'We're all amateur investigators'

 “We're all amateur investigators. We scan bookshelves, we ogle trinkets left out in the open, we calculate the cost of furniture and study the photographs on display; sometimes we even check out the medicine cabinet.” – Lisa Lutz

Born in California on this date in 1970, Lutz started writing with an idea for a screenplay, which ultimately became the basis for a best-selling series of novels.    It was while working for a private investigation firm that she started writing the screenplay for a dark Mob-type comedy called Plan B.  

Ultimately published as the novel The Spellman Files, her book is about a family of private investigators named Spellman, who, while very close knit, are also intensely suspicious and spend much time investigating each other. 

That first book – nominated for half-dozen awards – has led to 8 books in the series, all with multiple honors.  Her most recent is 2022's The Accomplice.  She’s also authored a children’s book and several stand-alone thriller/mystery books, including the 2017 award-winning The Passenger.

While highly successful, she said, “My writing process is chaos.  I usually start with an overarching theme. Then I establish several story threads, but I don't outline. I just start writing and keep notes for what may come. It's an organic process that's usually pretty flexible.”