Revenge of the Spellmans (The Spellmans #3) – Lisa Lutz

While on a self-imposed sabbatical from detective work, Izzy Spellman is approached by a man with a simple job offer – he wants to know if his wife is having an affair.  Although Izzy agrees to take the job, it becomes the least of her worries.  As always, there is something fishy going on with the Spellman family and Izzy is determined to unearth everyone’s secrets yet again.

I cannot stress enough how enjoyable Lisa Lutz’ Spellman novels have been so far.  They’re light and breezy but surprisingly complex when it comes to their central mysteries.  It takes a hell of an author to be able to do that especially while doing such great character work.  It’s only the third book in the series and I feel like I know this family (although, I’m glad I’m not a member as I’d never have an inch of privacy).

I’ve grown to really enjoy the supporting cast that dip in and out of Izzy’s life and all of her interactions with each person feel real and authentic.  Lutz took great care to build a plethora of plausible players for the Spellmans to interact with over the course of each book so it’s nice to see one or two from prior novels pop in every now and then.  I can’t get enough of Lizzy’s best friend and octogenarian lawyer Morty.

I’m not going to lie, the will-they-or-won’t-they romance between Izzy and Henry has me rooting for the two to finally get together.  It’s similar to how I felt with Niles and Daphne in my recent Frasier binge.  Given that I still have three books to go, I wonder if Lutz will eventually put them together or if it’s wise to keep them separate given their clashing personalities.

I’ve said it before, this series is destined for a great television show.  FOX nabbed the rights last August but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unlikely to move forward anytime soon.  Revenge of The Spellmans continues in the right direction of great reads that the series has been producing up to this point.