In Document #4 of the Edgar-nominated series detailing an outrageously funny family of detectives, former wild child and private investigator Izzy Spellman finally agrees to take over the family business. But the transition won’t be a smooth one…

First among her priorities as head of Spellman Investigations is to dig up some dirt on the competition, slippery ex-cop Rick Harkey—a task she may enjoy a little too much. Next, faced with a baffling missing-persons case at the home of an aging millionaire, Izzy hires an actor friend, Len, to infiltrate the mansion as an undercover butler—a role he may enjoy a little too much.

Meanwhile, Izzy is being blackmailed by her mother (photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994) to commit to regular blind dates with promising professionals—an arrangement that doesn’t thrill Connor, an Irish bartender on the brink of becoming ex-boyfriend number twelve.

At Spellman headquarters, it’s business as unusual. Doorknobs and light fixtures are disappearing every day, Mom’s been spotted crying in the pantry, and a series of increasingly demanding Spellman Rules (Rule #27: No Speaking Today) can’t quite hold the family together. Izzy also has to decipher weekly “phone calls from the edge” from her octogenarian lawyer, Morty, as well as Detective Henry Stone’s mysterious interest in rekindling their relationsh...well, whatever it was.

Just when it looks like things can’t go more haywire, little sister Rae’s internship researching pro bono legal cases leads the youngest Spellman to launch a grassroots campaign that could spring an innocent man from jail—or land Rae in it.

The Spellmans Strike Again is hands down the most hilarious, thrilling, and moving book in this bestselling, award-nominated series. And it proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Isabel Spellman, no matter how much she matures, will never be able to follow Rule #1: Act Normal.

Excerpt

The Spellmans Strike Again FAMILY CAMPING TRIP #2
Why???? we all asked when my father broke the news. A family disappearance/corporate retreat/camping trip all rolled up into one. Surely it was a bad idea, I suggested. The sentiment was reaffirmed by Rae with her constant references to the Donner Party and repeated inquiries as to which one of the Spellmans plus guest would most likely be consumed first (should it come to that). The third time this particular line of inquiry rolled around, my mother sent Rae to her room.

• • •

If all of this is confusing you, perhaps I should give you a quick refresher course on the Spellmans. Although I highly recommend reading the first three documents 1 if you want a true understanding of what is really going on here.

My father is Albert Spellman, a onetime cop turned private investigator who really likes lunch. He is happily married to Olivia Spellman, my mother and co-owner of Spellman Investigations. Mom is an extremely attractive woman—although lately people have been adding the disclaimer “for her age,” which has started to get under her skin. Other than my mom’s mild vanity, her most obscene characteristic is that she seems to think meddling in her children’s lives is an Olympic event. Her training regimen is positively brutal.

Albert and Olivia have three children. The oldest is my brother, David, thirty-four: Formerly a poster boy for the all-American corporate male, currently an out-of-work human being. I’m the middle child. Isabel, thirty-two, if you didn’t catch it already. My MO from fifth grade until my midtwenties was that of the problem child. The “student” the principal knew by name, the neighbors feared, and the pot dealers counted on to stay afloat. Also, in the interest of honesty, there were a few arrests thrown into the mix—two (or four, depending on how you’re counting) as recently as two years ago, which I guess means that I can’t argue that my problem years were confined to my youth or even my twenties. But it’s important to note that I’ve come a long way. Therapy helped, and I’m big enough to admit it was court ordered.

About six months ago, after years of doubt about my future with Spellman Investigations, I committed to the job completely and agreed to slowly begin taking over the business from my parents so they can retire and learn to do macramé 2 or something. My father likes to say the seeds of adulthood have been planted. He’s just waiting for them to take.

There’s only one other Spellman to speak of—Rae—and I’ll mostly let her speak for herself because you might not believe me otherwise.

I suppose the most defining characteristic of my family is that we take our work home with us. If your family’s job is investigating other people, you inevitably investigate each other. This single trait has been our primary point of conflict for most of my life.

