Curse of the Spellmans

Curse of the Spellmans/Lisa Lutz 409 pgs.

The second in the series about the Spellman family of private investigators. The central character Isabel is a nut but her younger sister Rae is often my favorite. Rae has managed to become such a manipulator that I love her. The side story about her first boyfriend is such an aside but so great when you find out how Rae's mom deals with the information that her youngest *has* a boyfriend. Isabel is always interesting but I do wonder a little about her PI abilities since the central plot is about her suspicions that a neighbor is evil. Still very entertained by this book and will certainly continue reading the series.

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz, Mystery, 388 pages.
Izzy Spellman returns, maybe for the last time. In this one she grows up a little, takes a moment or two more to think about things before deciding what to do and in doing so avoids pissing everyone off and stays out of jail. All the regular characters are here, friends and family. Among the other adventures, Izzy convinces a friend to impersonate a butler, her feud with rival detective Harkey continues, and her list of ex-boyfriends grows. Its a fun book, but nothing new or startling comes of it. You'll want to read it if you enjoyed the first three. Patrick