Heads You Lose

Lisa Lutz is one of my favorite new mystery writers. I love her Spellman Files series, so I was a bit disappointed when she decided to take a break from the Spellmans and work on a new project. Heads You Lose is her new novel that she co-authored with ex-boyfriend David Hayward. They took a tag-team approach to writing the novel: Lisa wrote one chapter, David wrote the next. The result is a mildly entertaining, forgettable novel that is no substitution for the Spellmans.

Lacey and Paul Hansen are pot-growing siblings living in a small town in northern California. When a headless body shows up on the Hansen property, Lacey begins investigating. Soon, more characters are turning up dead. To be honest, it was hard to keep it all straight and I don't even remember who the real killer ended up being. After each chapter, Lisa and Dave exchange notes on their disagreements of where the novel is headed. This was entertaining for a little while, but quickly grows old. It was hard to tell if their bickering was meant to be amusing or if it was real. I also started getting annoyed with Lisa, who didn't follow the "yes, and..." process.* She seemed to squash all of Dave's attempts to take the novel in any direction other than where she wanted it to go. So why write with a partner then? In Dave's defense, I liked his writing and his character development. I think what killed it for me was the audio narration. Normally I love audiobooks, and the two narrators have beautiful voices, but their characters were driving me nuts. First, I believe the novel is set in northern California. So, why all the southern accents? Second, I realize that some of the characters are pot growers, but the stoned, surfer-dude voices were really annoying.

I admire Lisa for wanting to try something different, for not wanting to rest on her laurels and beat the Spellman series into the ground, but I don't think this venture hits the mark. Hopefully the Spellmans will be back soon.

*"Yes, and..." is an improv technique where the participant accepts the direction their partner takes and builds on it. Learned that from Tina Fey's Bossypants. Smartypants, aren't I?