CANR
WORK TITLE: THE SWALLOWS
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 3/13/1970
WEBSITE: http://www.lisalutz.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: CANR 306
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born March 13, 1970; daughter of Sharlene Lauretz.
EDUCATION:Studied at University of California, Santa Cruz; University of California, Irvine; University of Leeds; and San Francisco State University.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AWARDS:Alex Award, 2008, for The Spellman Files.
WRITINGS
Contributor to the television series, The Deuce, HBO.
Film rights to The Spellman Files have been bought by Paramount Pictures.
SIDELIGHTS
Lisa Lutz studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz; the University of California, Irvine; the University of Leeds; and San Francisco State University but never finished her bachelor’s degree. Instead, in 2000 she witnessed her first screenplay produced. Plan B is a mob comedy starring Diane Keaton. However, its premiere on September 11, 2001, was unfortunately timed, and the film has rarely been shown in the United States. In a BookPage interview, Lutz explained that the producers made numerous changes to the script, adding: “I don’t recommend anyone watching the version that is out right now. Nothing went well. We started to call the production ‘the curse of Plan B. ’”
Lutz began working on her novel The Spellman Files while holed up in a 200-year-old house in rural New York during the winter. Published three years later, the book introduces private detective Isabel “Izzy” Spellman. Izzy works for her parents’ detective agency. Her brother, uncle, and even her kid sister, Rae, also work for the family business. When Rae goes missing, the family must work together to get her back safely.
Donna Freydkin, writing in USA Today, noted that the author “manages to keep the plot dashing along and the reader hooked on her weirdly lovable snoops.” In a Mystery Reader Web site review, Lesley Dunlap found that “the characters do have promise,” and Library Journal contributor Shelley Mosley enthused: “It’s hard to believe that this extraordinarily clever book is a debut novel.”
In 2008 Lutz published Curse of the Spellmans. In the sequel to Lutz’s The Spellman Files, private investigator Izzy finds herself in the unfortunate situation of being arrested for the fourth time within a two-month period, and her peculiar family chooses not to bail her out. Her sister Rae ran over Izzy’s fiancé, her parents have gone on vacation and left no contact details, and her new neighbor John Brown seems to be hiding a secret.
This sequel earned a variety of critical responses. Donna Volkenannt, reviewing the novel for Bookreporter.com, commented that the book’s strengths are within “the humorous cast of characters, the flip and fast-talking voice of Izzy and the peculiar behaviors of Izzy’s family.” Volkenannt appended that the author “has a breezy and unique writing style. Her numerous footnotes and the appendix that lists details about Izzy’s ex-boyfriends help the reader navigate this second book about the strangely lovable Spellman clan.” A.L. Katz, writing in ReviewingtheEvidence.com, said that the novel “is a rather meandering, amusing comedy with no main purpose other than to introduce you to its interesting cast of characters and to get you to read the first volume in this series.” Katz added that despite some “fine dialogue,” any “real mystery” is absent. Gloria Feit, however, reviewing the novel in the Midwest Book Review, concluded that “the Spellmans are just as endearing and outrageous the second time around, and the book is a very entertaining read, and is recommended.”
Stacey Hayman, writing in the online Fresh Fiction, observed that “there is a plethora of funny situations and dry humor in this book sure to put a smile” on anyone’s face. Hayman also described the novel as “a great story with lively dialogue and characters you’ll want to read about again and again and again.” Booklist contributor Allison Block called the author “an excellent choice for readers in the market for steady laughs and a smattering of suspense.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly recorded that fans of the first novel “will laugh just as loudly at the comic antics chronicled in this sparkling sequel.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found that in this novel, “the Spellmans return with more personality than plot.” However, the same contributor allowed that “most of the side stories, such as one involving Rae’s teacher’s dirty tissues, keep the laughs coming.” Shelley Mosley, writing in Library Journal, found that “once again, Lutz treats readers to a madcap roller-coaster ride.”
Izzy returns in the third series installment, Revenge of the Spellmans, in which she is undergoing court-ordered therapy sessions for stalking in her previous investigation. With everyone in her family snooping into her business, Izzy is bartending while she tries to determine if she wants to continue her detecting career. Her boss nudges her back into the PI world when a friend needs help with a cheating-wife investigation. But this simple case suddenly turns complicated in this “madcap romp,” according to a Kirkus Reviews critic. A Publishers Weekly reviewer similarly termed this a “wacky crime novel,” while Library Journal contributor Shelley Mosley observed that the “crazy Spellmans return, in all their serendipitous glory, in this third series entry.” Further praise came from Booklist writer Allison Block, who noted: “Those in the market for mayhem and mirth will revel in Lutz’s irresistible blend of suspense, irony, and wit.”
The Spellmans Strike Again features “bizarre clients, fleeting romances and byzantine rules of personal conduct [that] keep a family of private investigators teetering on the edge of dysfunction,” according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Here Izzy investigates a missing valet and a rival PI while trying to counter her mother’s attempts to sabotage her romance with an Irish bartender. Meanwhile, sister Rae is involved in a campaign to free a wrongly convicted man, and older brother David sill avoids the family business. “Narrator Izzy’s biting wit—mixed with a refreshing dose of humility and sadness—easily carries the story,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Block, writing again in Booklist, felt that with this fourth series installment, Lutz “delivers another engaging blend of wise-cracks and crime solving.”
Trail of the Spellmans finds Izzy and the rest of her dysfunctional clan involved in all sorts of mayhem. Rae is hired to follow a girl but fakes her reports; Izzy, meanwhile takes a commission from a math professor to watch his apartment, with the usual bizarre results. These surveillance cases ultimately are not as unrelated as they at first appear. Noting that Lutz’s plots have become a “bit more predictable” with each series installment, Booklist reviewer Block still felt that this is a “wise (and wisecracking) choice for mystery readers seeking a break from the genre’s bloodier fare.” A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that while the author’s “biting humor” is in evidence in this installment, “there’s more than a hint of melancholy to be found in Izzy’s increasingly solitary pursuits.” A Kirkus Reviews critic felt that the “clients and their trifling mysteries are hard-pressed to compete for attention with the regulars, who spend far more time battling each other than battling evildoers.”
The Last Word, the sixth book in the series, sees Izzy launching a hostile takeover of the family firm, causing turmoil in the family. The parents and Rae have devised various revenge schemes, but Izzy is too busy helping her client Edward Slayter hide his Alzheimer’s to care. Slayter is trying to retain his position as CEO of a venture capital firm, but someone badly wants him out, in this “rollicking good time,” as a Publishers Weekly reviewer described the novel. Booklist contributor Block also had praise for this series addition, noting that Lutz is “in fine form, delivering another killer whodunit packed with plot twists and wit.” A Kirkus Reviews critic offered a more ambivalent assessment, however, commenting: “Izzy seems even more dissociated than in her previous five outings, though fans will either cheer or not notice.”
Lutz is also the author of stand-alone mysteries and thrillers. Collaborating with her former boyfriend David Hayward, a poet, Lutz published Heads You Lose, a novel of “pure comic genius,” according to Publishers Weekly contributor Sasha Watson. This tale of pot-growing brother and sister Lacey and Paul and the headless corpse that turns up in their backyard was written under curious circumstances: the authors never sat down to iron out a plot, and they ultimately disagreed about the direction it should take. Lutz sent Hayward the first chapter, and he responded to it with his own. This back-and-forth content is combined with communication between the two writers. Watson explained: “In footnotes and e-mail exchanges, the pair jostle over plot points and vocabulary, slinging insults, digging up old resentments, and energetically creating new ones, all to great comic effect.” Watson further noted: “The plot is just the tip of the iceberg. The real main characters end up being the authors themselves.”
