Heads You Lose, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward, G P Putnam's Sons, 2011, 301 pp
Here we have another example of how my reading groups lead me into books I would not otherwise read. This time it was pretty much a losing proposition.
The book started out OK with some laugh out loud humor. The two authors purport to be frenemies. They agree to write alternate chapters (kind of like AdLibs, only whole chapters) and write snarky notes to each other after the other one's chapter. The notes are included.
Story takes place in a very small town near Mt Shasta, CA. There is a murder but as it turns out there are several murders. A brother (who grows and sells pot) and a sister (who works at the local bar) try to solve the murders. The title comes from the fact that the first dead body is missing his head.
I liked some of the humor and Mt Shasta is one of my favorite locations, though some of my romantic notions about the area were thoroughly trashed. As murder mysteries go it wasn't the best I've ever read and the authorial smack down grew old pretty fast.
(Heads You Lose is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Sorry you didn't like this one, Judy. The lost head sounds gruesome.
ReplyDeleteI've been on a pretty good reading roll the past month.
Regards.
Good to hear. Me too except for this one. They actually never found the head! Ha Ha
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