Revenge of the Spellmans: A Novel by Lisa Lutz

I'm starting to get used to the "report" style of the books in this series, and this one was much easier for me to read than the first two books.

Revenge of the Spellmans gives us the same cast of characters from previous books, but I'm happy to say that some personal growth is happening with several characters. If there was no growth then I don't think I could stomach it, but several characters in the book seem to be getting a bit of a clue, so it's good. Very good. Surprisingly Good.

There were a few laugh out loud moments in this book, but I will never compare the series to the Stephanie Plum series, as other people tend to do. For one thing, Izzy is good at what she does and Stephanie is not. For another, this series just isn't as funny as the Plum series. I'm good with that though because this series is gaining more substance than the Plum series has ever had.

There is a rather lengthy blurb for this book at Lisa Lutz's site and I won't bother to do a cut and paste here since it is so long. Suffice it to say that this book is a logical extension from the previous books and the plot, okay make that multiple plots, are good. Good enough that if the next book was available I'd have already ordered it and would be watching for the brown truck.

I'll give Revenge of the Spellmans a 9 of 10 and will raise the series rating to an 8 of 10.

Book Rating: 9 of 10
Series Rating: 8 of 10

I've got this series in Crime Thriller, but that's mainly because it fits best with what I've already got to choose from. I don't really know what genre to put it in.







1. The Spellman Files: A Novel (2007)
2. Curse of the Spellmans: A Novel (2008)
3. Revenge of the Spellmans: A Novel (2009)
4. The Spellmans Strike Again (March 2010)

Curse of the Spellmans (Izzy Spellman Book 2) by Lisa Lutz

As I said when I reviewed the first book in this series, The Spellman Files, I originally read the first book because people who knew I enjoyed the Stephanie Plum series recommended this little series to me. And as I said then, the two series have a few things in common, but I wouldn't have compared them with each other so much.

I rated the first book a 7 of 10 because it was hard to follow in the "report" style that the book was written in. It was a pretty good book, but the writing style was annoying: dates and times and footnotes and lists and... it didn't flow for me. Too much starting and stopping.

And this book, Curse of the Spellmans, is also written in that same "report" style. I'm a little more used to it now, so it was easier to follow, but it's still not really my preferred reading style.

That being said, Curse of the Spellmans does have a lot going for it. Instead of posting the (too long) blurb I'll give my own rundown of things.

For starters, Izzy has another mystery to sink her teeth into. Most PI work is pretty cut and dried, so she doesn't get an actual mystery to solve very often, and when she does she's like a pit bull with it. Then there is her little sister Rae, still up to her shenanigans, though also beginning to grow up (Rae is 16 at the time of this book). And Izzy's parents are trying to figure out their semi-retirement and what to do with their time. Inspector Stone (from the first book) also plays a pretty large part in this book, as does big brother David. We even have the family going to the dentist and seeing ex-boyfriend number 9.

The second book in this series again gives us a mix of personal problems, family issues, work related things to do, and the all encompassing mystery.

In my last review I called the family functionally dysfunctional. I think that label will have to stick until I can think up a better term.

I'll give Curse of the Spellmans an 8 of 10. There were multiple plots, there were a couple of plot points from the past book pulled into this one, the characters are engaging, and there is even some humor.

The next book, Revenge of the Spellmans, is due out in the next couple of days.


Book Rating: 8 of 10
Series Rating: 7 of 10

I've got this series in Crime Thriller, but that's mainly because it fits best with what I've already got to choose from. I don't really know what genre to put it in.







1. The Spellman Files: A Novel (2007)
2. Curse of the Spellmans: A Novel (2008)
3. Revenge of the Spellmans: A Novel (Mar 10, 2009)

The Spellman Files: A Novel (Izzy Spellman Book 1) by Lisa Lutz

A few people who knew I liked the Stephanie Plum series recommended this series to me.

After reading the first book I'm willing to give the second book a chance, but I'm not fully convinced just yet. I liked it, I didn't love it.

Isabel (Izzy) Spellman is a 28 year old woman who is still growing up. She led a very wild childhood and young adulthood (as in drugs and indiscriminate sex and various irresponsible behaviors). We learn the things that happened to make her stop doing things that made other people have to clean up the messes left in the wake of her irresponsible behavior. It didn't completely change her, but it did make her think twice before creating messes that affected other people. So, a little growing up happened there.

Izzy is a PI, as are her parents. She started as a child and was doing surveillance before she could drive. Her little sister was doing surveillance before she could read. This is a family with deadbolts on bedroom doors because, since they are all professional snoops, they don't trust anyone. Not even family.

The family is... functionally dysfunctional? Maybe dysfunctional is too strong of a word. We'll just say they love each other, but they are not normal.

Does it compare to Stephanie Plum? In some ways, probably. Izzy has lots of problems, just as Stephanie does. Izzy's family loves her even if they bug the bejeebers out of her, also similar to Stephanie even if they bug her for different reasons. There were a few laugh out loud moments in The Spellman Files, but I wouldn't compare them to the laugh out loud moments in the Plum series. Izzy is a PI to Stephanie's bounter hunter job, also similar enough.

After one book I probably shouldn't comment on relationship stuff, but I'll say that Izzy and Stephanie's idea of what is and isn't acceptable in a relationship are worlds apart.

I'll give The Spellman Files a 7 of 10, though the decision was whether to give it a 6 or a 7. Part of that is the annoyance I felt at the writing style during the first third or maybe half of the book. It felt more like a history lesson than a novel, and I wasn't sure where she was going with things. Having finished it, I liked it good enough to give the next book a try. We know everyone's history, so the next book shouldn't feel like a history lesson. I won't rate the series until I've read the second book.

Book Rating: 7 of 10







1. The Spellman Files: A Novel (2007)
2. Curse of the Spellmans: A Novel (2008)
3. Revenge of the Spellmans: A Novel (Mar 10, 2009)