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    The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel
    The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel
    The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel

    Written by Lisa Lutz

    Narrated by Christina Moore

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In Document #4 of the Edgar-nominated series detailing an outrageously funny family of detectives, former wild child and private investigator Izzy Spellman finally agrees to take over the family business. But the transition won’t be a smooth one…

    First among her priorities as head of Spellman Investigations is to dig up some dirt on the competition, slippery ex-cop Rick Harkey—a task she may enjoy a little too much. Next, faced with a baffling missing-persons case at the home of an aging millionaire, Izzy hires an actor friend, Len, to infiltrate the mansion as an undercover butler—a role he may enjoy a little too much.

    Meanwhile, Izzy is being blackmailed by her mother (photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994) to commit to regular blind dates with promising professionals—an arrangement that doesn’t thrill Connor, an Irish bartender on the brink of becoming ex-boyfriend number twelve.

    At Spellman headquarters, it’s business as unusual. Doorknobs and light fixtures are disappearing every day, Mom’s been spotted crying in the pantry, and a series of increasingly demanding Spellman Rules (Rule #27: No Speaking Today) can’t quite hold the family together. Izzy also has to decipher weekly “phone calls from the edge” from her octogenarian lawyer, Morty, as well as Detective Henry Stone’s mysterious interest in rekindling their relationsh...well, whatever it was.

    Just when it looks like things can’t go more haywire, little sister Rae’s internship researching pro bono legal cases leads the youngest Spellman to launch a grassroots campaign that could spring an innocent man from jail—or land Rae in it.

    The Spellmans Strike Again is hands down the most hilarious, thrilling, and moving book in this bestselling, award-nominated series. And it proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Isabel Spellman, no matter how much she matures, will never be able to follow Rule #1: Act Normal.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 16, 2010
    ISBN9781442304109
    The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel
    Author

    Lisa Lutz

    Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling, Alex Award–winning author of the Spellman Files series, as well as the novels The Accomplice, Heads You Lose (with David Hayward), How to Start a Fire, The Passenger, and The Swallows. She has also written for film and TV, including HBO’s The Deuce. She lives in upstate New York.

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    Reviews for The Spellmans Strike Again

