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The Spellmans Strike Again A Novel Izzy Spellman Mysteries Lisa Lutz 9781416593409 Books

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The Spellmans Strike Again A Novel Izzy Spellman Mysteries Lisa Lutz 9781416593409 Books

I can't give Lisa Lutz enough praise, it's simply impossible. I will say this, the only problem I have with this novel (the whole series) is that it ends too soon.

Fans of The Spellman series are not going to be disappointed with The Spellmans Strike Again. It's written in the same comedic, eye-popping, and endearing manner as all her previous books. As you know, there are always several on-going issues that get nicely wrapped up at the end. Some are going to have you in tears because you can't stop laughing (Len & Chris), others will have you in tears because some good things must come to an end - I'm sorry, I hate spoilers too but you'll find out soon enough! Everything is changing in the Spellman family.

For new readers/Fans: All Spellman novels are stand-alone. You don't have to start with the first, mainly because Lutz makes excellent use of footnotes. Her use of footnotes is part of the charm of this series and just as funny as the stories themselves. I won't hide it though, she also uses them as a blatant tactic to purchase the previous novels! I love the honesty. But here's a little synopsis:

Isabel Spellman comes from a family of private investigators. The Spellmans are very good at their work, so good in fact that they can't keep it out of their private lives. They spy on each other, record family conversations, resort to blackmail - you get the picture. Previously, she's had issues with the lack of privacy family members give each other (with the exception of her brother who is the only decent one here). It's been a long and difficult road but she's finally decided to slowly take ownership of the business from her parents. In the fourth installation Isabel deals with the following cases: 1. take down their family nemesis and fellow P.I. (he deserves it), 2. negotiate out of all the lawyer dates her mother has blackmailed her into (plus Isabel's boyfriend isn't too happy about it either), 3. find a rich client's butler, 4. discover who keeps taking the doorknobs and light fixtures in her family home, 5. false imprisonment (more than once), 6. okay, there's a lot going on but I hope I've piqued your interest.

My point is Lutz always has several things going on, but she doesn't miss a beat or cause a reader to lose track or get confused. Her writing style works and is very solid. Her characters are well- rounded, relatable, and interesting. You want to know more about them. You need to know more about them.

If you are a Stephanie Plum fan (and I am), you will not be disappointed in The Spellmans Strike Again. I recommend starting with the first novel though, if only to get a better appreciation of the whole series. It's like the Plum novels. You can start anywhere, but you get more when you start with One For the Money. The reading order for Lutz is:

1. The Spellman Files
2. Curse of the Spellmans
3. Revenge of the Spellmans

I hope this is not the last we see of the Spellmans.

Enjoy!


Tags : The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel (Izzy Spellman Mysteries) [Lisa Lutz] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. 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 is to dig up some dirt on the competition,Lisa Lutz,The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel (Izzy Spellman Mysteries),Simon & Schuster,1416593403,Private investigators;Fiction.,Spellman, Isabel (Fictitious character);Fiction.,Women private investigators;California;San Francisco;Fiction.,AMERICAN MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,California,FICTION Humorous General,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction General,Fiction Humorous,Fiction Mystery & Detective Women Sleuths,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,GENERAL,General Adult,Humorous,Monograph Series, any,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,MysterySuspense,Private investigators,San Francisco,Spellman, Isabel (Fictitious character),United States,Women private investigators

The Spellmans Strike Again A Novel Izzy Spellman Mysteries Lisa Lutz 9781416593409 Books Reviews

I loved Book 3 so much that when I finished it I promptly turned back to page 1 and read it again.

This one wasn't nearly as good.

I thought Izzy's personal growth was well done and believable. I understood the changes she made and why.

The "mysteries" were flops. It didn't make sense how Izzy figured these out - a few more dropped hints would have helped this flow better. The one involving the household hardware was just bizarre.

I was also disturbed to find out what Prom Night 1994 was really about, and how Olivia handled that. I know the family is dysfunctional, but Olivia's original choices seemed very wrong and not in keeping with what we've been told she was like when Izzy was a teenager. I liked her a lot less after the truth was revealed.