Finally, to round out the players on this unfortunate camping trip, I should mention Maggie. Maggie Mason, girlfriend to brother David. Maggie is a defense attorney who used to date Henry Stone (that’s a whole other story I don’t really want to get into right now, okay?), who happens to be the “best friend”3 of my now seventeen-year-old sister, the briefly aforementioned Rae. Henry is a forty-five-year-old police inspector and Rae is a senior in high school. They’re an unlikely duo. Rae met Henry when she was fourteen and I guess she decided that they were kindred spirits. However, on the surface (and beneath the surface) they have nothing in common. At the start, Henry endured Rae. Then he got used to her. Then, when Henry was dating Maggie and Rae went to supernatural lengths to sabotage their relationship, Henry cut Rae off completely. Now they have found peace. At least that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t get involved anymore.

After Maggie and Henry broke up, over half of the Spellman clan vetted Maggie and determined that she was a quality human, the kind of person that the Spellman circle sorely needed. After an appropriate amount of time passed, the matchmaking plans for Maggie and David were successfully enacted. The couple had only been together about two months at the point of this camping trip, but since Maggie is the only person we know who can make fire from a flint, can pitch a tent, can use a compass, and actually owns bear spray, we thought it wise for our own personal safety to bring her along. That and David refused to come unless she accompanied him.

Now picture me in the predawn hours, in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the Russian River, in the middle of nowhere, sharing a tent with my much younger sister, Rae, who had spent the past two days either trying to get cell phone reception, complaining about the mosquitoes, or “sleeping,” during which time she carried on lengthy conversations about . . . well, honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I caught phrases like “I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” “Not in this lifetime,” and “You’ll find the treasure at the bottom of the gorge.” I might have been able to sleep through her babbling if she weren’t a nighttime thrasher and kicker. And so, once again, there I was, sleep deprived, trapped with family, waiting for the nightmare to come to an end. My life in a nutshell.

On the morning before our return-home date, I gave up on sleep, knowing that this was my last full day in the wild. When I exited my tent, my father was trying to make coffee and failing miserably. He appeared glad for company since my mother was still slumbering in their tent.

“What am I doing wrong?” he asked.

“Strong-arming your family into a cruel and unnecessary nature excursion,” I suggested.

“No,” Dad replied. “What am I doing wrong with the coffee?”

“You don’t stick the coffee in the pot and boil it with the water, Dad. Are you brain-dead? You just boil the water first and use the French press Maggie brought. Weren’t you watching her yesterday?” I replied with too much hostility.

My father tried to lighten the mood with the only joke he had in his arsenal this weekend.

“Why don’t you take a hike?” he said for about the thirtieth time.

“I’m going to dig a grave for that line and you’re going to bury it, Dad. I swear to you, if you say it one more time—”

“Maggie!” Dad shouted with way too much enthusiasm for waking hours. “Thank God you’re awake.”

Maggie smiled, approached the campfire, and took over the coffee making. Already the morning had improved. But the purpose of the trip had not yet been realized, and eventually we had to accept that this wasn’t simply a bonding experience for the Spellmans and friend, but something even more bizarre.

I should mention that no Spellman child had gone AWOL or refused to participate in the excursion since “business” was not to take place until the final day and, frankly, we all wanted our voice to be heard, even if it was heard above the buzz of mosquitoes. Also, I should mention that my parents said they would refuse to give a raise to anyone who didn’t participate in this bonding exercise. As for David, he was only there because he thought Maggie needed more quality time with the family, as a kind of cautionary lesson.

I suppose it’s time we get to business.
The First Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Spellman Investigations, Inc.
[The minutes read as follows:]

ALBERT: Here, here. I call this meeting to order. Are all ye present?

DAVID: Dad, we’re not in old England. These are just shareholders’ minutes. State the date, the location, and the parties present.

OLIVIA: Isabel, are you recording?

