The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

388 pages

Hardback

From Lisa Lutz's Website-

At the ripe old age of 32, former wild child Isabel "Izzy" Spellman has finally agreed to take over the family business. Let's just say the transition won't be a smooth one.

Her first priorities as head of Spellman Investigations are to dig up some dirt on the competition—slippery ex-cop Rick Harkey—and to track down a stolen screenplay called The Snowball Effect. Next, faced with a baffling missing-persons case at the home of an aging millionaire, Izzy hires an actor friend to infiltrate the mansion as an undercover butler. Only he enjoys the role a little too much.

Meanwhile, Izzy is being blackmailed by her mother, who threatens to distribute photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994 unless Izzy commits 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 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 grass-roots campaign that could get an innocent man out of jail—or land her in it.

This installment in the bestselling, award-nominated series is hands-down the most hilarious, thrilling, and moving one yet. 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I loved the first book in this series, The Spellman Files, books two and three were good, but not great by any means.  I wasn't expecting too much from The Spellmans Strike Again, I was just hoping to like it enough to finish it.  Surprisingly I love it as much as the first.  I spent many moments laughing out loud while reading about Izzy and her unorthodox family. 

The Spellmans are up to there usual blackmailing, and shenanigans in the 4th installment of the Spellmans Series. I don't read the series for the mysteries obviously, since I think they are secondary to the characters. The mysteries are usually not so mysterious, and not quite page turning. The lengths the Spellmans take when trying to solve these mysteries is what make this series so successful. Izzy trying to take down competitor Rick Harvey has been happening since book 1, if I remember correctly, and it is a big part of this book as well. Also, the family start implementing family rules that had me laughing. Some of these rules are quite odd, but of course for the Spellmans they are very much needed.

All the original characters are back for this book, and they are kookier than ever. Izzy is now 32 but is still lacking the maturity her mother and countless others think she should have.  She is still having man problems, and her mom thinks she knows what Izzy needs, and she will do whatever it takes to get Izzy going in the direction she thinks she should, even if it takes blackmailing.   Rae is on mission to save a wrongfully imprisoned man, and is going through whatever lengths to get people to help with her new cause. 

The Spellmans Strike Again is a really fun, entertaining pure fluff read.  If you want to escape for a afternoon, and laugh this is a great one to pick up.

Rating: 5/5


Lisa Lutz's Website