Rent Curse of the Spellmans

Synopsis

The side-splitting followup to the S&S house favorite and national bestseller, The Spellman Files! The story in Curse of the Spellmans picks up two years after the events of The Spellman Files and some things haven't changed at all: the atmosphere in the Spellman family is still an electric constant blend of suspicion, negotiation, and unconditional (and unique) Spellman-love. But other things have changed dramatically--Mom and Dad are actually taking vacations ('disappearances' in Spellman-speak); David's married to Izzy's best friend Petra; Rae's going through some typical teenage angst (though her friendship [obsession?] with Inspector Henry Stone underscores the fact she's not truly a typical teen]; and Izzy's been arrested (again)....

Curse of the Spellmans opens with Izzy's fourth arrest (she claims it's her second) and quickly backtracks through the hilarious events that landed her in the clink. As Izzy pleads her case with her octogenarian lawyer Morty (who is seriously concerned about her PI license being revoked), listeners are treated to a number of overlapping and unbelievably funny storylines, including Izzy's conviction that her next door neighbor is not who he says he is, potentially undertaking dangerous criminal behavior (yes he's her ex-boyfriend and yes she tried to break into his home multiple times (after breaking into his closet proved impossible)); her assignment to root out a copycat criminal whose vandalization of Mrs. Chandler's holiday lawn dioramas echoes exactly a series of similar vandalizations from 1991-2 (ahem, Izzy and Petra know nothing about this); and a folder growing thick with Suspicious Behavior Reports on various family members (Dad with wet hair in the middle of the day; Mom undertaking some nighttime sabatoge of her own; David drinking before noon; and Rae talking on the phone to kids her own age...??).

Oh, and don't forget Izzy's engagement.

As in The Spellman Files, Lisa Lutz expertly takes us back in time, through Izzy Spellman's inimitable point of view, to try to explain the present [suspicious behavior] and to attempt to solve those cases Izzy's been assigned -- and those she considers labors of love.

View descriptions at Amazon.com