Overall, the story was entertaining. I rate it behind each of the first three novels, and ahead of novel 5 (haven't read 6 yet). I wish she had ended the story here - it was a very good ending.
The 4th book in the Spellman series follows closely after the events of the third book. Izzy is still trying to nail her slimy competitor for something illegal. Odd things are happening in the family home, starting with her parents demanding that they all vacate for 1 day a week, followed by disappearing doorknobs, light fixtures, and other assorted household items. In her personal life, Izzy is surprised when Henry wants to renew their friendship and even seems to want to go further than that. Still skittish, she maintains her distance, but is having challenges with her Irish bartender boyfriend. Her sister Rae is beginning to drive everyone crazy with her pro-bono legal work trying to free the unjustly imprisoned. Izzy is also surprised to find out that her elderly lawyer and friend, Morty, is returning to San Francisco, but the circumstances bring a reality check to her life. As usual, the book is filled with the zany antics of the Spellmans, but we get to see real growth in several characters, particularly Izzy. Just perhaps, she is beginning to grow up a little and develop a fuller life.
Even though there's not a lot of range in any of the characters, especially after three other books, it's decent pulp reading. Like books #2 and #3, #4 is a slightly different retread of #1; there are no surprises, the mystery has more gravitas in the build up than in the actual reveal (which considering it's touted as a comic mystery is no real surprise). It's less engaging than it is mildly entertaining, but it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

However, the footnotes got old two books ago, and formatting issues with both hard copy and electronic versions should make anyone with any visual impairments think twice about reading (besides the fact you'd get alcohol poisoning if you took a drink every time you read "now in paperback!").

I've read the books in trade paperback, mass market paperback, hardcover, and now kindle for iPad. The font style in the physical books makes it really hard to see the footnotes, especially if they appear adjacent to quotation marks. On book three I got tired of trying to find the superscript that went with the footnote less than halfway through. On an iPad I can't even access them without manually going to them at the end of the book (so I don't, and I don't feel like I'm missing a thing). The for iPad has a known issue with footnotes, and so do the Spellman Files.
I can't give Lisa Lutz enough praise, it's simply impossible. I will say this, the only problem I have with this novel (the whole series) is that it ends too soon.

Fans of The Spellman series are not going to be disappointed with The Spellmans Strike Again. It's written in the same comedic, eye-popping, and endearing manner as all her previous books. As you know, there are always several on-going issues that get nicely wrapped up at the end. Some are going to have you in tears because you can't stop laughing (Len & Chris), others will have you in tears because some good things must come to an end - I'm sorry, I hate spoilers too but you'll find out soon enough! Everything is changing in the Spellman family.

For new readers/Fans All Spellman novels are stand-alone. You don't have to start with the first, mainly because Lutz makes excellent use of footnotes. Her use of footnotes is part of the charm of this series and just as funny as the stories themselves. I won't hide it though, she also uses them as a blatant tactic to purchase the previous novels! I love the honesty. But here's a little synopsis

Isabel Spellman comes from a family of private investigators. The Spellmans are very good at their work, so good in fact that they can't keep it out of their private lives. They spy on each other, record family conversations, resort to blackmail - you get the picture. Previously, she's had issues with the lack of privacy family members give each other (with the exception of her brother who is the only decent one here). It's been a long and difficult road but she's finally decided to slowly take ownership of the business from her parents. In the fourth installation Isabel deals with the following cases 1. take down their family nemesis and fellow P.I. (he deserves it), 2. negotiate out of all the lawyer dates her mother has blackmailed her into (plus Isabel's boyfriend isn't too happy about it either), 3. find a rich client's butler, 4. discover who keeps taking the doorknobs and light fixtures in her family home, 5. false imprisonment (more than once), 6. okay, there's a lot going on but I hope I've piqued your interest.

My point is Lutz always has several things going on, but she doesn't miss a beat or cause a reader to lose track or get confused. Her writing style works and is very solid. Her characters are well- rounded, relatable, and interesting. You want to know more about them. You need to know more about them.

If you are a Stephanie Plum fan (and I am), you will not be disappointed in The Spellmans Strike Again. I recommend starting with the first novel though, if only to get a better appreciation of the whole series. It's like the Plum novels. You can start anywhere, but you get more when you start with One For the Money. The reading order for Lutz is

1. The Spellman Files
2. Curse of the Spellmans
3. Revenge of the Spellmans

I hope this is not the last we see of the Spellmans.

Enjoy!