strange and random happenstance: Heads You Loose

Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward
Published by: Putnam Adult
ARC Provided by Putnam
Publication Date: April 5th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Challenge: Mystery and Suspense 2011
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy
Lacey Hansen is trapped in a dead end life with her brother Paul. Making a living supplying the local colleges and nursing homes with pot is not a way to live. Even Mythmatch, where legendary gods and monsters battle each other on the small screen, is no cure for boredom. But even a dull and inert life can be pushed into action by the arrival of a headless corpse on your doorstep. Due to the proximity of so much pot near a recently deceased body, the siblings decide to dump the body off a hiking trail where it will be found and investigated, far from their home. Because they know this corpse. It's Darryl, Paul's friend and pot irrigation expert. The next day, Lacey views it as her right to investigate a little, it is kind of "their corpse"... but when that investigation turns up Darryl alive and well... well then, who's the corpse? And where did it go? It's not where they left it. But a missing corpse is nowhere near as interesting as a plane exploding at the local airport and the new Doc Egan moving into town with his cute Wilson brothers looks to replace the old Doc Holland, who did leave town awful fast. It's not long before Lacey and Paul wonder when the body will finally be discovered, only to find it back on their front porch... except this time Lacey takes a closer look and realizes it's her ex-fiance Hart. Knowing that if they hide the crime again someone will most likely return the body, Lacey makes the call to inform the police, giving her brother a few minutes to clear out the marijuana plants and stash them with his pot mentor, Terry Jakes.

Now with a police investigation finally underway, Lacey decides that it's time to ramp up her own investigation. Solve the crime, leave the town, it's as easy as that. Only, solving this crime is not going to be easy when everyone has a motive for killing Hart, who, if Lacey is being honest, was quite the lowlife. Throw in a shady bar owner, an even shadier nursing home run by the Babalatos, an endearing or perhaps lethal old man, Sook, land deals, long cons, blackmail, and a stripper with an IQ higher than most members of MENSA, and Lacey doesn't know which suspect is the guilty party. At times it seems even the authors are unsure. With the authors one upping each other and making the stakes higher and the death rate escalate, we are not only waiting to see if Lacey and Paul get out of this crappy little town, but if Lisa and David will be able to get the book finished without killing each other or the entire populace of Mercer California.

Many authors when collaborating have decided to divide the work with alternating chapters. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan come to mind, as well as Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. But, one assumes, that they at least get along. Lisa and David, while disagreeing on almost every aspect of the book, except the title, have been able to create the funniest collaboration I have yet to read. Openly displaying hostility and willing to eek out a little retribution through calamity and downfall to the other author's favorite characters. With Lisa favoring Lacey and the doddering old Sook and David being Paul and Terry's biggest fan, it's fun reading and anticipating the ways the other author tries to change and manipulate the plot to their characters advantage. From Lisa having to kill a character twice and then his doppelganger as well, to David writing as if for a primary school reader, the banter back and forth is what drives this novel, almost more so than the plot.

I was impressed that they were able to come up with a cohesive and plausible ending, because they made no effort to tailor their own styles to fit together. David has a tendency to overwrite, to use stupidly named made up tv show titles and big words, I had to keep a dictionary handy in his chapters, and even then, sometimes, I was at a lose. As Lisa stated in one of her letters between the chapters, "Why in God's name would you use the words 'subfusc,' 'asperous,' and 'caliginious' in a freaking crime novel? Here's a rule worth following: If the spell-check doesn't recognize the word, don't use it!" To which I have to heartily agree. Because if I have to drag out the dictionary, it pulls me out of the story, no matter how fractured and funny it is. Whereas Lisa is a spare writer with sharp, refined wit, even if David got the biggest laugh out of me with his slur against David Caruso, letting me forgive the superfluous oleaginous. Also, Lisa is wrong, cats do need back stories. In the end, at the close of the day you will be left with a smile, a strong hope that they will be on book tour together, bickering across America, and the desperate need to hear more about their abandoned previous collaboration The Fop.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: Caroline Stevermer, David Caruso, David Hayward, David Levithan, Doc Holland, Hart, Heads You Loose, Lacey, Lisa Lutz, Marijuana, Mythmatch, Patricia C. Wrede, Pot, Rachel Cohn, Terry Jakes, The Fop

