Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

I absolutely adore Lisa Lutz's Spellman books, and I was so happy that I was able to pick this book up from the library so quickly! I read Revenge of the Spellmans most of yesterday and finished this afternoon and had several laughing out loud moments. I give it an A-.

Back cover:
Private investigator Isabel Spellman is back on the case and back on the couch- in court-ordered therapy after getting a little too close to the previous subject. As the book opens, Izzy in on hiatus from Spellman Inc. But when her boss, Milo, simultaneously cuts her bartending hours and introduces her to a "friend" looking for a private eye, Izzy reluctantly finds herself with a new client. She assures herself that the case- a suspicious husband who wants his wife tailed- will be short and sweet, and will involve nothing more that the most boring of PI rituals:surveillance. But with each passing hour, Izzy finds herself with more questions than hard evidence.
Meanwhile, Spellmania continues. Izzy's brother, David, the family's most upright member, has adopted an uncharacteristically unkempt apperance and attitude toward work, life, and Izzy. And the wayward youngest sister, Rae, a historic academic underachiever, aces the PSATS and subsequently offends her study partner and object of obsession, Detective Henry Stone, to the point of excommunication. The only unsurprising behavior comes from her parents, whose visits to Milo's bar amount to thinly veiled surveillance and artful attempts at getting Izzy to return to the Spellman Inc. fold.
As the case of the wayward wife continues to vex her, Izzy's personal life-and mental health- seem to be disintegrating. Facing a housing crisis, she can't sleep, she can't remember where she parked her car, and despite her shrinks persistence, she can't seem to break through in her appointments. SHe certainly can't explain why she forgets dates with her lawyer's grandson or fails to see the come-ons issued in an Irish brogue by Milo's new bartender. Nor can she explain how she feels about Detective Henry Stone and his plans to move in with his new Assistant DA girlfriend...

This book has it all... romance, mystery, drama, and humor. I love Ms. Spellman's writing and her voice. The footnotes and appendix just add to the humor and make things more interesting. Izzy is such a likeable character, as is all of her wacky family members. I also like that though the family members are wacky and crazy, they are still believable. I can see a lot of the things actually happening in real life, which is somewhat unlike Janet Evanovich's books. I truly hope that Ms. Lutz continues to write this loveable series that is such a break from the everyday, heavier suspense books I read normally. This was a wonderful way to end the Library Book Challenge held by J.Kaye.

Up next is a Lisa Jackson book to kick off the Lisa Jackson Read-a-thon. I am not sure which one I am going to read because I have to look at her list and decide which ones I have and where they fall in a series. I have the remainder of the day off, save for some tutoring appointments, and I want to get some cleaning in and possibly a nap as well. I am exhausted and had a lock down with Kindergartens (which is not fun) and has added to my exhaustion but I want to get some reading in. I have a full time job tomorrow and have to work Saturday as well. Happy Reading everyone!