Ah, That Crafty 'Sleuthing' Gene

“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 Southern California on this date in 1970, Lutz attended several colleges and universities without getting a degree, worked in a number of low-paying jobs, and then got 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 – led to 6 books in the series, all honored with multiple honors.    In addition to the Spellman books, she’s authored a children’s book and several stand-alone thriller/mystery books, including the 2017 hit The Passenger.

Known for both her humor and attention to detail, 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.”

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