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mehitabels's review against another edition
4.0
such a wonderful surprise to read a mystery that isn't so much about the mystery as the randomly crazy family of PI's trying to solve it.
amibunk's review against another edition
5.0
This book is practically perfect. I loved the dialogue, the flawed-but-endearing characters, the book's organization, and the comical footnotes. Seriously well done and incredibly entertaining.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Why has Izzy Spellman been arrested four times in one month? Why is her mother leaving the house at all hours of the night to vandalize a stranger's motor bike? What is her father up to? Who is the mysterious neighbor John Brown? And who is recreating the string of vandalism Izzy is alleged to have perpetrated during her youth? All these questions and more will be answered in Curse of the Spellmans!
When you enjoy the hell out of the first book in a series, the second book is a risky proposition, like bungee jumping, hitchhiking, or eating at White Castle with a gallon of beer already sloshing around in your innards. Fortunately, my apprehension was unfounded. Curse of the Spellmans is a worth second book.
Much like the last book, Curse of the Spellmans is a hilarious tale of a dysfunctional family and the gross invasions of privacy they perpetrate on one another in the name of love. There's also a number of mysteries but the Spellmans and their supporting cast drive the tale.
Told in a manner similar to the first book, Curse of the Spellman's isn't a linear tale. It starts near the middle, backtracks to the beginning, and then eventually makes it to the end.
Detective Henry Stone is a prominent part of the cast since Rae latched on to him in the first book. He's also my third favorite character, right after Izzy and Rae. I already had a high opinion of him but the Doctor Who marathon clinched it, even though he prefers the ninth Doctor to the tenth.
Izzy, despite her legion of flaws, is quickly winning me over. Raised in a family of investigators, she doesn't really know how to do anything else and conducts her personal life like one of her P.I. assignments.
I think Lisa Lutz's greatness comes from being able to juggle funny moments with more serious ones and still make the book work without it becoming ridiculous. A good humorous mystery is hard to come by, in my opinion, but Lutz has consistently delivered the goods so far.
I really have no gripes about this book. There's the minor quibble about there being less of a sense of discovery but it's the second book in the series. Unless the Spellmans were going to adopt a cute kid to bring new life into the series, there wasn't a lot more to unveil.
Four out of five stars. I'll be reading the rest of this series at some point.
When you enjoy the hell out of the first book in a series, the second book is a risky proposition, like bungee jumping, hitchhiking, or eating at White Castle with a gallon of beer already sloshing around in your innards. Fortunately, my apprehension was unfounded. Curse of the Spellmans is a worth second book.
Much like the last book, Curse of the Spellmans is a hilarious tale of a dysfunctional family and the gross invasions of privacy they perpetrate on one another in the name of love. There's also a number of mysteries but the Spellmans and their supporting cast drive the tale.
Told in a manner similar to the first book, Curse of the Spellman's isn't a linear tale. It starts near the middle, backtracks to the beginning, and then eventually makes it to the end.
Detective Henry Stone is a prominent part of the cast since Rae latched on to him in the first book. He's also my third favorite character, right after Izzy and Rae. I already had a high opinion of him but the Doctor Who marathon clinched it, even though he prefers the ninth Doctor to the tenth.
Izzy, despite her legion of flaws, is quickly winning me over. Raised in a family of investigators, she doesn't really know how to do anything else and conducts her personal life like one of her P.I. assignments.
I think Lisa Lutz's greatness comes from being able to juggle funny moments with more serious ones and still make the book work without it becoming ridiculous. A good humorous mystery is hard to come by, in my opinion, but Lutz has consistently delivered the goods so far.
I really have no gripes about this book. There's the minor quibble about there being less of a sense of discovery but it's the second book in the series. Unless the Spellmans were going to adopt a cute kid to bring new life into the series, there wasn't a lot more to unveil.
Four out of five stars. I'll be reading the rest of this series at some point.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
This was a different type of reading experience in that it dependents on my current mood of reading how I was going to enjoy reading it. It's definitely has it charms but if your not in the right mindset for the humour it get borderline ridiculous bit if I was in the right mindset I loved the more quirky plot and characters. Overall I enjoyed it a lot and is intrigued to see what going to happen next
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, thanks to Good Reads for this book. It took me way too long to read this, but I appreciate the gift. I already have talked to lots of people about the first book in the series - now I can talk about the second one also.
I obviously enjoyed this book - it took me only two days to read it. I am glad to become reacquainted with the folks in these novels. Izzy Spellman and her family are some of the more unusual characters I have met in fiction. Once again, I felt like the mystery was a vehicle for Spellman antics. It was not much of a mystery, but that is okay with me.
It was interesting to read the book rather than listen. I know that the book went faster, but I think I will listen to the third volume. I really like the reader, Christina Moore, I feel she added something to the book.
I recommend this book to those fiction readers who like humorous books whether they read mysteries or not; to mystery readers who don't like a lot of violence in their books; to young adults who want a break from all the heartbreak that often appears in YA novels and to anyone who enjoys family dynamics that might be a bit screwed up.
I obviously enjoyed this book - it took me only two days to read it. I am glad to become reacquainted with the folks in these novels. Izzy Spellman and her family are some of the more unusual characters I have met in fiction. Once again, I felt like the mystery was a vehicle for Spellman antics. It was not much of a mystery, but that is okay with me.
It was interesting to read the book rather than listen. I know that the book went faster, but I think I will listen to the third volume. I really like the reader, Christina Moore, I feel she added something to the book.
I recommend this book to those fiction readers who like humorous books whether they read mysteries or not; to mystery readers who don't like a lot of violence in their books; to young adults who want a break from all the heartbreak that often appears in YA novels and to anyone who enjoys family dynamics that might be a bit screwed up.
medium_dave's review against another edition
3.0
I really like the Spellman books, but I'm thinking maybe more than one read reveals some stuff that lowers the awesome factor.
xvicesx's review against another edition
4.0
Not surprisingly, just as good as the first book. Again, the style of writing is non-linear, more like a conversation where you're listening to a friend's story than the typical novel narrative, but Izzy is so likable a character that it's easy to think of her as that quirky friend that you always make excuses for.