Writing in Booklist, Stephanie Zvirin voiced doubts about this enterprise, observing: “Fun for some, but the unusual structure will limit readership.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer similarly termed this a “jittery black-comic narrative … daringly composed, exotic to contemplate.” Likewise, a Kirkus Reviews critic concluded: “The surprise here is how little all this whimsical metatextual byplay changes the formula of alarums, excursions, red herrings and other tangents beloved of the genre.”
Lutz’s 2015 novel, How to Start a Fire, is a change of pace for the author—a tale of mainstream women’s fiction. This “engaging portrait of female friendship spanning two decades,” as BookPage reviewer Deborah Donovan described it, features three friends who meet in 1993 as freshmen at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Anna comes from Boston wealth; Kate was orphaned at eight, has been raised by a Czech grandfather, and plans to take over the family diner after graduation; and Georgianna, called George, is an outdoors type and athlete who wants to go into forestry. The friendship begins one night when Anna and Kate find George passed out near a party they were attending. The author then follows the characters through their college years and to a defining incident that stays with each of them over the next years.
A Kirkus Reviews critic was unimpressed with How to Start a Fire, commenting: “This novel is instantly forgettable.” Other reviewers, however, found more to like. Donovan noted of How to Start a Fire: “Lutz brings us a memorable and ultimately uplifting saga of three strong, unique women.” Similar praise came from Library Journal writer Stacey Hayman, who felt that readers will “absorb every bit of this book with genuine gratification.” A Publishers Weekly contributor likewise commented: “The author portrays three fully drawn, flawed, and compelling women with fresh insight into the mysterious terrain of female friendship,” and Booklist writer Rebecca Vnuk termed it an “absorbing tale that will satisfy Spellman fans as well as women’s-fiction readers who like a good ensemble story.”
The Passenger, a standalone crime novel by Lutz, focuses on a recently-widowed woman named Tanya Dubois. She worries that she will be convicted of killing her husband, Frank, who died after falling down the stairs to their basement, so she flees her town of Waterloo, WI and makes plans with a shadowy figure to obtain a new identity. Tanya moves to Austin, TX and begins using the name, Amelia Keen. There, she meets another troubled woman called Blue. She discovers that Blue may know something about her dark past.
Discussing the themes of the book in an interview with a writer on the My Bookish Ways website, Lutz stated: “It’s ultimately a mystery about identity. Is it possible to be a complete person if you don’t have a place in the world? … This subject gave me the latitude to explore topics that interest me. I’ve always been fascinated by personal ethics and the choices one makes between survival and the greater good.” In an interview with Katrina Niidas Holm, contributor to the Los Angeles Review of Books website, Lutz compared the book to her other novels, stating: “The Passenger … is way more straightforward. It begins with a woman leaving her dead husband at the base of the stairs and going on the lam. All sorts of criminal behavior ensue. The first paragraph of the book unambiguously lets the reader know what she’s in for. That said, a good crime novel isn’t just about crime and punishment. The Passenger also explores the meaning of identity and the question of how to find a place in the world when you’ve lost all tethers to it.”
Vick Mickunas, writer on the Dayton Daily News website, suggested: “Throughout The Passenger, Lutz sustains an ominous, unsettling, utterly addictive tension which doesn’t let up. Her narrator is wily, paranoid and afraid. She takes us along with her right to the very edge. Don’t look down.” “This book is about deception, lies, and deceit and once you start with it, you’ll thoroughly enjoy reading it till the very last page,” asserted Sowmya Gopi on the Nerd Daily website. Library Journal critic, Emily Byers, commented: “The satisfying conclusion will leave readers rethinking everything and immediately turning back to the first page to start again.” Christine Tran, reviewer in Booklist, described the book as “binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists.” Lutz’s pacing is excellent, and the interior monologue captures what it would be like not to have a name or, even worse, a valid ID,” remarked a Kirkus Reviews writer. A contributor to Publishers Weekly suggested: “Lutz’s complex web of finely honed characters will keep readers turning the pages.”
In The Swallows, a young teacher named Alex Witt takes a new job at a boarding school in Vermont called the Stonebridge Academy. Soon after she arrives, Alex begins receiving threatening notes. She learns of a dangerous secret society created by a group of male students, who post sensitive information about their female classmates on a forum called the Darkroom. A student named Gemma determines to rally other girls to take the group of boys down.
Regarding the book’s style, a Kirkus Reviews critic noted: “Lutz … draws on the droll humor and idiosyncratic characterizations that make her ‘Spellman’ novels so appealing.” “Lutz’s withering portrayal of how the #MeToo movement plays out in this rarefied setting should shock some and delight others,” commented a reviewer in Publishers Weekly.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2008, Allison Block, review of Curse of the Spellmans, p. 30; March 1, 2009, Allison Block, review of Revenge of the Spellmans, p. 30; March 1, 2010, Allison Block, review of The Spellmans Strike Again, p. 56; March 1, 2011, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Heads You Lose, p. 32; January 1, 2012, Allison Block, review of Trail of the Spellmans, p. 49; June 1, 2013, Allison Block, review of The Last Word, p. 41; February 15, 2015, Rebecca Vnuk, review of How to Start a Fire, p. 31; December 1, 2015, Christine Tran, review of The Passenger, p. 31.
BookPage, May, 2015, Deborah Donovan, review of How to Start a Fire, p. 20.
Dallas Morning News, March 21, 2009, author information.
Hollywood Reporter, January 31, 2006, “Par Spies Buy on Lutz’s ‘Spellman,’” p. 8.
Houston Chronicle, April 13, 2008, P.G. Koch, review of Curse of the Spellmans, p. 21.
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2008, review of Curse of the Spellmans; January 27, 2009, review of Revenge of the Spellmans; January 27, 2009, review of Revenge of the Spellmans; January 1, 2010, review of The Spellmans Strike Again; February 1, 2011, review of Heads You Lose; February 15, 2012, review of Trail of the Spellmans; July 1, 2013, review of The Last Word; March 1, 2015, review of How to Start a Fire; January 1, 2016, review of The Passenger; June 15, 2019, review of The Swallows: A Novel.
Library Journal, March 15, 2007, Shelley Mosley, review of The Spellman Files, p. 63; March 1, 2008, Shelley Mosley, review of Curse of the Spellmans, p. 75; February 15, 2009, Shelley Mosley, review of Revenge of the Spellmans, p. 96; February 15, 2010, Shelley Mosley, review of The Spellmans Strike Again, p. 90; June 15, 2012, Jodi L Israel, review of Trail of the Spellmans, p. 38; April 1, 2015, Stacey Hayman, review of How to Start a Fire, p. 83; November 15, 2015, Emily Byers, review of The Passenger, p. 78.
Midwest Book Review, June, 2008, Gloria Feit, review of Curse of the Spellmans.
Publishers Weekly, January 1, 2007, review of The Spellman Files, p. 31; January 15, 2007, Melissa Mia Hall, “PW Talks with Lisa Lutz,” p. 29; January 14, 2008, review of Curse of the Spellmans, p. 39; January 12, 2009, review of Revenge of the Spellmans, p. 28; January 18, 2010, review of The Spellmans Strike Again, p. 28; February 7, 2011, Sasha Watson, “Heads Will Roll,” review of Heads You Lose, p. 28; February 14, 2011, review of Heads You Lose, p. 36; January 9, 2012, review of Trail of the Spellmans, p. 31; May 27, 2013, review of The Last Word, p. 34; March 23, 2015, review of How to Start a Fire, p. 46; January 11, 2016, review of The Passenger, p. 34; June 17, 2019, review of The Swallows, p. 42.