    4.5/5

    61 ratings31 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As the title so accurately states...The Spellmans Strike Again! The fourth book in Lutz's Spellman Series is sure to please! When the book opens Izzy has finally agreed to take over Spellman Investigations. Her first priority of business is to take down rival ex-copm now P.I. Harkey. Izzy is also faced with a million clients missing persons case in which she hires her good friend Len to help out. Len takes to the job & seems to enjoy it a bit too much! Meanwhile Izzy is also being blackmailed by her mother (per photographic evidence of prom night 1994) & is forced to go out with promising Lawyers. While her soon to be ex-boyfriend Conner is not happy abut the blackmailed arrangement.Throw in on top of all that, missing doorknobs, light fixtures & other hardware mysteriously disappearing from the Spellman home, Henry seeming to want to possibly rekindle his & Izzy's relationship, little sister Rae taking on an internship to help out with pro bono cases to free the innocently accused...Well, let's just say you're in for a good time! Like the other Spellman books you'll be laughing out loud! Entertaining, Funny this series quickly became one of my favorites!
    • 5/5
      The latest installment of the Spellmans is just as odd, quirky, weird and funny as the rest. This one focuses on Izzy trying to put another PI out of business because he's dirty. But, as usual, there are alot of other things she and the rest of the family are working on, both paid investigations and personal. It's definitely an odd family but they are so much fun to get to know! I have enjoyed every book so far.
    • 4/5
      Izzy takes down Harkey, but in an unexpected way. Rae gets an innocent man freed from prison. Maggie gets pregnant and she and David plan to marry. Izzy moves in with Henry who she anticpates will become husband #1. Len and Christopher move to NY after Len's stint as an actor/spy for the spellmans.
    • 5/5
      I think this is the best of the Spellman books. I find these books a bit hard to digest because Izzy is too much like myself and her family annoys me a lot. It only took 4 books for her and Henry to get together, although, I hope the tension between them isn't lost. A fun book, I love the footnotes that add to the reading. Beware, Lutz writes these books in a stream of consciousness and sometimes that can throw the reader. I would suggest that if you decide to read the series you need to start at the beginning so you understand all of the nuances, characters and back story.
    • 5/5
      The Good Stuff * It's funny these reviews are hard to write since I am reading them sort of back to back -- don't want to keep writing the same things about them, I will try my best to mix it up - but please forgive repetition from previous books in series * I love these books, they are always rip roaring good fun. I am constanly laughing about the antics of Isabel and her truly unusual family * They are a totally dysfunctional family but in a sweet and loveable way * I actually cried a few times while reading this installment. Their were some beautiful touching scenes, yet never shmaltzy * All of the characters are unique * The relationships, while a little over the top quirky, are still very realistic -- but remember I come from an odd family myself (though my siblings never did blackmail or spy on each other) * Isabel is really developing into a more mature adult, but never losing her quirky playful spirit * Love the relationship between Isabel and Morty * You can't help but laugh at Rae's anctics * Some very wise social commentaries thrown in, again never schmaltzy * Did I mention you will laugh your ass off -- If you don't like attention, do not read out in public as you will not be able to stop yourself from snorting out loud with laughter * The last 2/3 chapters are absolutely hilarious yet wonderfully touching at the same time * Like the background bit about the Innocence ProjectThe Not So Good Stuff * It drags a bit in the middle, nothing horrible, but a wee bit more editing would have made it into a better storyFavorite Quotes/Passages"Other than my mom's mild vanity, her most obscene characteristic is that she seems to think meddling in her children's lives is an Olympic event. Her training regime is positively brutal.""Once Demetrius was incarcerated, the burden of proof fell back on the defense. Turns out my case hinged on circumstantial logic. And you can't free a man just because it makes sense.""For some people, gardening is a soothing, fun, spiritually nourishing activity. For my sister, who has never met a vegetable she liked, it would be hell on earth. Hard labor, patience, dirt, produce-all things she loathes-and now she would be spending over 13 percent of her waking hours learning how to make things she hated grow. If that isn't justice, I don't know what is."Who Should/Shouldn't Read * Once again, you don't HAVE to read the previous "documents" to get whats going on, but I highly recommend you do you won't regret it * Not for those who like a traditional Private Investigator mystery story -- this is unique folks4.75 Dewey'sI received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review
    • 4/5
      This book made me infinitely happy. Rae was finally punished for once, Isabel and Henry are finally in a relationship, David and Maggie are getting married and expecting their first child, and I just couldn't contain my happiness. I was glad to see Isabel finally take down Harkey, and I was really sad that Morty passes away. Morty was a really good friend for Isabel and I am sad that I won't be able to read about their lunches anymore. I can't wait to see what happens next, especially what happens between Henry and Isabel (hopefully she doesn't screw this up). I look forward to reading more of this series.
    • 5/5