ISABEL: Yes. And I’d like to put on record that we could have had this meeting in the comfort of our own home.

OLIVIA: Rae, what are you doing?

RAE: Making s’mores.

OLIVIA: It’s ten A.M., sweetie.

RAE: What’s your point?

OLIVIA: S’mores are not breakfast food.

ALBERT: Excuse me, I’m trying to have a meeting here.

RAE: Who’s stopping you?

ISABEL: Put the skewer down, Rae.

RAE: This is seriously the most torturous experience of my life.

ALBERT: Hello? Do I need to drag out the cowbell?

DAVID: Dad, if you do, I’m walking right now.

ALBERT: David, your presence here is necessary. I need you to draw up the minutes.

DAVID: You are aware of the fact that many small companies have minutes created without a meeting.

RAE: Oh my god, now you tell us!

ALBERT: We have actual business to conduct.

DAVID: Dad, you wanted a family vacation and used the threat of business to make it happen by refusing to give a raise to anyone who didn’t attend. You got your camping trip. Why don’t you just make your announcements, we’ll go for one last hike, and then we can get out of here.

ISABEL: I second that motion.

OLIVIA: Stop scratching, Rae! You’ll get scars.

RAE: Why haven’t we rid the planet of mosquitoes yet? If we can practically wipe out the ozone layer, I don’t see why these tiny bloodsuckers can’t be systematically destroyed.

MAGGIE: Put some calamine lotion on and then wait a minute or two. You should be fine.

ISABEL: Can we start the meeting already?

ALBERT: That’s what I’m trying to do.

OLIVIA: Who’s stopping you?

ALBERT: Quiet. Okay. Where was I? Okay, I call to order the first annual shareholders’ meeting of Spellman Investigations, Incorporated. Now what, David?

DAVID: We have already discussed the basic issues. On paper, Isabel is now vice president and owns 25 percent of the company. However, for the next few years Isabel, Mom, and Dad will run the firm together and will take a three-way vote if there are any disputes.

ISABEL: I know how that vote will turn out.

ALBERT: I don’t always agree with your mother, Isabel.

ISABEL: Right.

RAE: Let’s get to the whole reason we’re here. What’s our cost-of-living increase?

ISABEL: I should point out, Rae, that you don’t even pay for your cost of living.

OLIVIA: Let’s just go over our plans for the year, Al. We don’t need to drag this out any more than we have.

ALBERT: Oh, so now you’re turning on me too?

ISABEL: I would really like this “meeting”4 to begin so that it can eventually end.

DAVID: Here, here.

ALBERT: I thought you told me not to use that language.

RAE: I’m going to kill myself.

DAVID: Maggie, please step in.

[MAGGIE gets to her feet in front of the campfire and takes control of the room, so to speak.]

MAGGIE: What’s the first order of business?

ALBERT: We’ve started a retirement fund for Isabel and she gets a 5 percent salary increase. Same for Rae.

ISABEL: That’s not fair. I’m more important than Rae.

RAE: Excuse me?

OLIVIA: Rae’s entire raise will go into her college fund.

RAE: I quit.

MAGGIE: Next order of business.

ISABEL: I’d like my mother to stop harassing my boyfriend.

OLIVIA: I haven’t harassed him. I checked on his immigration status and I pay him a visit every now and again and ask him what’s he’s been up to.

ISABEL: Can you just leave him alone?

[Long pause while mother pretends to be concocting a plan she has already concocted.]

OLIVIA: I’ll make you a deal. Go on a blind date with a lawyer once a week and I will pretend that Connor does not exist.

ISABEL: Mom, that’s ridiculous.

DAVID: Yeah, Mom, that’s kind of weird.

OLIVIA: Once every other week.

ISABEL: I said no.

ALBERT: Once a fortnight.

OLIVIA: Al, quiet. Isabel, I really think you should accept my offer.

ISABEL: Why do you hate him so much?