School Library Journal, May, 2013, Rachel Kamin, review of How to Negotiate Everything, p. 94.
Seattle Weekly, March 27, 2007, Karla Starr, “Tome Raider,” author interview.
USA Today, April 24, 2007, Donna Freydkin, review of The Spellman Files, p. 6.
ONLINE
Becca Loves Books, https://beccalovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/ (July 4, 2019), review of The Swallows.
Blogcritics.org, http://www.blogcritics.org/ (March 2, 2007), Scott Butki, author interview.
BookPage Online, http://www.bookpage.com/ (August 9, 2007), Iris Blasi, author interview.
Bookreporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (August 9, 2007), Bethanne Kelly Patrick, review of The Spellman Files; (February 17, 2009), Donna Volkenannt, review of Curse of the Spellmans.
Dayton Daily News Online, https://www.daytondailynews.com/ (March 24, 2016), Vick Mickunas, review of The Passenger.
Fresh Fiction, http://www.freshfiction.com/ (May 11, 2008), Stacey Hayman, review of Curse of the Spellmans.
Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/ (August 9, 2007), author profile.
Lisa Lutz website, http://www.lisalutz.com (July 22, 2019).
Los Angeles Review of Books, https://lareviewofbooks.org/ (May 25, 2016), Katrina Niidas Holm, author interview.
Los Angeles Times Online, https://www.latimes.com/ (November 21, 2017), Margy Rochlin, author interview.
My Bookish Ways, http://www.mybookishways.com/ (March 1, 2016), author interview.
Mystery Reader, http://www.mysteryreader.com/ (August 9, 2007), Lesley Dunlap, review of The Spellman Files.
Nerd Daily, https://www.thenerddaily.com/ (February 28, 2019), Sowmya Gopi, review of The Passenger.
Newsvine, http://sbutki.newsvine.com/ (February 21, 2008), Scott Butki, author interview.
ReviewingtheEvidence.com, http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/ (February 17, 2009), A.L. Katz, review of Curse of the Spellmans.
“Spellman Files” series website, http://www.spellmanfilesthebook.com (August 9, 2007), author profile and interview.
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?, http://www.wheredoyougetyourideas.wordpress.com/ (June 1, 2007), author profile.
Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including The Swallows (coming August 2019), The Passenger, How to Start a Fire, and the six novels in the Spellman series. Lutz has won the Alex award and has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
FAQs
Q. Is Lisa Lutz your real name?
A. Yes.
Q. How old are you?
A. You should know better than to ask questions like that.
Q. What prompted you to write about a family of private investigators?
A. Who remembers such things?1
Q. Where do you get your ideas?
A. I have an imaginary friend named Ralph. I steal his ideas and pass them off as my own.
Q. Do you have any fears?
A. Many. Trucks, mostly. But I'm not fond of moving vehicles in general.
Q. I read somewhere that you used to be a screenwriter. Is that true?
A. I used to be a failed screenwriter. The experience is summed up best in an essay I wrote for Salon. Read "Confessions of a Hollywood Sellout" if you'd like to know more.
Q. What is a typical day like?
A. Breakfast in bed while reading the New York Times. I do the crossword puzzle, even on Sunday, without any help. Then I write for an hour. In the afternoon, I usually go yachting or I fly my jet. Wait, no. You meant a typical day for me. That's a typical day for Stuart Woods.
Hmmm, a typical day for me always involves the consumption of coffee (unless I'm being held hostage) and maybe some writing or thinking about writing, and almost without fail some teeth brushing.
Q. Is Document #6 (The Last Word / Spellman Six) the final Spellman novel?
A. I can’t say for sure, but there are currently no plans for another Spellman novel.
Q. I heard that Spellman was going to be made into a movie. Is that true?
A. I have hopes that one day we can bring the Spellmans to the big or small screen, but right now there’s nothing in the works.
Lisa Lutz
(b.1970)
Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellman Files, Curse of the Spellmans, Revenge of the Spellmans, The Spellmans Strike Again, Trail of the Spellmans, Spellman Six: The Next Generation (previously published as The Last Word), Heads you Lose (with David Hayward), and the children's book, How to Negotiate Everything (illustrated by Jaime Temairik). Her latest book, How to Start a Fire, will be published in May 2015. Lutz has won the Alex award and has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
Although she attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England, and San Francisco State University, she still does not have a bachelor's degree. Lisa spent most of the 1990s hopping through a string of low-paying odd jobs while writing and rewriting the screenplay Plan B, a mob comedy. After the film was made in 2000, she vowed she would never write another screenplay. Lisa lives in the Hudson Valley, NY.
Genres: Mystery
Series
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)
5. Trail of the Spellmans (2012)
6. The Last Word (2013)
aka The Next Generation
Lisa Lutz Spellman Series E-Book Box Set (omnibus) (2011)
Isabel Spellman's Guide to Etiquette (2013) (with Isabel Spellman)
Novels
Heads You Lose (2011) (with David Hayward)
How to Start a Fire (2015)
The Passenger (2016)
The Swallows (2019)
Non fiction
How to Negotiate Everything (2013)
Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling author of the six books in the Spellman series, Heads You Lose (with David Hayward), and How To Start A Fire. Her latest offering is the thriller The Passenger (March, 2016 from S&S).
Lutz has won the Alex award and has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Although she attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England, and San Francisco State University, she still does not have a bachelor's degree. Lutz spent most of the 1990s hopping through a string of low-paying odd jobs while writing and rewriting the screenplay Plan B, a mob comedy. After the film was made in 2000, she vowed she would never write another screenplay. She lives in the Hudson Valley, New York.
Lisa Lutz
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Lisa Lutz
Lisa Lutz
Born
13 March 1970
Southern California, US
Occupation
Author
Lisa Lutz is an American author. She began her career writing screenplays for Hollywood. One of her rejected screenplays became the basis for a popular series of novels about a family of private investigators, the Spellmans.
Contents
1
Biography
2
Writing
3
Published works
3.1
Screenplays
3.2
Novels
3.3
Children's Book
3.4
Articles or other contributions
4
References
5
External links
Biography[edit]
Lutz was born in Southern California in 1970. She attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, University of Leeds in England and San Francisco State University, all without attaining a degree.[1] During the 1990s she had many low-paying jobs, including work in a private investigation firm, and spent a lot of time writing and re-writing a Mob comedy called Plan B.[2] Her screenplay was optioned in 1997, and was made into a movie in 2000 (released in 2001). Variety Magazine described the movie as "torturously unfunny."[3] She subsequently produced several other tentative screenplays, but none were picked up. Her final effort, tentatively titled "The Spellman Files", was also rejected. At that point, Lutz realized that "the story really needed more space to be told properly," and decided to write it as a novel.[4] She began the novel while still living in California in 2004, then decided to move into a relative's family vacation home in upstate New York to work on it full-time. She returned to Seattle to write her second Spellman novel, then moved to San Francisco,[5] where she lived until 2012. She presently lives in a remote area of upstate New York.[6]
Writing[edit]
Her novel series describes the Spellmans, a family of private investigators, who, while very close knit, are also intensely suspicious and spend much time investigating each other. The first book in the series, The Spellman Files, becomes suspenseful when 14-year-old Rae Spellman is apparently kidnapped.
