Revenge of the Spellmans

Book 67 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from October 1 - 14

Revenge of the Spellmans

by Lisa Lutz

Book 3 of the Spellmans series

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2009

Private investigator Isabel Spellman is back on the case and back on the couch -- in court-ordered therapy after getting a little too close to her previous subject.

As the book opens, Izzy is on hiatus from Spellman Inc. But when her boss, Milo, simultaneously cuts her bartending hours and introduces her to a "friend" looking for a private eye, Izzy reluctantly finds herself with a new client. She assures herself that the case -- a suspicious husband who wants his wife tailed -- will be short and sweet, and will involve nothing more than the most boring of PI rituals: surveillance. But with each passing hour, Izzy finds herself with more questions than hard evidence.

Meanwhile, Spellmania continues. Izzy's brother, David, the family's most upright member, has adopted an uncharacteristically unkempt appearance and attitude toward work, life, and Izzy. And their wayward youngest sister, Rae, a historic academic underachiever, aces the PSATs and subsequently offends her study partner and object of obsession, Detective Henry Stone, to the point of excommunication. The only unsurprising behavior comes from her parents, whose visits to Milo's bar amount to thinly veiled surveillance and artful attempts (read: blackmail) at getting Izzy to return to the Spellman Inc. fold.

As the case of the wayward wife continues to vex her, Izzy's personal life -- and mental health -- seem to be disintegrating. Facing a housing crisis, she can't sleep, she can't remember where she parked her car, and, despite her shrinks' persistence, she can't seem to break through in her appointments. She certainly can't explain why she forgets dates with her lawyer's grandson, or fails to interpret the come-ons issued in an Irish brogue by Milo's new bartender. Nor can she explain exactly how she feels about Detective Henry Stone and his plans to move in with his new Assistant DA girlfriend...

My Opinion

4 stars

This is actually a re-read but I guess it was pre-Goodreads because this is my first time reviewing it.  I typically only read things once because there are so many books and so little time but I've been revisiting this series this year as something light and entertaining.  Plus this series is always my 'go-to' recommendation for someone if I don't know their reading tastes (it has a little mystery, a little humor, a little family life, no violence or language) and I want to make sure that still holds up.

Regarding this specific book, it was more about Izzy's life than the mystery and I liked that because it gave more opportunity for the entertaining family dynamic and one-liners. The mystery was interesting though even though it was a little far-fetched.

I'll continue reading the series as a safe, enjoyable way to tune out everything going on.