      I love this series. This is the fourth book and I waited not-so-patiently to get this from the library (now that I can't get new ebooks for $9.99 anymore). This was worth the wait and I can't believe I discovered this great series in the bargain section at B&N.Izzy Spellman is now 32 but still treated like a child by her parents. They are a dysfunctional family of PI's who spy on each other instead of having conversations. Izzie is part owner of the family agency but doesn't get to spend as much time on real cases as she would like. Her mother, Olivia, has blackmailed her into investigating David, the eldest Spellman sibling, to find out if he is cheating on his new girlfriend. Olivia also does not like Izzie's new bartender boyfriend and has used the same blackmail to get Izzie to go out on I date a week with a lawyer or other professional.Rae, the youngest Spellman is obsessed with working a pro bono case for David's lawyer girlfriend Maggie and is blackmailing the school drug dealer to give her rides whenever she needs them. Rounding out the cast is Henry Stone, a 45 year old cop who reluctantly got sucked into this family 3 books ago and is Rae's best friend. Again, reluctantly.Oops, almost forgot Morty, Izzie's 85 year old best friend who lives in Miami but calls weekly to ask about her love life.my review: Again, I just love this series. Lutz is a very smart, funny, and sharp writer who has created beloved but crazy characters and several intertwined, hilarious mysteries.The only downfall is this may be the last book. I think there are endless stories to be made with this wacky family and I hope that was just a viscous rumor I heard.These books are better read in order, so if you are love humor and fun and great writing, I suggest you go out and buy The Spellman Files, Curse of the Spellmans, and, Revenge of the Spellmans asap. What a fantastic reading weekend you could have! But only if you like to enjoy things. Otherwise read one of the last 2 or 3 books I have reviewedmy rating 5/5
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book as much as I did the other three Spellman books. The author does a nice job of wrapping up a lot of lose ends while adding a bit of mystery at the same time. I'm happy with how everything turns out. I still like Izzie and would love to have her for a friend.
    • 4/5
      Lisa Lutz has a way with a story and all of the Spellman books are a source of smiles, laughs, chuckles, etc. Rather than describe an indescribable plot line, let's just say that Albert and Olivia Spellman (the parents), Isabel, David and Rae (the kids), Henry, Maggie, and Fred (the friends) and Harkney (the enemy) are all spying on each other. The story is convoluted, as Izzy tells it from middle to front to back. The antic are insane. The characters are even more insane. It's a family you'd love to get to know but you'd be looking over your shoulder the whole time.I always wonder how Lutz can continue the series and maintain the story and humor, but she always does.I think the Spellmans are better and funnier than Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Give it a try.
    • 5/5
      I'm going to start off by saying that I love books. I mean all types of books (maybe except for romance, but that's a whole other topic). Every once in a while you will read a book that will just be like nothing you ever read before. A book which you will herald as your favorite literary masterpiece. The types of books that when you tell your friends you read it, they will look at you in amazement and say "Wait, you didn't just read it, but you actually enjoyed it? You complete and utter freak!". The type of book in which you will hold onto until your dying day and when you are on your deathbed, your final words will be "Read this book, you philistine!" The Spellmans Strike Again, ladies and gentlemen....is not this book. But still it's pretty damn good. The thing about the Spellmans is that the whole family is insane. I'm talking about the kind of insane that can be temporarily certifiable. They take getting into your family's business to a whole other level and make it into an olympic sport. I learned all this from the first installment The Spellman Files (which you totally have to read before you read this one. It's in the footnotes...) which introduced me to the wonderful and brilliant (and okay, kinda trainwreck-ish) Isabel (Izzy) Spellman (and yeah, I guess her family, too). The Spellmans Strike Again is a mixture of a whole lot of things. It's part mystery, part romance, and mostly humor. But the reason which I've read this (and the previous installments) is because of the complete Spellman family. They're all wonderfully zany. They love each other, yes, but they also spy on each other, blackmail each other, and basically make each other's lives miserable with hilarious results. You will absolutely love Izzy Spellman. She's a bit of a mess in the previous novels, but in this one, we see her make an active attempt to evolve and mature a little bit (but not too much, we wouldn't want her to be a completely better person would we? No. She makes us feel better about ourselves) while trying to sort out the details of her life, her investigation, and her mother's incessant meddling. We see all of the other characters grow up and change a bit, too. Except for Rae, I don't think she'll ever change. As the Spellman saga finally ends, we get bittersweet closure. We welcome the characters new beginnings and cry over others end. Not only was I shedding tears for some storylines, but because this is the end of the Spellmans for us the readers. But it's okay, I've come to accept this (PLEASE NO!!!!) or at least come to terms with it a little better. If you've read the previous Spellman novels, then there is no doubt that you will love this one. It's a satisfying end. If you've never read any of the Spellman novels, then I suggest you start at the beginning and work your way towards the end (unless you're like Izzy and like to start stories in the middle). Sure, The Spellmans Strike Again isn't a literary masterpiece and you won't be able to brag to your friends about this amazing new novel that they have to read which will make them seem like they were deserving of that Ivy League reputation (they're just going to have to deal with their shortcomings. It sucks, but hey, that's life), instead you'll be able to tell them about this amazing new book that will make them laugh, cry (in the words of Lorelai Gilmore "mostly because you're laughing so hard"), and just enjoy it completely.
    • 4/5
      This is the fourth and final installment in the Spellman series, about a nosy and humorously dysfunctional family of private investigators in San Francisco. This time, there is less emphasis on the mystery and more emphasis on the family, Isabel's relationships, Morty, etc. - the human element. There was no real plot, so sometimes the book dragged. But I was pleased with the way things turned out.