In 2008, The Spellman Files was nominated for three awards for best first novel, the Anthony Award,[7] Macavity Award,[8] and Barry award;[9] was awarded an Alex Award;[10] was nominated for a Dilys Award; and reached #27 on the New York Times Bestseller List[11]
Paramount Pictures optioned the film rights for the novel, with Laura Ziskin producing[12] and Barry Sonnenfeld directing.[13] As of 2016, this film has not been made.
Her second novel, Curse of the Spellmans, was nominated for a 2009 Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for best mystery novel.[14] Lutz went on to write four more entries in the Spellman series: Revenge of the Spellmans (2009), The Spellmans Strike Again (2010), Trail of the Spellmans (2012), and The Last Word, also released as The Next Generation (2013).[15] In addition to the six Spellman novels, Lutz wrote Isabel Spellman's Guide to Etiquette: What is Wrong with You People (2013), a short tongue-in-cheek self-help guide purportedly written by Lutz's series protagonist,[16] and How to Negotiate Everything (2013), a children's book purportedly written by Lutz's series character David Spellman, with illustrations by artist Jaime Temairik.[17]
In 2011, Simon & Schuster published Heads You Lose, a stand-alone comic crime novel written by Lutz with her friend and former romantic partner David Hayward.[18]
Lutz's second stand-alone, How to Start a Fire, was published in 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.[19] A thriller, The Passenger, was published in 2016 by Simon & Schuster.[20]
Published works[edit]
Screenplays[edit]
Plan B (2001)
Novels[edit]
The Spellman Files (2007)
Curse of the Spellmans (2008)
Revenge of the Spellmans (2009)
The Spellmans Strike Again (2010)
Heads You Lose (with David Hayward) (2011)
Trail of the Spellmans (2012)
The Last Word, later published as "Spellman Six: The Next Generation" (2013)
How to Start a Fire (2015)
The Passenger (2016)[21]
Children's Book[edit]
"How To Negotiate Everything" by David Spellman and Lisa Lutz, with illustrations by Jaime Temairik (2013)[22]
Articles or other contributions[edit]
Please Stop Talking I have to use the Bathroom (Friction magazine, 2 December 2002 issue)[23]
Confessions of a Hollywood sellout (salon.com, February 2005)
Rule 1: Ignore Rules (The Wall Street Journal, 18 February 2012 issue)[24]
Ask Lutz ("Need unprofessional advice? Ask Lutz" - blogs posted on lisalutz.com from 2002 to 2004)
How to write a Fan Letter Without Getting a Restraining Order (a chapter in the 2005 book "Don't Forget to Write for the Secondary Grades: 50 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons (Ages 11 and Up))"[25]
Isabel Spellman's Guide to Etiquette: What is Wrong with You People by Isabel Spellman and Lisa Lutz, e-book only (2013)[26]
Lisa Lutz is the author of the New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award– and Macavity Award–nominated, and Alex Award–winning Spellman Files series, as well as the novels How to Start a Fire, The Passenger, and The Swallows. She lives and works in upstate New York.
Mystery writers Megan Abbott and Lisa Lutz keep the balance of power in check on 'The Deuce'
By Margy Rochlin
Nov 21, 2017 | 6:00 AM
Pernell Walker from left, James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal in ithe HBO drama "The Deuce". (HBO)
Dedicated to examining the porn industry’s birth in grungy, early ’70s Times Square, HBO’s “The Deuce” can be unrelentingly bleak. But it’s also created by David Simon and his regular collaborator, George Pelecanos, two men shrewd enough to hire a pair of top mystery writers — Megan Abbott (“Dare Me”) and Lisa Lutz (the Spellman Series) — to strengthen the female characters’ perspectives.
Together, the two, already good friends, are responsible for some of the drama’s most memorably funny and/or poignant moments. (Abbott wrote the much-heralded penultimate episode, “Au Reservoir.”) Recently, Lutz and Abbott spoke by phone about their approach to humanizing marginalized characters as well as why they became an unofficial writing team.
Megan Abbott and Lisa Lutz (Drew Reilly / Morgan Dox)
Megan, talk about the day the creator of “The Wire” called to offer you a job.
Abbott: I was very intimidated. There was no way I was going to say no. So I said, “Sure, sure.” Then when it actually happened, it was very daunting.
Lisa, what’s your story?
Lutz: A media escort who George and I know sent me a text that said: George Pelecanos needs to talk to you. I’d met George once at this writers conference where I’d acted like an idiot the whole time. So I was really confused. But I called him. George didn’t really instruct the guy to have me call him. It was an awkward conversation. Most people would have been, like, ‘Really? Her? Just the idiot I’ve been looking for.’” So I have to give George credit.
Did Simon and Pelecanos articulate what they hoped you’d both bring to “The Deuce”?
Lutz: I think they’re very aware that they don’t see things from a woman’s point of view. Sometimes it was really simple, just looking at them with incredulous eyes and saying, “Oh, no, no, no.” Sometimes it was more nuanced.
Abbott: Women are trained to watch, read and think about everything from both a male and female point of view. When we started, their impulse was to focus on the victimization of these women instead of giving them agency. So [we’d say], “All prostitutes are not all the same. They don’t all respond to their sex work in the same way.” We were trying to be sure to get a range of experiences among the women and have some of the stories be driven by them instead of them just being the victim in the storyline.
Lutz: That meant showing them as being aggressive — even if that just means being passive-aggressive, sabotaging their pimps in some ways.
Video Q&A’s from this season’s hottest contenders »
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "The Deuce." (Paul Schiraldi / HBO)
Like that moment when the prostitutes trick a berating pimp into leaving them alone by talking about their periods?
Lutz: That was one of our first pitches. [laughs] I do feel like it’s so often that I’m listening to men having a conversation about whatever and I’m so disgusted so it was sort of nice to turn the tables.
Abbott: [laughs] We wanted to show how these women knew their powers and limits and they’d have subversive ways of gaining power in the situation.
Who thought up the strategy of pitching together?
Lutz: That was Megan’s thing from the start: She knew we’d be able to get more things in if we worked together. We never went in without having some preliminary discussions. We even gave our notes on other scripts together. They wouldn’t know whose notes were whose. I think we ended up getting more things changed because both of the women [disagreed with it] even if often it was just one of us. [laughs]
Abbott: We’re novelists. We’re not used to sitting in a room all day with three titans, including [novelist and “Deuce” executive producer] Richard Price, who lived through that era in New York. It was a strategy but also a way of feeling more confident.
Who’s your favorite character to write for?
Lutz: Ruby. David said to me, “[Pernell Walker] is a really great actress. Don’t be afraid to give her things.” That sort of stuck in my head. I wanted to make sure people saw her more completely.
Abbott: Lisa named her. In the pilot, she was just called “Thunder Thighs.”
Lutz: Day One, Megan said, “You need to give her a real name.”
Abbott: And it changed how we talked about her once she was Ruby. Also I loved writing for Bobby. Chris Bauer does everything so deadpan and he’s so wonderful.
What’s it like to watch your characters come to life?
Abbott: When you’re a novelist, you make up everything. It’s done. I was so uncomfortable watching them shoot porn scenes that I’d written. As a feminist, that’s odd. I remember David Krumholtz, who plays Harvey, looked at me and said, “Why are you making that face? You wrote it.” [laughs] And I said, [apologetically] “I know. But I had to. It’s my job.”
