"The Spellmans Strike Again:

"The Spellmans Strike Again" is a novel by Lisa Lutz - the 4th book in her tales of the Spellman family who run a private investigation firm (except for the oldest, David, who is 35 and currently an unemployed attorney).

I'm almost positive I have read this book before but was unable to search my own blog site to be sure.  However, it has been long enough ago that, if I have, I had forgotten most of it so I probably should have started with the first book in the series and read them all over again!

Izzy (Isabel) Spellman is 32 and taking over Spellman Investigations from her parents who wish to retire.  Her current boyfriend, Connor, is an Irish bartender who is likely to become Ex-boyfriend #12.

Her major case is investigating a missing person from an aging millionaire's home and she persuades her actor friend, Len, to work there undercover replacing the missing butler until she can figure out what is going on.  However, this arrangement doesn't sit well with his partner when Len adopts a British accent that appears to be on the brink of becoming permanent.

Izzy's heart, however, is set on digging up dirt on a competitive firm owned by an ex-cop, Rick Harvey, who she believes is conducting his business in an unscrupulous manner.

At home (also known as the Spellman Headquarters) items seem to be disappearing throughout the house -- door knobs, light fixtures, etc -- but Izzy's parents don't seem to think it is odd.

Izzy's younger sister, Rae, is helping out David's girlfriend, Maggie, in her legal office and has decided they all need to work on getting a man out of jail that she believes innocent based on her research in Maggie's file room.  (Izzy also discovers Rae has a boyfriend, Fred, who quickly becomes a family favorite.)

Izzy's friend and lawyer, Morty, (in his 80's) is calling her regularly from Florida where he and his wife, Ruthie, retired and he says he has a plan to return to San Francisco.  Her landlord continues to show up unexpectedly in her flat when he and is wife are fighting --  causing a scene with Connor.

Henry, the policeman who helped them investigate Rae's disappearance in another book, is still on the scene as Rae's friend and wants Izzy to practice her friendship skills, too, by being his friend. (Interpersonal skills aren't Izzy's strong suit so Henry has his job cut out for him.)

Reading a Spellman book has always been a treat -- they're fun and full of surprises.  I'm already looking for the next one in the series, "Trail of the Spellmans."  pazt