MAGGIE: Next order of business.

OLIVIA: Sorry, Maggie. I don’t believe Isabel and I were through with our negotiations.

ISABEL: We were through.

OLIVIA: Every other week, I’d like you to go on a date with a lawyer or another professional. Then I’ll leave your boyfriend alone.

ISABEL: I think Connor would have more of an issue with me dating other men than with you harassing him. If that’s how you want to use your time, I guess I can’t stop you.

OLIVIA: Do you remember Prom Night 1994?

[Dead silence.]

ISABEL: What are you getting at?

OLIVIA: I have pictures of you in that green dress with the puff sleeves and the tulle petticoat. The one Grammy Spellman made you wear.

ISABEL: Why don’t we talk about this later?

OLIVIA: Great. Then we can iron out the details.

DAVID: Fifty bucks.

ALBERT: Seventy-five.

RAE: Eighty.

ISABEL: What are you guys going on about?

DAVID: We’re bidding on those prom pictures. How come I’ve never seen them?

OLIVIA: That’s enough, everyone. Let’s get back to the meeting. Any other orders of business?

RAE: I’m going to work for Maggie part-time.

MAGGIE: Rae, remember what we talked about.

RAE: More like an unpaid internship. But I thought everyone should know.

OLIVIA: I think that’s an excellent idea.5

ISABEL: Me too. I guess when you’re independently wealthy you can afford to work for free.

RAE: I took a beating in the stock market this last year.

OLIVIA: What will you have her do?

MAGGIE: I’m going to have Rae help me review some pro bono cases I’m thinking about taking on. Preliminary research.

ALBERT: That sounds very educational.

RAE: Don’t try to ruin it for me.

ISABEL: Speaking of pro bono work, when are we going to start investigating Harkey?6

ALBERT: I don’t think now is the right time.

ISABEL: Why not?

OLIVIA: He’ll fight back, Isabel.

ISABEL: He already did. Do you think that audit last month was random?

OLIVIA: My point exactly. I was the one who had to spend three weeks pulling together two years of financial data.

ISABEL: So you’re just going to let him get away with it? Is that what I’m hearing?

ALBERT: This is not a good use of your time, Isabel. In this economy, we should be focusing on keeping our business afloat, not taking anyone down. Besides, we don’t even know if Harkey was behind the audit.

ISABEL: You’re kidding, right? The timing was impeccable. I run into Harkey at the liquor store, suggest that maybe he should watch his back, and the next thing you know the IRS is knocking on our door.

DAVID: Who goes around threatening people like that?

RAE: Isabel loves to threaten people.

ISABEL: Shut up. Back to the audit. Harkey started it, Dad.

ALBERT: Listen, Izzy, business is slow. Do you really want to waste our resources on a witch hunt?

ISABEL: I do. We know he’s crooked. If we can put him out of business, that cuts our competition by about 20 percent.

[ALBERT shakes his head, still undecided.]

ALBERT: He won’t just roll over, Isabel.

ISABEL: I’m ready for him.

[OLIVIA whispers in Albert’s ear; Albert nods his head.]

ISABEL: Maggie, is whispering allowed at an official board meeting?

MAGGIE: I don’t take sides with you people.

DAVID: “You people”?

MAGGIE: You know what I mean.

OLIVIA: Okay, we’ll make you a deal, Isabel. You accept now or we shelve this conversation for a later date. One, the Harkey investigation cannot take you away from your regular work, and two, you may not use more than $200 a month in company resources.

ISABEL: Deal.

MAGGIE: Any other orders of business?

DAVID: I hope not.

RAE: One last thing. I request that we never do a group camping trip ever again.

ISABEL: Better than the threatened cruise.

RAE: It’s still torture.

ISABEL: At least you didn’t have someone kicking you all night long and shouting conspiracy theories.

DAVID: If that’s all, I call this meeting to a close.

ALBERT: I wanted to do that.

