2013: #5 – Trail of the Spellmans (Lisa Lutz)
Title: Trail of the Spellmans
Author: Lisa Lutz
Series: Spellman Files #05
Format: Hardback
Pages: 384
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: library
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.
My thoughts:
This book made me a little frustrated with Izzy. The more she avoids things she’s not comfortable dealing with, the more immature it seems. Though based on some of the family secrets revealed in this book, there’s no surprise that she’s more than a little damaged. The way she handled her relationship with Henry made me wonder how they managed to stay together for 2 years. Apparently, he’s a masochist.
But regardless, I still enjoy this series. Is this the last? Who knows… I think it was supposed to end two books ago.
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat
Other reviews:
- “I continue to enjoy how these books are put together and how the various Spellmans and adopted family members go along.” — Speed-Reading Book Nerd Reviews
- “It’s like if the Royal Tennenbaums were middle classed private investigators living in the San Francisco area.” — Book It.
- “Overall, the book holds up very well. Cases are resolved, family obligations are sorted out – and a new beginning looms for the Spellmans.” — Lost in a Great Book
A friend of mine loves this series. I really need to give it a try.