Book Review: The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz

Synopsis: At the ripe old age of thirty-two, former wild child Isabel "Izzy" Spellman has finally agreed to take over the family business. And the transition won't be a smooth one. First among her priorities as head of Spellman Investigations is to dig up some dirt on the competition, slippery ex-cop Rick Harkey--a task she may enjoy a little too much. Next, faced with a baffling missing-persons case at the home of an aging millionaire, Izzy hires an actor friend, Len, to infiltrate the mansion as an undercover butler--a role he may enjoy a little much. Meanwhile, Izzy is being blackmailed by her mother (photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994) to commit to regular blind dates with promising professionals--an arrangement that doesn't thrill Connor, an Irish bartender on the brink of becoming Ex-boyfriend #12.

At Spellman headquarters, it's business as unusual. Doorknobs and light fixtures are disappearing every day, Mom's been spotted crying in the pantry, and a series of increasingly demanding Spellman Rules (Rule #27: No Speaking Today) can't quite hold the family together. Izzy also has to decipher weekly "phone calls from the edge" from her octogenarian lawyer, Morty, as well as Detective Henry Stone's mysterious interest in rekindling their relationsh...well, whatever it was. Just when it looks like things can't go more haywire, little sister Rae's internship researching pro bono legal cases leads the youngest Spellman to launch a grassroots campaign that could spring an innocent man from jail--or land Rae in it. The Spellmans Strike Again is hands down the most hilarious, thrilling, and moving book in this bestselling, award-nominated series. And it proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Isabel Spellman, no matter how much she matures, will never be able to follow Rule #1: Act Normal.

About the Author: Lisa Lutz is the author of Revenge of the Spellmans, The Spellman Files, and Curse of the Spellmans. Although she attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England, and San Francisco State University, she still does not have a bachelor degree. Lisa spent most of the 1990s hopping through a string of low-paying odd jobs while writing and rewriting the screenplay Plan B, a mob comedy. After the film was made in 2000, she vowed she would never write another screenplay. A motion picture adaptation of The Spellman Files is in development with Paramount Pictures.

Review: If you have never read any of the Spellman series, I have to tell you- start at book 1 (The Spellman Files) and read them ALL. This family puts dysfunctional in dysfunctional, but in a loving and funny way! As you read the books you can't wait to see what they will come up with to thwart and thrust upon their fellow family members, not to mention the cases their PI firm are handling!

The series takes place in San Francisco, so I feel like I am back in my old haunts, as Lutz takes you all over the Bay Area!  Isabel is a modern woman and she is smart and funny, and anybody that had to deal with her meddling family would have "issues" as well. I love that Lutz has the stories in "report" form, like they came from an actual investigation- it makes them different and he books are super quick reads (be prepared- they are HARD to put down once you get into the story!). the dialogue is quick and the characters endearing. While I look forward to seeing Hollywood trying to make a decent movie out of the series, part of me says "NO", because the books are so FULL that I don;t think a movie can do them justice!

If you like humor with your mysteries, with a bit of chick lit and family drama thrown in, this series is for you! 

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from the Simon & Schuster Publishing! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about the book!

• ISBN-10: 1416593411
• ISBN-13: 978-1416593416