Lutz: That reminds me, in [my episode], I was on set when Maggie [Gyllenhaal] was doing all this horrible stuff; she even let a rat crawl on her. When I wrote it I never thought, “Oh, somebody’s going to have to do this all day long.” I was horrified by my own insensitivity. Maggie was a pro about it. But I felt like I owed her an apology. A written apology. Like a card.
QUOTED: "It’s ultimately a mystery about identity. Is it possible to be a complete person if you don’t have a place in the world? ... This subject gave me the latitude to explore topics that interest me. I’ve always been fascinated by personal ethics and the choices one makes between survival and the greater good."
Catching up with Lisa Lutz, author of The Passenger
Kristin
March 1, 2016
Interviews, Suspense
Lisa Lutz is one of my favorite authors, so I’m thrilled to have her on the blog today to talk about her brand new book, The Passenger! Please give her a warm welcome!
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Will you tell us a bit about The Passenger and what inspired you to write it?
In short, The Passenger is a novel about a woman running from her past. It’s ultimately a mystery about identity. Is it possible to be a complete person if you don’t have a place in the world?
I felt like it was time for me to write a proper crime novel, and this subject gave me the latitude to explore topics that interest me. I’ve always been fascinated by personal ethics and the choices one makes between survival and the greater good.
What makes Tanya Dubois a compelling character?
Probably that she’s so many characters throughout the book. The most interesting and challenging part of the writing process was creating new identities for her that were very different from one another but still undeniably “her.”
What secondary characters did you particularly enjoy writing about?
I very much enjoyed the morally questionable character Blue. But my favorite secondary character is a woman named Gina Frazier. I don’t want to give away too much, but the chapter with Gina and the heroine was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever written.
What kind of research did you do for the book?
Obviously I had to research all of the different locations. I researched getting new identification and mostly came to the conclusion that it is incredibly difficult to get a legitimate fake ID these days. For the most part my character’s new identities were not in anyway legal. Books and films often make it seem so easy, but it’s really tricky, so I tried to use other means of living off the grid when possible.
Why suspense? What do you enjoy the most about reading, and writing, in the genre?
While I wrote comedy for many years, I always preferred reading suspense and more traditional crime novels. But mostly I look at genre as a means of telling a story. Comedy was right for the Spellmans, but there’s a great deal more freedom when you’re not looking for a joke. This was the right way to tell this story.
What do you like to see in a good story? Is there anything that will make you put a book down, unfinished?
I like to be hooked right away. Boredom will definitely make me drop a book. Sometimes a particular writing style is just not for me. Once I quit reading a novel because the narrator used the phrase “making love.”
If you could experience one book again for the first time, which one would it be?
I’m not going to overthink this question. The first book that came to mind was Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.
What are you currently reading? Are there any books you’re looking forward to diving into this year?
I’m currently doing some research reading that I won’t get into. But here are a few novels I’m looking forward to reading soon:
The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield. I’ve been meaning to get to it for ages and have heard many great things. My home is like a Bermuda Triangle for books, so I want to get to it before it disappears again.
Megan Abbott has a new book coming this summer: You Will Know Me. Just from the title, I love it already.
And Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye.
What’s next for you? Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Something very exciting is in the works. Unfortunately, I can’t talk about it just yet.
QUOTED: "The Passenger ... is way more straightforward. It begins with a woman leaving her dead husband at the base of the stairs and going on the lam. All sorts of criminal behavior ensue. The first paragraph of the book unambiguously lets the reader know what she’s in for. That said, a good crime novel isn’t just about crime and punishment. The Passenger also explores the meaning of identity and the question of how to find a place in the world when you’ve lost all tethers to it."
A Proper Crime Novel
Katrina Niidas Holm interviews Lisa Lutz
MAY 25, 2016
THE NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author Lisa Lutz has written six novels about the sleuthing Spellman family, a standalone about a trio of friends called How To Start A Fire, and an illustrated children’s book called How To Negotiate Everything. Together with David Hayward, she co-authored Heads You Lose — a book that’s both a murder mystery and the tale of two exes collaborating to write said murder mystery. And it was recently announced that Lutz will be joining Megan Abbott, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, and David Simon in the writers’ room for The Deuce, an upcoming HBO drama that follows the rise of the pornography industry in Times Square during the 1970s and 1980s.
Her latest novel, The Passenger, is an adrenaline-fueled thriller about a woman on the run from both the law and her own past. The protagonist of The Passenger, first introduced to readers as Tanya Dubois, changes her identity several times over the course of the book; underneath it all, though, she remains an inherently good person — one who cares too deeply and trusts too easily, despite having been let down by everyone she’s ever loved. Regardless of what name Tanya goes by or what color she dyes her hair, the essence of her character shines through — and the same might be said of Lutz. While she’s changed genres several times over the course of her career, each of her books bears her unique authorial fingerprints — namely, a sophisticated structure, realistically flawed characters, and Lutz’s razor-sharp wit.
Lutz was gracious enough to chat with me over email about all manner of things, from her process to genre labels to what sets The Passenger apart from her other novels.
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KATRINA NIIDAS HOLM: I’ve seen you refer to The Passenger as your “first real crime novel,” but all of your books feature crime of some stripe. What distinguishes The Passenger in your mind?
LISA LUTZ: Genre labels have always been tricky for me. The only things I care about when I’m writing are keeping the reader engaged and offering a different point of view about the world we live in. When I wrote The Spellman Files, I thought I was just writing a comedic novel. I was using some tropes of the detective genre to propel the story, but there were no real crimes in the book. You could call it misdemeanor fiction. But when the book came out, it was embraced by the mystery/crime community, and I had no reason to resist that. My first standalone novel, Heads You Lose (co-authored with David Heywood[1]), used a conventional crime-novel structure, but only as the framework for the real action, which was the conflict between two co-authors fighting for control over the story. It was, as they say, very meta. Then I wrote How to Start a Fire, to which the infuriating label of “women’s fiction” was aggressively applied. Others might argue that it’s a crime novel because there’s a crime in it and the characters’ stories are presented as mysteries that you don’t quite solve until the end. But to me, it’s just a novel. It has some comedy and some crime. And some other stuff.
The Passenger, on the other hand, is way more straightforward. It begins with a woman leaving her dead husband at the base of the stairs and going on the lam. All sorts of criminal behavior ensue. The first paragraph of the book unambiguously lets the reader know what she’s in for. That said, a good crime novel isn’t just about crime and punishment. The Passenger also explores the meaning of identity and the question of how to find a place in the world when you’ve lost all tethers to it.
One of the things I appreciate most about The Passenger is that, unlike on television or in the movies, your protagonist isn’t able to pull new identities (with papers to match) out of thin air. Was that part of your concept going in? Or did researching this book change your idea of what kind of story this was going to be?
I can’t imagine writing about someone with a rarefied skill set — or, to be honest, even extraordinary dental hygiene. I’ve always defined myself as much by my flaws as my gifts (whatever the hell they are). And I’m more interested in the many ways even the best of us are mediocre than in any kind of mastery. Plus I’m certain that I would find the technical aspects of changing my identity very complicated and cumbersome (I’m deeply lazy, I should mention.) I was more interested in how someone could change her identity without any special tools or connections. This might have limited what the heroine could do, but it was exactly that limitation that helped drive the narrative into unconventional terrain.
Do you think you could pull off life on the lam? Now that you’re an expert, what advice would you give to those looking to flee their former lives?