DAVID: Then go ahead, Dad. It doesn’t actually matter.

ALBERT: Maybe to you it doesn’t.

OLIVIA: Al, enough.

DAVID: [to Maggie] I hope you’re paying attention. Nothing about this morning has been out of the ordinary.

MAGGIE: Relax, David. I’m fine.

ALBERT: As president and CEO of Spellman Investigations, I call this meeting to a close.

RAE: I really do think people can die of boredom.

1 The Spellman Files, Curse of the Spellmans, Revenge of the Spellmans—all available in paperback!

2 The parental unit claims to have plans for their retirement, but so far none sound even remotely plausible.

3 Her words, not his.

4 Finger quotes.

5 Excellent for two reasons: 1) Business is a bit slow and so there’s not that much work for Rae anyway; 2) Mom wouldn’t mind another person with a graduate degree in the family.

6 An evil PI who needs taking down.

Reading Group Guide

This reading group guide for The Spellmans Strike Again includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Lisa Lutz. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

The wacky family of investigators is back for another installment of spying, secrets and sleuthing. In the fourth installment in the Spellman series, we find Isabel Spellman a little more grown up, moving into a shareholder role within Spellman investigations. Still, she faces opposition from an enemy PI, a nosy mother with a secret, a bothersome sister who always gets into trouble and many more colorful characters that Spellman fans have come to love.

The Spellmans Strike Back is the fourth installment in the critically acclaimed, bestselling, Edgar- and Macavity-nominated series by Lisa Lutz. The Spellman family is in the midst of another wild investigation, trying to maintain their private investigation business while at the same time keeping tabs on each other. This time, however, all of the Spellmans will have a little bit of growing up to do as they wrestle with issues of trust, family, life and death.

Discussion Questions

1. Discuss the budding romance between Isabel and Henry Stone. Why do you think Henry tries so hard to get her back? Why does Isabel resist at first? What finally makes her give in?

2. In your opinion, did Olivia really think that her new dictum, the Daily Rule (p. 18), would work? Was there ever any hope for rules in the Spellman household, or do the Spellmans only respond to more subtle and obscure coercion?

3. Why do you think Connor stays around after Isabel’s mother institutes the “Mandatory Lawyer Dates”? What do we eventually discover that Olivia knew? Why do you think Connor stayed with Isabel despite the secret he was keeping from her?

4. Which is your favorite of Isabel’s “Mandatory Lawyer Dates”? Do you think she’s learned a lot about relationships by studying what not to do, or is she really as nonchalant about her love life as she would lead us to believe? Have you ever tried to botch a date to see how spectacularly wrong it could go?

5. What is the big secret of “Prom Night 1994”? Were you surprised when the story was told? Was it as big of a deal as Isabel made it out to be? Why do you think her mother still wants it to be kept a secret, even after Isabel says she can talk about it?

6. At one point Isabel states: “Every once in a while a thought hit you and you’re unprepared for it and suddenly it seems like your world is coming to an end. Most of the time it isn’t”(p.146). Discuss this quote in the context of the mystery behind what’s happening to the Spellman residence and how David, Rae and Isabel respond.

7. When talking about Jeremy Pratt, Isabel comments “Less-judgmental folk would say that he was finding himself, but some people have the luxury to look; other’s don’t” (p.157).   How did Isabel find herself over the course of this book? How has she changed over the course of the series?   Is it for better or for worse? Do you think she is happy with the changes?

8. Do you think that Isabel and Olivia’s scheme to punish Rae aesthetically in the chapter “The $500 Payback” (p. 291) is a fitting one? Without resorting to anything too sinister, what might you have done to teach Rae a lesson? Do you think Isabel and Olivia bond through their shared efforts to reign in the youngest Spellman?

9. Both Isabel and Rae take on wrongfully accused cases (Merriweather and Schmidt, respectively). One has a positive outcome while one has a negative one. What message do you think Lutz was sending? Is it possible that despite our best intentions, we can’t change the way things are?