So, a week ago, I ventured forth from my book lined hovel to see Lisa Lutz in Milwaukee at Boswell Books. I was lucky enough to have seen her last year and was not going to miss the opportunity to see her again, she was on the tenth day of her extended tour promoting The Spellmans Strike Again. I, being me, and being over prepared in the extreme, arrived about an hour early. Logically that made me the first one there, because I don't think there is anyone else that desperate for prime seating and good access to the front of the signing line (damn them for switching it up, the table is near the front of the store, not this podium transformer thingy, so I was third in the signing line, drat!) Before the talk I had a bit of a palaver with the owner, Daniel Goldin, who was understandably a bit nervous that no one would show, understandable in that it was surprisingly frigid out (20 degrees) and at about 10 minutes to start time there where only four people there, but happy when I told him this was not the final Spellmans book. Luckily the crowd filled out, but I'm not sure if that was a good or a bad thing, for they were surprisingly lack luster and reserved, resulting in a short and mildly surreal experience.

Lisa appeared on time, tired and distracted, but with her wit razor sharp as ever, if not quite linear to follow. She expressed a sentiment that I often feel about public speaking, to avoid when possible, hence she originally wanted to be a scriptwriter, you're rarely asked to speak in front of other people. But first, before anything else, the big news must be made, and no, not my wonderful giveaway that's currently underway, no no. The amazing news is Lisa is finally a New York Times Bestselling Author! The list goes to 15, and she tied for 15th. So yeah for Lisa! So well deserved, which you'd know if you'd all listen to me and go read them (cough *win* cough *them*). She rather succinctly and humorously summed up the newest Spellman installment by saying it had "100% more undercover butlering than any previous Spellman book before." Then, with the help of Daniel Goldin, they did a reading in her preferred style of a scene of dialogue, first between Izzy and Morty, then stranded in Florida, and another between Izzy and a drunk lawyer (it will make so much more sense if you read the book, or if you go to Litidate.com).

Then the questions and answers followed, which was kind of a sad affair. People, as in all you people out there who go to book signings or talks, speak up! They're here for you! Ask your questions, get your answers, provoke talk and discussion! Though I did glean some interesting news. First, the movie is in between studios (the new studio being more interested in transformers) and Lisa has a feeling it would be far better if she rewrote it with transformers, or for the real money maker: a family of vampire PIs! She has written a stand alone with her ex that will hopefully see publication, currently titled Heads You Loose, written in the style of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist with them switching off writing chapters. She heartily agreed with one questioner that Sarah Silverman would work wonderfully as Izzy. Then there was a back and forth with a few kids who, for schoolwork, come to talks and then report on it. Lisa said to give a good report on her. She then inquired what other types of questions they had to answer, one being, what are your views on writing and reading, to which she said, "I think they're good things, write that down, we'll wait." She also said she liked these easy questions and could she please have some more.

Then the signing began, she actually remembered me from last year, which I think is good right? I am very vocal in getting her books out there so I hope I help, cause really it's kind of a selfish obsession, she does good, I get another book sometime in the future. So books signed and booty bundled up, with a little extra for my giveaway from the owner, Daniel Goldin (aka a "Free Schimdt" t-shirt) I headed for home, ok, I headed to another bookstore to shop for some rare used books, but still... I did eventually make it home! So a fun evening, signed books, a chat with Lisa, my Dad got to talk to her about the The Innocence Project which is such an important cause and important to the books plot, undercover butlering aside.

So what else should I mention... well as you notice I'm nearing 200 followers, closer and closer everyday, especially if you count my networked blogs followers as well. So, thanks to my new bffs at Simon & Schuster who sent me 4 more copies of the newest Spellman book, along with the new shirt, I thought I'd extend the giveaway, try for that 200 and see how much booty I can bundle off to people. So ENTER! There's a very high chance you could win, there are 8 prizes currently! More to come...