaime Temairik. Lisa and Jaime will reminisce about how they met, which involved some very poor private investigating and a lot of Irish coffee. Additionally, join Lisa and Jaime for an unofficial booze up post-book event across the street at the Balmar at 7:30 p.m.: BalMar 5449 Ballard Avenue Northwest Seattle, WA 98107

Location: Street: Secret Garden Additional: 2214 NW Market St City: Seattle, Province: Washington Postal Code: 98107-4024 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Lisa Lutz reads from Trail of the Spellmans: Document #5.

Any fan of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series is in for a treat with Lutz’s latest installment in her award-winning, bestselling mystery-comedy series featuring the highly dysfunctional Spellman clan and Izzy (Isabel) Spellman, PI, who tries to make sense out of madcap misadventures. (thurberhouse)… (more)

The long awaited fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling, Edgar- and Macavity-nominated series about an eccentric sleuthing family.

For the first time in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. As always, the Spellman clan has yet to settle into any kind of status quo. Mom, Olivia, has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities, seemingly without motive. Dad, Albert, has a secret. Her brother and sister, David and Rae, are at war, but neither will reveal the source of the conflict. And Izzy's niece, Sydney, keeps saying banana even though she hates bananas. That's not to say that Izzy isn't without her own troubles. Henry Stone keeps wanting "to talk," a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry's mother. While domestic disturbances abound, there is one source of sanity in the Spellman household: Demetrius Merriweather, now employee of the month for 18 months straight (the entire tenure of his employment).

Things aren't any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, parents hire the firm to follow their daughter. Rae is assigned the case, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. A socialite has Isabel follow her husband, despite a conspicuous lack of suspicion. A man in a sweater vest hires the firm to follow his sister, who turns out to be the socialite. Isabel wants to get to the bottom of all this, but her father erects a Chinese wall to protect the clients' wishes. As the questions pile up, Izzy won't stop hunting for the answers-even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.

Once again, it's up to her to pull the Spellmans back from the brink.

About the Author

Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellman Files and Curse of the Spellmans, a nominee of the 2008 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She is most recently the coauthor of Heads You Lose, written with David Hayward.

Location: Street: 7419 Madison St. City: Forest Park, Province: Illinois Postal Code: 60130-1502 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

The Mysterious Galaxy staff, particularly Terry, have been fans of Lisa Lutz and Izzy Spellman and her family since The Spellman Files was one of our early Signed First Mystery Picks. Not only did Terry and Elizabeth give Trail of the Spellmans glowing reviews (see below), but also best-selling author Laura Lippmann writes: “Lisa Lutz’s Spellman books are always hilarious, but The Trail of the Spellmans reminded me how serious funny books can be. As precocious as the Spellman kids have always been, they’re only now really coming of age and the result is, yes, hilarious, but also tender and melancholy and full of hard-won wisdom. This one’s going to stay with readers for a long time.”

Lisa is also signing in Redondo Beach on March 7th.

Watch the hilarious book trailer where Lisa Lutz is interviewed by children.

Location: Street: 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Additional: Ste 302 City: San Diego, Province: California Postal Code: 92111-1040 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

The Mysterious Galaxy staff, particularly Terry, have been fans of Lisa Lutz and Izzy Spellman and her family since The Spellman Files was one of our early Signed First Mystery Picks. Not only did Terry and Elizabeth give Trail of the Spellmans glowing reviews (see below), but also best-selling author Laura Lippmann writes: “Lisa Lutz’s Spellman books are always hilarious, but The Trail of the Spellmans reminded me how serious funny books can be. As precocious as the Spellman kids have always been, they’re only now really coming of age and the result is, yes, hilarious, but also tender and melancholy and full of hard-won wisdom. This one’s going to stay with readers for a long time.”

Lisa is also signing in San Diego on March 9th.

Watch the hilarious book trailer where Lisa Lutz is interviewed by children.

Location: Street: 2810 Artesia Blvd. City: Redondo Beach, Province: California Postal Code: 90278 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Lisa Lutz discusses Heads You Lose.; David Hayward discusses Heads You Lose.

In 2009, New York Times-bestselling author Lisa Lutz (The Spellman Files) invited her ex-boyfriend, David Hayward, to collaborate with her on a mystery novel: Lutz would write the odd-numbered chapters, Hayward the even, and neither could undo any plot developments the other had established. Building on this unorthodox writing partnership, Heads You Lose is presented with the authors’ notes to each other intact, making Lutz and Hayward as much a part of the mystery as their characters. The result is one of the most hilariously unique reading experiences to hit the bookshelves in many years. (lilithcat)… (more)

Lisa Lutz reads from Heads You Lose.

signs Heads You Lose ($24.95 Putnam) with co-author David Hayward New York Times-bestselling author Lisa Lutz conspires with-or should we say against?-coauthor David Hayward to write an original and hilarious tag-team crime novel. Meet Paul and Lacey Hansen: orphaned, pot-growing twentysomething siblings eking out a living in rural Northern California. When a headless corpse appears on their property, they can't exactly dial 911, so they move the body and wait for the police to find it. Instead, the corpse reappears, a few days riper . . . and an amateur sleuth is born. Make that two. When collaborators Lutz and Hayward (former romantic partners) start to disagree about how the story should unfold, the body count rises, victims and suspects alike develop surprising characteristics (meet Brandy Chester, the stripper with the Mensa IQ), and sibling rivalry reaches homicidal intensity. Think Adaptation crossed with Weeds. Will the authors solve the mystery without killing each other first? LISA LUTZ is the New York Times–bestselling author of the Spellman comedic crime novels. She has received Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominations and BookSense Picks since the Spellman series was first published in 2007. She lives in San Francisco. DAVID HAYWARD runs an editorial business in Healdsburg, California, and has an MFA in poetry from the University of California at Irvine. His poetry, for which he received a Pushcart Prize, has appeared in Harper’s, The Threepenny Review, and ZYZZYVA. This is his first novel. Izzy Spellman Mysteries 1. The Spellman Files (2007) 2. Curse of the Spellmans (2008) 3. Revenge of the Spellmans (2009) 4. The Spellmans Strike Again (2010) SIGNED (aripoisonedpen)… (more)

Lisa Lutz, The Spellman Files.

Monthly mystery fiction discussion group at a neighborhood library. Participants are encouraged to read the same mystery novel in advance of the meeting, to discuss as a group. Participants are also encouraged to bring a small dessert selection to share with other readers during the meeting. Coffee and/or juice will be provided. This month's selected mystery novel: The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz, the first in her Spellman family series. (BookGuide)… (more)