I’m still not an expert, as I hope has become obvious. But even with my limitations, I think I could do better than most. Going on the run requires the ability to isolate, and I’m perhaps a little too good at that. But I’d rather not give away more. You know, just in case.
You’re a genius when it comes to structure. This is true on a micro level, as evidenced by the jokes and footnote humor that grace the pages of your Spellman books, but it’s also true on a macro level. From the murder-mystery-meets-epistolary-novel format of Heads You Lose, to the nonlinear narrative of How To Start A Fire, to the mystery-within-a-suspense-novel Russian nesting doll that is The Passenger, it’s clear you think a lot about not only what kind of story you want to tell, but the best way in which to tell it. Do you think this attention to structure has anything to do with the fact that you got your start as a screenwriter?
Thank you and yes, but maybe not for the reasons you’d expect. For instance, I wrote The Spellman Files after years of only writing for film and feeling beholden to stringent screenwriting rules. So when I wrote my first novel, I felt like I had been uncaged. I didn’t know if there were rules for writing novels, and I didn’t give a shit. I believed that if I wrote a book that was engaging enough, I’d have done it right. When I look back at my first book, I’m amazed at how unschooled it is. It presents itself on some level as a detective novel, but there’s no dead body and the primary mystery doesn’t begin until halfway through the story. Forget about the unorthodox footnotes, there were transcripts in lieu of dialogue, flashbacks within flashbacks, lists and dossiers littering every chapter. It’s like a novel written by someone who has never read a novel before. That said, I’m still really proud of it and I think it works. Some days I miss that lunatic novice writer that I used to be.
You never seem to use the same structure twice; is that a conscious decision?
I spent 10 years writing and rewriting Plan B, a mob comedy. Then I spent another decade working on the Spellman novels. After so much time working within those confines, I just want to write the stories that I’m the most passionate about. My next book may have a crime in it, but it will be an entirely different kind of book from the ground up.
Do you spend a lot of time thinking about structure before you sit down at the keyboard?
It doesn’t seem like I’m spending a lot of time, but that could be because I enjoy that process. Whenever people ask me if I outline, I say that I make a rough or vague story arc. That usually means I pick up a large sketchpad and jot down character names and draw lines connecting them, along with some key plot points. It’s more like a diagram, map, or collage. I give it a linear frame only after I’ve gotten a visual sense of what I’m doing. After that, it becomes very intuitive and emotional. I see the story first and then I internalize it. I’m not sure if that makes sense.
Most writers pick a genre and stick with it, but you’re constantly changing things up. As someone who’s written books that have been described as comedies, mysteries, women’s fiction, and crime fiction, do genre labels mean anything to you? What are your thoughts on the publishing industry’s obsession with labels and categorization?
I hate labels and book comps. They ring false and are often insulting. I’m doggedly about doing my own thing, so being compared to anyone else is just infuriating. Recently, I was waiting on the phone to do a radio interview and heard the tail end of another interview with an author I won’t name (because I can’t — one of the many gifts of having a terrible memory). Anyway, the author was talking about his inspiration for writing his current novel and he mentioned reading another author’s book and thinking, “I’d like to write something like that.” That notion is beyond my comprehension. I read and love books all the time, and there are writers who have gifts that I covet. But I have never wanted to write a book like a book I had already read.
Do you give much thought to genre when you’re conceptualizing a book?
I generally don’t consider genre when I’m thinking about a story, but The Passenger is an exception to that rule. After years of being called a crime novelist, I thought I should write a proper crime novel.
The Passenger is probably the darkest thing you’ve written, but it’s still got moments of humor. What role do you think humor plays in your books? Do you think you could ever write a book that doesn’t feature any humor — and if you could, would you want to?
Even during the lowest points in my life someone can always make me laugh, if they know how. I’m not great with serious, meaningful conversations in an earnest tone. I don’t think that means I lack depth, it just means that my style of communication is looser. So the answer is no. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without humor, so why would I create one in a book?
Bonus question for your Spellman fans: Did you know you were done telling Izzy’s story before you’d written The Last Word? How do you look back on Izzy’s arc as a character? Are there things you’d change or of which you’re especially proud?
As I was nearing the end of the sixth Spellman book (which was not supposed to be the last), I suddenly realized I was done. I had told the story the best way I could and I gave my main character a proper send-off. I’m proud that I didn’t let the series go on beyond its expiration date. My only regret is that, in a couple of interviews, I left the door halfway open for a possible continuation with Rae at the helm. That would feel like a step backward now, and I feel like I have to keep moving ahead.
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Katrina Niidas Holm reviews mysteries for Crimespree, Mystery Scene, and Publishers Weekly and is an editor at the River Heights Book Review.
QUOTED: "Lutz's withering portrayal of how the #MeToo movement plays out in this rarefied setting should shock some and delight others."
The Swallows
Publishers Weekly. 266.24 (June 17, 2019): p42.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Swallows
Lisa Lutz. Ballantine, $27 (416p) ISBN 978-1-984818-23-2
This sardonic standalone by the author of the Spellman Files mystery series takes no prisoners in its attack on the misogynist culture of a New England prep school. When 20-something Alex Witt, dismissed from her former teaching job under mysterious circumstances, starts teaching creative writing at Stonebridge, she senses a simmering conflict among her upperclassmen students. Most of the more popular young men, under the leadership of nefarious Adam, have formed a semisecret society devoted to rating the young women on their sexual abilities, and, not incidentally, humiliating them. The young women, led by volatile Gemma and joined by a couple of the more enlightened guys, decide to take them down by any means necessary. As the situation escalates, careers and lives are threatened. Lutz is harder on the faculty members, whose comfortable lives depend on looking the other way, than on the more weak-willed of the male students, who scrabble to protect themselves. Although she features such a large cast of characters, she builds her plot cannily and walks a neat line between satire and realism. Lutz's withering portrayal of how the #MeToo movement plays out in this rarefied setting should shock some and delight others. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Swallows." Publishers Weekly, 17 June 2019, p. 42. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A590762542/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=26c529d6. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A590762542
QUOTED: "Lutz ... draws on the droll humor and idiosyncratic characterizations that make her Spellman novels so appealing."
Lutz, Lisa: THE SWALLOWS
Kirkus Reviews. (June 15, 2019):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Lutz, Lisa THE SWALLOWS Ballantine (Adult Fiction) $27.00 8, 13 ISBN: 978-1-9848-1823-2
High school English teacher Alex Witt jumps from the frying pan into the fire when she takes a job at Stonebridge Academy, a Vermont boarding school.
Alex doesn't love teaching, but it's a living, and she's hoping for a new start at Stonebridge after a debacle sent her packing from her last job. Dean Gregory Stinson, a friend of Alex's famous author father, Len Wilde, is happy to give her a place on staff, but a bait and switch has her teaching creative writing instead of English. Alex isn't thrilled but settles into getting to know her class. Her initiation isn't easy: Someone leaves a dead rat in her desk, and strange, vaguely threatening notes keep appearing at her barely livable cottage. Weeding out the good eggs from the troublemakers isn't easy, but Alex gives it the college try and even makes a few (maybe) friends among the staff. When a student named Gemma Russo makes Alex aware of an exclusive online forum called the Darkroom, where Stonebridge boys post photos and text about their sexual exploits and girls are vigorously scored, Alex can't ignore what's happening, but she's not eager to put herself out there in the face of adult enablers and vicious boys who will do anything to keep their toxic traditions alive. Luckily, Gemma is quietly recruiting an army to take the nasty little cabal down, and Alex offers guidance, never guessing just how far things might go. In 2009, when this is set, the term "boys will be boys" wasn't yet being truly challenged as an acceptable explanation for entitled, misogynistic male behavior, and questions of consent weren't at the forefront. Stonebridge is a perfect example of this kind of dysfunctional, entrenched culture. Lutz (The Passenger, 2016, etc.) draws on the droll humor and idiosyncratic characterizations that make her Spellman novels so appealing, and just about no one is quite who they seem. But kindness and decency do manifest in surprising places, revealed through the alternating narratives of Alex, Gemma, and others.
