Lisa Lutz and the zany Spellman clan are back with Curse of the Spellmans: A Novel. The P.I. family, particularly protagonist Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, is refreshing and laugh out loud funny.

When the book begins, Izzy is being arrested for the fourth time in a month. She gradually reveals the backstory - she has been investigating her suspicious neighbor, John Brown, despite the discouragement from the "parental unit." But Izzy has prevailed, using her teen sister Rae as a sidekick. Unfortunately, Izzy's also been caught spying and tailing Brown, leading to her recent overdose of arrests.

Meanwhile, a copy cat vandal is on the prowl in the Spellman's neighborhood, and the crimes being copied were done by none other than Izzy during her wayward youth. Izzy's partner in crime was her best friend Petra, a former wild child herself who somehow wound up marrying Izzy's straightlaced lawyer brother. But then Petra disappears and Izzy isn't sure what to think.

Also, Rae has befriended/latched on to cop Harry Stone, a nice, normal guy who is nothing like the Spellman family. Somehow the junk food loving teen and the neat freak police officer have come to some sort of understanding, and Stone even influences Rae for the better. But it is really Izzy and Stone who readers want to see together.

Curse of the Spellmans: A Novel is a fun romp with a seriously dysfunctional yet loving family who is not above putting GPS tracking devices on each others cars and spying on one another. Lutz's writing style is a perfect fit; she uses footnotes, lists, memos and even an appendix to relay her story. Fans of the original novel, The Spellman Files, should not be disappointed by the return of the comedic family and more of their hilarious escapades.

- Ashley