The Spellmans Strike Again

 Book 20 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

The Spellmans Strike Again

by Lisa Lutz

Summary (via the book jacket)

book 4 of The Spellmans series

published 2010

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 too 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 (#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.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I've already read this book so I don't have a first impression.  The cover is nice and bright and would've grabbed my attention even if I hadn't been looking for it.

My Opinion

4 stars

This is a re-read although I must have read it pre-Goodreads because I haven't rated/reviewed it before.  I don't re-read books often but I decided to visit this series again during the pandemic for two main reasons.  First, this series is my standard go-to when someone whose reading preferences are unknown to me asks for a recommendation so I wanted to see if the recommendation still holds up.  Second, I haven't had a lot of focus so it's nice to have something dependable to read that I know I will enjoy without a lot of stress (even though this is a re-read, I'm not great with details so I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen).  

I dropped a star because of the phrase, "I keep forgetting you're a cultural retard" in response to Izzy not getting a movie reference.  The 'r' word is something I'd notice no matter what but I'm penalizing the read because it felt especially out of place and unnecessary.  The phrase doesn't make sense as a comment and it also doesn't make sense based on the characters (even if it's never right, sometimes it's at least understandable because person is old, bigoted, being intentionally hurtful, etc. etc.).  I may not typically drop a star for one use of the word but when the rating was going to be 5 stars, I can't say it was amazing and perfect when this glaring moment took me out of the story.

The mystery was good but the life stuff is why I'm here and there was a lot of it for multiple characters.  The storylines moved along for pretty much everyone and if you're someone who has been reading since the beginning, this book is the one that settles a lot of questions (whether they stay settled remains to be seen).

A Few Quotes from the Book

"I suppose the most defining characteristic of my family is that we take our work home with us. If your family's job is investigating other people, you inevitably investigate each other. This single trait has been our primary point of conflict for most of my life."

"We can make small talk," Henry suggested. "You need to practice that anyway."

"How's it hanging?" I said, practicing.

"You've never said that before in your life."

"Since we're practicing, I thought I'd give it a whirl."

"Make that its last whirl."

"Agreed."