An offbeat, darkly witty pre-#MeToo revenge tale. The patriarchy doesn't stand a chance.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Lutz, Lisa: THE SWALLOWS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2019. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A588726987/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=47991d29. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A588726987
QUOTED: "Lutz's complex web of finely honed characters will keep readers turning the pages."
The Passenger
Publishers Weekly. 263.2 (Jan. 11, 2016): p34+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Passenger
Lisa Lutz. Simon & Schuster, $25.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4516-8663-0
Tanya Dubois, the enigmatic heroine of this enjoyable standalone from Lutz (How to Start a Fire), is the unhappy wife of the deceased Frank Dubois, who took a fatal--1and unassisted--header down the basement stairs of their Waterloo, Wis., home. Since she fears the police will think she pushed Frank, Tanya decides to get out of Waterloo as fast as possible, and she holes up in a sleazy motel, the first of many she'll stay in, to call the mysterious Mr. Oliver, who grudgingly agrees to supply her with a new identity and some starter cash: it's clear he's done it before. Tanya becomes Amelia Keen in Austin, Tex., where she meets the beguiling but dangerous bartender Blue. It's soon clear that Amelia and Blue both have unsavory pasts, and the agreement the women reach sends both of them off with new names. While the pacing falters in places and some of the final reveals lack wallop, Lutz's complex web of finely honed characters will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Stephanie Rostan, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Passenger." Publishers Weekly, 11 Jan. 2016, p. 34+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A440551692/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8f9c9434. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A440551692
QUOTED: "Lutz's pacing is excellent, and the interior monologue captures what it would be like not to have a name or, even worse, a valid ID."
Lutz, Lisa: THE PASSENGER
Kirkus Reviews. (Jan. 1, 2016):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Lutz, Lisa THE PASSENGER Simon & Schuster (Adult Fiction) $25.99 3, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4516-8663-0
With her latest books, Lutz is deep in thriller territory, and she writes like she's happy to be there. Best known for her wry series of mysteries starring the San Francisco-based Spellman family (imagine if Seymour Glass and his parents and siblings opened a private investigation service), last year Lutz veered toward straight fiction with How to Start a Fire, a richly plotted tale of the relationships among four college friends. In this new book, the protagonist, who's known as Tanya when we meet her, comes home to a dead husband (not her fault, really, he fell down the stairs) and decides her best option is to run. Different names see her through different lives, though she's always trying to escape both Tanya and an identity even further back in her past, which is cleverly revealed through a series of emails with someone who really knew, and loved, her. Meanwhile, in order to secure a new identity after Tanya is wanted in connection with her husband's death, she calls on a man who was involved in that past. He sends some money, a new birth certificate, and a couple of thugs to kill her. Complicating things further is a woman she meets called Blue, who's also on the run but seems to have something on our protagonist. Lutz's pacing is excellent, and the interior monologue captures what it would be like not to have a name or, even worse, a valid ID. Lutz provides some great suggestions for going on the lam (a lot of hair dye and car switching is involved), but at its core, this is a novel about identity: a slippery notion which depends upon both how the world sees us and how we see ourselves.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Lutz, Lisa: THE PASSENGER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2016. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A438646736/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9f9e3ffb. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A438646736
QUOTED: "binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists."
The Passenger
Christine Tran
Booklist. 112.7 (Dec. 1, 2015): p31.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
* The Passenger.
By Lisa Lutz.
Mar. 2016. 320p. Simon & Schuster, 525.99 (9781451686630).
Lutz's Spellman Files attracted an enthusiastic fan base captivated by the quirky, humorous, modern-day Nancy Drew tales. That kind of love can give an author confidence to step out on a limb, and Lutz does so nimbly with this dark psychological thriller. Tanya Dubois finds her husband, Frank, dead after a tumble down the stairs and knows she can't afford the scrutiny police will give his questionable death. So, Tanya gases up his truck, blackmails mysterious Mr. Oliver for a new identity, and hits the road to start over as Amelia Keen. Tanya/ Amelia's life on the run began years before she met Frank, and she has the procedures down cold. But she's never gotten used to the loneliness, which may be why she allows herself to forge a new friendship with Blue, a secretive Austin bartender. When threats from both of their pasts resurface, Blue devises their risky escapes. But as Tanya/Amelia struggles to settle into her newest fake life and reluctantly squelches a dangerous romance with a small-town sheriff, she begins to suspect that Blue's plan may have served darker purposes. Lutz develops riveting suspense by slowly revealing the events that first sent Tanya/Amelia on the run, while pouring threats on her gritty heroine's increasingly tenuous bids at survival. Binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists.--Christine Tran
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Tran, Christine. "The Passenger." Booklist, 1 Dec. 2015, p. 31. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A437058883/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=04bc0b49. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A437058883
QUOTED: "The satisfying conclusion will leave readers rethinking everything and immediately turning back to the first page to start again."
Lutz, Lisa. The Passenger
Emily Byers
Library Journal. 140.19 (Nov. 15, 2015): p78+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* Lutz, Lisa. The Passenger. S. & S. Mar. 2016. 320p. ISBN 9781451686630. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781451686654. F
When Tanya Dubois disguises herself and leaves behind her dead husband and a note proclaiming her innocence, it's clear this isn't the first time she's gone on the run. When she meets a mysterious bartender, they enter into a precarious partnership that will either dig Tanya in even deeper or finally set her free. As she makes her way across the country in a desperate attempt to survive, she becomes "Amelia," "Debra," "Emma," "Sonia," and "Paige," and the ease with which "Tanya" changes identities is both impressive and disquieting. Is she running from her past out of guilt, or because of something terrible done to her? When the answers finally come, they are juicy, complex, and unexpected. The satisfying conclusion will leave readers rethinking everything and immediately turning back to the first page to start again. VERDICT Psychological suspense lovers will tear through this thriller, a new direction for best seller Lutz (How To Start a Fire). Fans of her beloved "Spellman Files" series will have high expectations, and if they are open to a new genre and a darker energy and intensity, they will find her trademark independent narrator, smart writing, and rapid pace delivered here. [See Prepub Alert, 9/14/15.]--Emily Byers, Salem P.L., OR
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Byers, Emily. "Lutz, Lisa. The Passenger." Library Journal, 15 Nov. 2015, p. 78+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A434222193/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7ccd0800. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A434222193
Spellman, David with Lisa Lutz. How to Negotiate Everything
Rachel Kamin
School Library Journal. 59.5 (May 2013): p94+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
SPELLMAN, David with Lisa Lutz. How to Negotiate Everything. illus, by Jaime Temairik. 32p. S & S. May 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5119-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5120-9. LC 2011038386.
