Book Review: Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Trail of the Spellmans
The Spellmans #5
Author: Lisa Lutz
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Released: February 28th 2012
Review Source: Simon & Schuster
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) 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.

This is my first book from the series, happy to find that is has sense of humor mixed with seriousness and mystery. This is a family of Private Investigators with a share of mystery and feuds amongst themselves personally and within their cases. Izzie, one of the siblings, finds that some of the new cases that they have undertaken, intertwine in funny and strange ways creating a wall between the family members to protect each of their separate clients. This promotes very creative ways around the obstacles to find the solution of the mysteries and avoid each other .

The family life in it self is a story of a very dysfunctionally funny group with some serious growing pains from all the siblings. Each of the family has personal agendas that need to be taken care of in this installment and gives hints of more to come in the life of the Spellman.

A very fresh, funny and with enough hint of seriousness plot to make the story enjoyable to read. Reading the previous books would give you a better familiarity with the characters, but it is not necessary to enjoy reading this installment of the series.