Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a hook, what a killer (no pun intended) concept–an established mystery writer sends off a chapter of a new novel to an ex-boyfriend, asking him to collaborate with her on the novel. She’ll take the odd-numbered chapters, him the even. Interspersed in these chapters are emails sent back and forth, along with other comments they make on the other’s work, as the two stumble through the writing process.
And while that’s amusing enough, the actual novel ends up being a pretty good read. In a small California town, a pot-growing brother and sister team find a headless body in their backyard. They try (a couple of times) to dispose of the body so they can continue their growing without police interference, and then take it upon themselves to solve this murder (and the others that follow). A very unlikely crime stopping pair, to be sure.
The novel is filled with quirky characters, twists and turns that no one (even 50% of the authors) can see coming. Far more than just a catchy hook–Heads You Lose is an entertaining crime novel that’ll leave you wanting more.