    • 5/5
      In the 4th (and possibly last!) Spellman Files, Izzy is dating an Irish barkeep but mom Olivia is sure it won't last and blackmails her into dating random lawyers. Rae becomes obsessed with freeing a wrongly-accused man (Free Schmidt!). David tries to warn Maggie what she's in for if she plans to stay in a relationship with him. After dumping Izzy for being too immature, Henry now seeks her friendship. Morty is moving back from Florida, Al declares Sundays a family dinner night, doorknobs are disappearing - ah, life is just about right for the Spellman family. Crazy, inventive, fast-paced fun. Lutz could still finagle a sequel but, if this is the last, it's a fitting end to the series. Let's just hope she moves onto something equally entertaining.
    • 5/5
      In this fourth and final installment in the Spellman series, Izzy Spellman is right smack in the middle of some of her wackiest adventures yet. Because her mom still holds Prom Night 1994 over her she has to agree to go on 20 blind dates with a different lawyer each time. This is because her mom cannot stand her dating Connor, otherwise known as ex-boyfriend #12. Her best friend Morty calls weekly from Florida with nothing but gripes. One of her cases involves her hiring her good friend Len, to pose as a spy posing as a butler and this causes trouble for Len at home. Her sister Rae takes on a cause to "Free Schmidt" who she believes has been wrongly imprisoned and later Izzy takes up her own case of wrongful imprisonment. Hardware and light fixtures are disappearing daily from the Spellman home and last but not least Izzy is diligently working to catch the competition, the dishonest PI Rick Harkey, breaking the law or at a minimum something bad enough to get his PI license yanked.If you've read the previous three books in this series you'll know that this is nothing but business as usual for Izzy. As always, Izzy gets through her adventures while making me crack up on almost every page. Her family is just so wild and Lutz does such an awesome job with her character development that I could totally picture each and every one of them. Izzy is witty and always quick to deliver a snarky comment. Even though there seems to be a million different storylines it magically works into one great read that you should not miss. I can't tell you how much I love this series and was shocked to learn this was the end of it. I could totally see this one becoming a long running series that I would never tire of. I'm going to miss the Spellmans tremendously but the series was wrapped with a satisfying end and I'm sure that Lutz will follow this series with something just as good.
    • 5/5
      The banter is laugh-out-loud funny!! I couldn't put it down. Visiting with the Spellmans is so much fun that I finish one book and want more, more, more!
    • 4/5
      Cute book in a very good series. Love the way the author writes -- a great blend of irreverance and wit. My kind of book.
    • 4/5
      The fourth (and last?) of the Spellman series about a family of private investigators in San Franscisco. In this book, David (oldest child, only son, straight-laced lawyer) is unemployed, uncharacteristically not looking for another job, and involved in a romantic relationship with another attorney whom the family adores. Yet, Mom has seen another woman sneeking around his house and directs Izzy to investigate and discover who she is. Isabel (Izzy) is the middle child, 32 years old, single but dating a bartender whom her parents do not like, has been officially designated heir to the family business, and has signed a contract with her parents giving her more authority and better pay and benefits. She is upset at her Mother's insistence on playing all the old family games when she uses Izzy's embarrassing, and heretofore secret, high school prom photo as leverage to force her to spy on her brother, and also to begin dating other men - lawyers to be chosen by her mother and seen at the rate of 1 every two weeks. Rae, the youngest and still in high school, may finally have gone too far with her pranks and ends up being arrested after a particularly outrageous stunt directed at Izzy, thus ruining her chances of being accepted by an Ivy League college. But the real mystery is what Mom and Dad are really up to, when they decree that none of the children are permitted to be in the house on Wednesdays and even Rae must go to stay with David or Izzy one night each week, and bits and pieces of household hardware - especially doorknobs - begin to go missing throughout the house.I saw a comment someplace that gave me the impression that this was the "last" - as opposed to the "latest" - book in the series. As much as I've enjoyed it, I think this is a good thing. The outrageous silliness of the first two books would not be possible to sustain without becoming tedious. In the third book, I was pleased to see that Izzy was maturing and becoming willing to settle down to a more conventional life. In this book, that desire becomes even stronger in her. And, in fact, this book does end rather finally - with many loose ends being wrapped up. I hope that if Lutz is tempted to write another Spellman book in the future, that she writes it straight - not attempting to inject humor on every page. Isabel Spellman could be a wonderfully complex central character for a much longer future series. I thought this book was the best of the series but please read them in order for the best effect.
    • 5/5
      Picking up on a thread of story from her third Spellman book, Lutz has Isabel Spellman preparing to take over the reins of the family detective agency from her parents. However, nothing is that easy in this family and odd disturbances are taking place within their home/workplace while Izzy figures out how to take down their nemesis, another PI named Harkey. Rae, always clever, comes pretty close to crossing the line in this story and is on a new crusade to free innocent prisoners. David is happily dating Henry Stone's former girlfriend, Maggie. The parental units are enjoying Lost Wednesdays and one wonders if Connor, boyfriend #12 can make it to husband #1 for Izzy. If this is truly the finale, I think the Spellmans are going to make it. I'm sure almost every review on here will mention all three previous "documents" are now available in paperback! Summer is coming, take the Spellmans to the beach or cabin, you won't be sorry.
