Izzy Spellman Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Akta Spellmanów |
2007 |
N/A |
| The Spellman Files |
2007 |
Buy |
| Curse of the Spellmans |
2008 |
Buy |
| Revenge of the Spellmans |
2009 |
Buy |
| The Spellmans Strike Again |
2010 |
Buy |
| Trail of the Spellmans |
2012 |
Buy |
| Isabel Spellman’s Guide to Etiquette: What is Wrong with You People |
2013 |
Buy |
| The Last Word |
2013 |
N/A |
| The Last Word / The Next Generation |
2013 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| How to Negotiate Everything |
2012 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Heads You Lose |
2011 |
Buy |
| How to Start a Fire |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Passenger |
2016 |
Buy |
| The Swallows |
2018 |
Buy |
| The Accomplice |
2022 |
Buy |
Lisa Lutz made her name with The Spellman Files in 2007, introducing readers to the Spellman family, a clan of private investigators who spend as much time surveilling each other as their actual clients. The Izzy Spellman series ran for six novels and several related works through 2013, built on fast dialogue and escalating family dysfunction.
After the Spellman books, Lutz shifted toward standalone literary fiction. The Passenger (2016) follows a woman who flees a crime scene and reinvents herself repeatedly, while The Swallows (2018) is set at a New England boarding school where female students organize against a culture of abuse. Her range from comedy to dark literary fiction has earned her a readership across genres.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Lisa Lutz written?
Lisa Lutz has written fifteen books across three series.
What was Lisa Lutz's first book?
Lisa Lutz’s first book is Akta Spellmanów, published in 2007.
How does Lutz's work differ between her series and standalone novels?
The Spellman books are comedic mysteries about a dysfunctional family of private investigators, heavy on dialogue and family chaos. Her standalones are darker and more literary. The Passenger is a thriller about a woman on the run who keeps changing identities, and The Swallows is a revenge story set at a boarding school. The two sides of her career share sharp writing but aim for very different effects.