Lisa Lutz is the American author of a series of novels about a family of private investigators, the Spellmans. She was born in Southern California in 1970. She has attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, University of Leeds in England and San Francisco State University, all without attaining a degree. During the 1990s she had many low-paying jobs, including work as a private investigator, and spent a lot of time writing and re-writing a Mob comedy called Plan B. This was eventually made in 2000, and was described by Variety as "torturously unfunny." In 2004 she started work in California on her first novel, The Spellman Files, which she finished holed up in New York while it was snowing. She returned to the west coast to write her second novel, and now lives in San Francisco.

Her series of novels are about the Spellmans, a family of private investigators, who, while very close knit, are also intensely suspicious and spend much time investigating each other. The Spellman Files becomes suspenseful when 14-year-old Rae Spellman is kidnapped.

In 2008 The Spellman Files was nominated for three awards for best first novel, the Anthony Award, Macavity Award, and Barry award; was awarded an Alex Award; was nominated for a Dilys Award; and reached #27 on the New York Times Bestseller List

Paramount Pictures has optioned the film rights with Laura Ziskin producing and Barry Sonnenfeld directing.

The second Spellman book, "Curse of the Spellmans," was nominated for a 2009 Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for best mystery novel.

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