    • 3/5
      The Spellmans are at it again. Same book as the first. Check your brain at the door when you start, because it will be mush when you finish. Sorry....
    • 4/5
      Despite there not being one main mystery in this book, I thought this was one of the better books in the series. Isabel is growing up a bit (better late than never), and she’s discovering that there are lines that even she will no longer cross. I was particularly amused by the storyline with Isabel’s friend pretending to be a personal valet and discovering that he enjoyed it a bit too much, even if I could never remember what she was actually investigating. The dynamics are shifting in the Spellman family, and I’m curious to see where things go next.I do think the author is a little too enamored with her footnotes. It seems like the longer the series continues, the more unnecessary they are. Perhaps I just found them a little too annoying while reading it electronically.This is a series you definitely need to read in order. But it’s worth it.
    • 5/5
      I love this entire series. It is laugh out loud funny and you come to care about the characters.
    • 4/5
      Readers who enjoyed the first three books in the Spellman series, will be pleased with this newest installment. The comedic series features the Spellmans, a dysfunctional family of private investigators. The Spellmans' adventures are best read in order, since storylines develop throughout the series. I recommend this series for fans of comedic novels. Laugh out loud funny at times:)
    • 4/5
      Christina Moore does a fantastic job narrating this series of smart, funny, and utterly unpretentious stories about Izzy Spellman, who "grew up" helping out in the family P.I. business, rebelling all the while, and has a checkered past, an extremely unusual family, an odd assortment of friends, and a long string of ex-boyfriends.Here, in the fourth book, Izzy is 32 years old and her annoying little sister Rae is 17; both of them finally do some maturing over the course of the story.Recommend these to anyone who likes the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich (these are funnier) or the Sookie Stackhouse series (minus the sex scenes).
    • 3/5
      While enjoyable, I just didn't feel that this novel was as amazing as the previous three. I like the family, I like the style that the books are written in, I just didn't enjoy it as much.
    • 5/5
      I always love a good Spellman Files book and this one was no exception. Lutz’ series is like nothing I’ve ever read before and it’s quite an indulgence. Couldnotputitdown. Quite possibly her best one yet!
    • 5/5
      This is the fourth and final book in Lutz's series starring Izzy Spellman and her eccentric family of private investigators. It's excellent, probably my favorite since the first one (The Spellman Files), with a great mix of wacky hijinks and real, subtle emotion that was often lacking in the middle books. I will definitely miss the Spellmans, but I can't wait to see what Lutz does next. Four and a half stars.
    • 5/5
      I loved the first book in this series, The Spellman Files, books two and three were good, but not great by any means. I wasn't expecting too much from The Spellmans Strike Again, I was just hoping to like it enough to finish it. Surprisingly I love it as much as the first. I spent many moments laughing out loud while reading about Izzy and her unorthodox family. The Spellmans are up to there usual blackmailing, and shenanigans in the 4th installment of the Spellmans Series. I don't read the series for the mysteries obviously, since I think they are secondary to the characters. The mysteries are usually not so mysterious, and not quite page turning. The lengths the Spellmans take when trying to solve these mysteries is what make this series so successful. Izzy trying to take down competitor Rick Harvey has been happening since book 1, if I remember correctly, and it is a big part of this book as well. Also, the family start implementing family rules that had me laughing. Some of these rules are quite odd, but of course for the Spellmans they are very much needed. All the original characters are back for this book, and they are kookier than ever. Izzy is now 32 but is still lacking the maturity her mother and countless others think she should have. She is still having man problems, and her mom thinks she knows what Izzy needs, and she will do whatever it takes to get Izzy going in the direction she thinks she should, even if it takes blackmailing. Rae is on mission to save a wrongfully imprisoned man, and is going through whatever lengths to get people to help with her new cause.
    • 4/5
      The Spellmans, those daft private investigators, are at it again. Lisa Lutz does a find job of keeping this series sweet and fresh. Mom intereferes, Rae is a pest, Izzy is put upon, but it all works. It reads as though this might be the last of the series, and if so, I admire Lutz for not dragging out the series. Maybe she'll spin off Izzy and Henry can be spun off into a Nick and Nora type series.
    • 5/5
      The Spellmans are hilarious. You cann't help but laugh out loud. My favorite line was "If you care to elaborate, I will reply appropriately." If there is no more books planned for the series I think it ended nicely. But I hope there is more of the Spellman antics to read in the near future.
    • 5/5
      I have to say this book was probably my favourite of the series. There were parts of the last book that made me feel really bad for Izzy, but they seemed to have been just what she needed to grow up. Always slightly immature, she's definitely taking steps toward adulthood in this book. There's a lot of development in Izzy (and in everybody really). Everybody seems to be realizing exactly what they need.This is a great book. You'll laugh (a lot), you'll cry (a little), but you'll definitely be looking forward to the next book in the series
    • 5/5
      Couldn't put it down. I thought that the third Spellman book drug a little, but this one absolutely made up for it. Read it now!