Lisa Lutz's Blog

Lisa's latest book, The Accomplice, will be published on January 25, 2022 in both hardcover and e-book editions!

The first reviews for the book are coming in—here's a preview:

Booklist, in their starred review, writes: "…[An] atmospheric, well-plotted, and brilliantly narrated story, which is at once mysterious, suspenseful, and witty."

And from Publishers Weekly: "[A] darkly comic, fast-paced thriller… Quirky characters, humor in unexpected places, and a twisty but plausible plot keep the pages turning. Readers will be torn between eagerness to get to the bottom of the novel's mysteries—and reluctance for the adventure to end."

You can read more reviews and pre-order The Accomplice now.

Lisa will be traveling throughout the US, starting in August. She'll be reading from her new book The Swallows.

Find a place near you, and mark your calendars! You can also pre-order a signed copy.

Lisa's latest book, The Swallows, will be published on August 13, 2019 in both hardcover and e-book editions!

The first reviews for the book are coming in—here's a preview:

Kirkus writes: "Lutz draws on the droll humor and idiosyncratic characterizations that make her Spellman novels so appealing…. An offbeat, darkly witty pre-#MeToo revenge tale. The patriarchy doesn't stand a chance."

And from Publishers Weekly: "Lutz's withering portrayal of how the #MeToo movement plays out in this rarefied setting should shock some and delight others."

You can read the full review in Publishers Weekly.

Pre-order The Swallows now.

The Passenger is now available in paperback! Get your copy here.

Lisa's lawyers have given her permission to announce that The Passenger is the Target Book Club pick for December 2016. In return, she has agreed to stop covertly stocking her books at all Target stores for the duration of the holiday season. It's a win-win. Get your limited-edition paperback copy, including a special note from Lisa, at any Target store or here.

For reasons that will be obvious in retrospect, listening to The Passenger while driving may be inadvisable. But if you promise to listen in the safety of your home, enter the Simon & Schuster Thriller Audiobook Sweepstakes by midnight on November 30th for your chance to win an iPad Pro with The Passenger audiobook pre-loaded plus more!

Until today, Lisa’s first thriller, The Passenger, was one of the most-anticipated books of 2016. Now the buzz has become a roar. It’s the book everyone is talking about, from Booklist to the Washington Post. To see what all the fuss is about, get yourself a copy—visit the Buy page.

How to Start a Fire is now on sale everywhere, more than nine years after the first chapter was written. Find out more by reading the excerpt here. And the, head over to this page for some handy links to purchase your copy.

Prohibited by law from teaching at conventional educational institutions, Lisa has long found other ways to share her wisdom with the world, from the old Ask Lutz advice column to her more recent etiquette guide.

Because even her vast knowledge has its limits, her newest educational venture will draw upon the expertise of a series of specialists. In the first installment of Lutz U, she asks a scientist for his take on a vexing run-in with cluster flies.

Start your education today, visit Lutz U »

Being loosely categorized as a crime novelist, I am inevitably asked on many occasions to cite my literary inspirations or list my five or ten favorite novelists or novels. I cannot deny that there are writers and novels that I adore, but I don’t feel confident tagging them as influences. I think of the Spellman series (The Last Word: Document #6 in stores July 9th) as comedic novels first and when I’m writing them I am a slave to the joke, because unlike plot, character, or pacing, a joke is utterly intangible.

When I was child I was always drawn to comedy and comedians, and I continue to obsess over whatever impossible formula it is that ends with a laugh. So here’s a list of my primary literary influences—comedians. I was watching most of them long before I ever wrote my first joke—which I think involved putting someone’s cremated ashes in a pepper shaker. . . .

Read full article at crimespreemag.com »

Today is book launch day for How to Negotiate Everything!

If you're in the Seattle area come to Secret Garden Books in Ballard tonight (May 21st, 7pm) to meet illustrator Jaime Temairik in person. It's sure to be a fun event. (Sorry, Lisa won't be attending this event.) You can also read Jaime's behind-the-scenes inspiration for her illustrations on her blog.

While you're waiting for your book to arrive, be sure to check out the books very fun website at http://howtonegotiateeverything.com.

Also, pre-order links are up now for the e-book Isabel Spellman's Guide to Etiquette!

The new site for How to Negotiate Everything is out! Take a look—it's full of amazing illustrations by the very talented Jaime Temairik, and you may learn a thing or two about negotiating along the way. Don't forget to place your pre-order when you get to the end of the site.

Visit the How to Negotiate Everything website »

(Many thanks to the folks at Juxtaprose for the awesome site!)