Gr 1-3--"Have you ever begged, cried, or screamed for a special toy or an ice-cream cone ... or a pair of sneakers with flashing lights? Is the answer always NO? We feel your pain." So begins this tongue-in-cheek guide that promises to let readers in on the secrets of negotiating for what one wants. The irreverent narrative and humorous, expressive digital illustrations provide tips on being calm, rational, and persistent. For example, Mom won't say yes to ice cream before dinner, but you can negotiate a deal to have it after you eat your vegetables. Advice on managing expectations and warnings against overreaching and negotiating too aggressively are included, cautioning readers that they may have to settle for a pet turtle even though they want an elephant. That some things in life are nonnegotiable is illustrated with a spread showing items worth negotiating for (cotton candy, small pets, trips to the zoo) and those that are unrealistic (endangered species, quitting school to join the circus, an all-cotton-candy diet). But "when you grow up, you can take negotiating to a new level," and "items that once seemed impossible to acquire will now be at your fingertips ..." even that pet elephant! The amusing glossary defines and illustrates entries such as "long-term strategy" and "weakness." Text and portions of the illustrations were published in Lutz's adult novel Trail of the Spellmans (S & S, 2012). Sophisticated picture-book readers will relate to the cheeky young protagonist and be entertained by the laughable details depicted in the graphics.--Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL
Kamin, Rachel
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Kamin, Rachel. "Spellman, David with Lisa Lutz. How to Negotiate Everything." School Library Journal, May 2013, p. 94+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A328418615/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d44fc57f. Accessed 13 July 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A328418615
QUOTED: "This book is about deception, lies, and deceit and once you start with it, you’ll thoroughly enjoy reading it till the very last page."
Review: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
Sowmya Gopi February 28, 201900 comments2 min read
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Lisa Lutz is back with a thriller and wow! The Passenger revolves around a woman who sheds identities and travels across the country in an attempt to outrun her past. From the very first page we see Tanya convincing the readers that she didn’t kill her husband, after finding his lifeless body lying on the floor. Instead of calling 911, she packs a bag, clears out a bank account, and takes off. And thus is the beginning of this captivating tale. Our protagonist, Tanya is always on the run and changes her name faster than anyone even changes clothes. She drives, rides trains, or buses to many different places, only staying long enough to get by.
The book is brilliantly crafted and the characters are what bring the tale to life. The characters here are going about life in a way that is so different that probably any of us, and yet it feels so relatable. From a psychological point, this is actually fascinating. The story is told through Tanya’s voice and the reader would feel like they’re reading her diary. The book has a lot of identity swaps, but we stay in first person throughout the whole story. It doesn’t matter what she is called, the fact is that she is NOT who she says she is. The author doesn’t reveal why until very late in the book and the whole time you keep wondering how “bad” she could really be. Apart from wondering, what is it that our protagonist is running away from, you would find yourself thinking, how hard it would be to just disappear?
There are other characters in the book that become very significant to the story line with each page that you turn and influence many of the outcomes that will unfold.
This book is about deception, lies, and deceit and once you start with it, you’ll thoroughly enjoy reading it till the very last page.
QUOTED: "Throughout The Passenger, Lutz sustains an ominous, unsettling, utterly addictive tension which doesn’t let up. Her narrator is wily, paranoid and afraid. She takes us along with her right to the very edge. Don’t look down."
“The Passenger” provides a sizzling thrill-ride
Local March 24, 2016
By Vick Mickunas, Contributing Writer
Whenever anybody asks me if I have read any good books lately I always respond, “Yes I have. A lot of them, actually.” These days, so many appealing books are coming out I feel like the honored guest at a non-stop literary banquet.
I just read the new mystery by Lisa Lutz. “The Passenger” is truly wonderful — reviewing it presents a tricky challenge, though. Here’s the dilemma: how can I delve into it without giving away some of the tasty bits and thereby wrecking it for readers? I’ll try to tiptoe through this minefield without detonating any spoilers.
Let’s start with the first tantalizing paragraph. A woman named Tanya Dubois narrates: “When I found my husband at the bottom of the stairs, I tried to resuscitate him before I ever considered disposing of the body. I pumped his barrel chest and blew into his purple lips. It was the first time in years that our lips had touched and I didn’t recoil.”
How’s that for an opening? This author can amp it up quickly. Lutz is known for a series of books about a family of private investigators, the Spellmans, who spend most of their time investigating each other. The Spellman books are often categorized in the murder mystery genre, even though no murders actually take place in the series.
This is her first true murder mystery. Based on her opening, it appears Tanya had a complicated marriage. This newly minted widow probably should have been calling 911, right? Not Tanya. And she has her reasons.
She takes off instead. She flees. Runs away. We wonder why? Well, that is what “The Passenger” is all about — and what we as readers are trying to figure out. Why is she reacting this way? Who is she?
Tanya goes off the grid. Her flight transforms her into a fugitive murder suspect. In each successive section she assumes another identity. Most of the early chapters end with an e-mail correspondence between a man and a woman. They have an exchange we do not understand. It will make sense eventually.
Tanya — or whoever she has become — resorts to all manner of subterfuges and schemes to prolong this life on the lam. She needs money, places to stay, new identities. Now and then she visits libraries to review her aliases on-line. Is she under investigation? Who might be following her?
Throughout “The Passenger,” Lutz sustains an ominous, unsettling, utterly addictive tension which doesn’t let up. Her narrator is wily, paranoid and afraid. She takes us along with her right to the very edge. Don’t look down.
Our excruciatingly reliable narrator reveals how she has become a pickpocket, a burglar, and much worse. We come to understand and respect her choices. Sizzling flashbacks finally reveal her hidden past. At least some of it. Do you like a tightly woven, blazing hot mystery? Pick up “The Passenger.”
“The Passenger” by Lisa Lutz (Simon and Schuster, 305 pages, $25.99)
~Review is The Swallows by Lisa Lutz~
July 4, 2019 beccalovesbooksblog
Synopsis:
When Alexandra Witt joins the faculty at Stonebridge Academy, she’s hoping to put a painful past behind her. Then one of her creative writing assignments generates some disturbing responses from students. Before long, Alex is immersed in an investigation of the students atop the school’s social hierarchy—and their connection to something called the Darkroom. She soon inspires the girls who’ve started to question the school’s “boys will be boys” attitude and incites a resistance. But just as the movement is gaining momentum, Alex attracts the attention of an unknown enemy who knows a little too much about her—and what brought her to Stonebridge in the first place.
Meanwhile, Gemma, a defiant senior, has been plotting her attack for years, waiting for the right moment. Shy loner Norman hates his role in the Darkroom, but can’t find the courage to fight back until he makes an unlikely alliance. And then there’s Finn Ford, an English teacher with a shady reputation, who keeps one eye on his literary ambitions and one on Ms. Witt. As the school’s secrets begin to trickle out, a boys-versus-girls skirmish turns into an all-out war, with deeply personal—and potentially fatal—consequences for everyone involved.
Lisa Lutz’s blistering, timely tale of revenge and disruption shows us what can happen when silence wins out over decency for too long—and why the scariest threat of all might be the idea that sooner or later, girls will be girls.
Review:
I really enjoyed this book! There’s just something about a boarding school vibe that I’ve always loved. I loved the way Lisa took on one of the things we’ve know goes on between boys and girls and has for ages in one way or another. She puts an end to the whole boy’s will be boys idea that so many seem to still hold. She hold the boys accountable and so do the girls in this school. I also really enjoyed how relatable Alex Witt was with her students. There were always those teachers I had that I talked to way more often than my parents. The book also had enough twists and turns to keep me glued to the pages. I definitely recommend reading this book if you read the synopsis and it sounds like something for you.