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The Spellmans are one of the most unconventional dysfunctional families ever in a book, and they are hilarious. They are outrageous and over the top and have very peculiar ways of showing love. This delightful book is really, really funny, if you have a weird sense of humor, which I guess I do. It is interesting that what I’d consider disturbing and child abuse in real life can, in a book, cause me to feel affection for all of the characters and send me into frequent peals of laughter.
The friend ...more
The friend ...more
Newsflash: boring title conceals highly entertaining book!!! Thanks to Amy for giving it a rave review and piquing my interest :-)
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I started out loving this book, but then ... not so much. It begins with lots of really fun character set-up, then there is a whiff of a plot, then there is more set-up, and then ... more set-up and more set-up. Finally there is a plot! The mystery was mildly interesting, but by that point I pretty much hated everyone in the book. There is dysfunctional and then ther ...more
*
I started out loving this book, but then ... not so much. It begins with lots of really fun character set-up, then there is a whiff of a plot, then there is more set-up, and then ... more set-up and more set-up. Finally there is a plot! The mystery was mildly interesting, but by that point I pretty much hated everyone in the book. There is dysfunctional and then ther ...more
Very entertaining. Got stuck a bit towards the end, but just when I was getting fed up, we finally got unstuck.
I enjoy the family dynamic and the way the characters recognize that they just aren't like other people - and they actually AREN'T. It isn't that they're quirky in socially-acceptable ways the way so many of your "we're so different" characters are (hi, Manic Pixie Dream Girls, hi!!!), it's that they're actually different. They're not bouncing on trampolines at 3 a.m., they're lurking o ...more
I enjoy the family dynamic and the way the characters recognize that they just aren't like other people - and they actually AREN'T. It isn't that they're quirky in socially-acceptable ways the way so many of your "we're so different" characters are (hi, Manic Pixie Dream Girls, hi!!!), it's that they're actually different. They're not bouncing on trampolines at 3 a.m., they're lurking o ...more
4.5. Reading this book inspired me to brush up on my negotiation skills. I decided I wanted a bite of Adam's ding dong (not a euphemism), but only a bite from the middle, which is obviously the best part. When he returned from the kitchen with his confection, I said I wanted a ding dong. He refused. I threatened to eat the last ding dong, but offered to compromise by "only" having a middle bite from the one he was holding.
After some grumbling, I won.
Isabel Spellman is my delinquent soulmate, alt ...more
After some grumbling, I won.
Isabel Spellman is my delinquent soulmate, alt ...more
An average book, a lot of mediocre writing. However, if you want a detective novel that has a (somewhat) clever plotline, you can blaze through this book one weekend when you are really bored...
This was lots of fun. The family business is a private investigation firm - the dilemma: if you have been raised going on stakeouts and your parents do background checks on your boyfriends, how do you live a normal life? Do you even know what that means? Very funny, with some serious undertones to save it from being fluff. I'll look forward to Lutz's next book. Adult fiction.
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FINALLY finished this... the length of time it took is no reflection on how much I enjoyed it. ( I only read it for a few minutes each day during my lunch breaks). I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was funny and the characters were engaging and so multi-layered. The Spellmans make my family look normal! I am excited to read the next book.
Good first book. The middle section did get a little slow but the humor and overall plot kept me going
This came to me highly recommended by a coworker. It's a quick, very funny read about a seriously dysfunctional family of private detectives. A must read for fans of quirky detectives or off-beat mysteries. I'm pretty sure that this is the start of a series, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
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Interesting. Don’t know what I expected. I kind of want to hear more stories from this family.
Aug 28, 2009
Melissa Rochelle
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-suspense,
humor
Laugh out loud funny...if you like Stephanie Plum, give Isabel Spellman a chance!
Quirky but enjoyable.
Apr 28, 2009
Liz
marked it as to-read
Aug 30, 2009
dirt
marked it as to-read
Apr 17, 2010
Jen
marked it as to-read
Mar 06, 2012
Gina
marked it as to-read
Feb 18, 2017
Cristella
marked it as to-read
