Title: Trail of the Spellmans
Author: Lisa Lutz
Review: The overwhelming thought I had as I read this book was Rory and Lorelei had decided to solve crimes. The dialogue was so fast, so snappy it reminded of the Gilmore Girls interacting at the diner. Thank goodness it was written down or I would have had to keep rewinding to keep up.
This is about a family, the Spellmans, more so than the crimes the dig into.
They are private detectives who all work together in a nonstop atmosphere of love and suspicion, like any good family who are also paid to be distrusting. Imagine taking all your thoughts about what your family is up to, but also possessing the skills to actually find out.
Lutz has successfully accomplished the goal of any cozie, she has created a cast of characters that while imperfect, are funny, smart, and lovable. The dialogue just snaps along at an impressive pace and keeps the reader involved. It is the characters that will keep you coming back for more; they make the “crimes” come alive and not the other way around. One subplot of the central character Izzy investigating her sister Rae’s family deceptions is just as good as the paying customer’s problems. I will definitely be seeking out the first four books of this series and anxiously awaiting book six.
This is book five in the series and the only downside was it took me about 50 pages to find the rhythm of the family, but after that I was off to the races. I imagine the first four books would allow you to jump right in on page one. It reminds me a lot of my favorite cozy series, MC Beaton’s Hamish; another cast of quirky characters surrounded by crimes.
Thank you T Steven for this review. Like his review on Amazon here.
Thank you T Steven for this review. Like his review on Amazon here.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 384
ISBN: 978-1-4516-0812-0
Quick Review: 4 Stars out of 5.
Why I Read it: A fun and funny mystery
Where I Obtained the Book: Sent to me for review by the publisher
Synopsis: The fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling series by Lisa Lutz, featuring the fearless private investigator Izzy Spellman and her quirky, yet endearing, family of sleuths.
For the first time in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities—with no apparent motive. Dad has a secret. Izzy's brother and sister are at war—for no apparent reason. And her niece keeps saying "banana" even though she hates bananas.
That's not to say that Izzy isn't without her own troubles. Her boyfriend, Henry Stone, keeps wanting "to talk," a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry's mother.
Things aren't any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. And as the questions pile up, Izzy won't stop hunting for the answers—even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.
Author Biography: Lisa Lutz grew up in Southern California. After graduating high school, she attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, University of Leeds in England and San Francisco State University, although she still does not have a bachelor's degree.
Lisa spent most of the 1990s hopping from a string of low-paying odd jobs while writing and rewriting a mob comedy called Plan B. After it was made in 2000, Lisa vowed she would never write another screenplay. She began working on The Spellman Files in January of 2004. In the fall of that year, she drove across the country and moved into a 200-year-old house in the town of Westernville, New York (pop. 300). It was there Lisa shoveled snow and wrote the bulk of her first novel.
After her months in Westernville, Lisa returned to the west coast—and moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Seattle and back to San Francisco. She is currently planning another move to an undisclosed location.
Lutz is also the author of Revenge of the Spellmans, The Spellmans Strike Again,Heads You Lose (with David Hayward) and the upcoming Trail of the Spellmans.
I want to read his book.
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