10. How did you score on the quiz Isabel gave Demetrius Merriweather?

11. What do you think of Isabel’s final reflection on the book’s last page? Do you agree with her theory, or do you have your own?

Enhancing Your Book Club

1.  Rae served her community service at a local garden, but you don’t have to be almost incarcerated to help out! Check out some places to volunteer around your area and see if your book club can make a day out of it!

2. Rae and Isabel get wrapped up in the cases of accused criminals Merriweather and Schmidt, respectively. Do you think our legal system leaves too much room for wrongful convictions? Research another case of someone who’s been wrongfully convicted and discuss the merits and shortcomings of the American legal system.

3. Have a mini-marathon of Isabel’s favorite shows: Get Smart, Doctor Who and The Wire. Have your book club talk about which show was their favorite and why.

4. Henry makes a habit of stocking healthy snacks, but Isabel and Rae prefer junk food. Bring either to your next book club gathering and share!

A Conversation with Lisa Lutz

1. What was the inspiration behind the Spellman family? Was the series originally supposed to be about Isabel or did you always plan on writing about a family of sleuths?

I first envisioned the Spellmans over seven years ago. And if memory serves me, which it rarely does, the entire cast of characters sort of came to me over a short period of time. The germ of the idea was always to write about a family of private investigators and how the nature of the business affected their family life. I knew that if the parents were spying on their children, they’d need a motivation. That’s when Isabel’s character took form. I figured a history of rebellion would keep the parental unit constantly on watch.

2. Isabel has an interesting relationship with her family, to say the least. Do her experiences represent any of your experiences with your parents/siblings? Or are you guys relatively “normal”?

I wouldn’t say that my family is normal. I’m not sure how many of those are left. But the Spellmans are pure fiction. They do not in any way represent my family or my familial experience.

3. Which of your characters do you feel has matured the most over the course of the series? Do you think any of them have regressed?

Isabel has matured the most. She had the furthest to go. The rest of them go through phases of regression, depending on the book. But that has always seemed to me to be normal development. People don’t move in straight lines.

4. Have you ever had any prom night shenanigans like Isabel did? We won’t tell anyone, we promise…

There was an incident the night before graduation that I was involved in. So was some toilet paper. I’m afraid I was nowhere near as delinquently creative as Isabel.

5. In each book in the Spellman series, you’ve denounced the myth that stakeouts are fun or exciting. You make them seem like tedious, time-consuming work. Have you ever been on one yourself? Are they as bad as you make them seem?

I was on a few surveillance jobs as part of a big team. I would be the person to follow the subject on foot when the need arose. But most of the time, we were sitting in a car doing nothing. Generally surveillance is a solo activity. How exciting can sitting alone in a car for hours on end be?

6.  Where did you get the idea to put the footnotes at the bottom of the pages? Was it only meant to happen once or twice and you just started having too much fun?

That’s pretty much how it happened. When I was describing Get Smart, it was too easy to add a funny detail about an episode or character. And it required very little effort. I also liked the idea of Isabel adding commentary to what was already essentially her commentary.

7. You instruct readers that if they haven’t seen Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety and Young Frankenstein, they are to immediately “run, not walk, to your local video store.” Are you big fans of these movies? What is your favorite movie and why?

I am a huge Mel Brooks fan. And I do think that not seeing his canon of classics is a bit criminal or clueless. I could never really choose a favorite book, but whenever I’m asked what my favorite movie is I always say Withnail & I, a British film from 1987. It’s funny and sad and absolutely gorgeous to look at. It’s the film I can watch over and over again.

8. Throughout the Spellman series, you’ve also mentioned a number of TV shows that Isabel is a fan of: Get Smart, The Wire, Doctor Who. Are you a big fan of these shows as well? Did you intend to incorporate so many pop culture references into your book or did it just turn out that way?

I love The Wire. I can’t think of a television show that I think is superior to it in any way. I was obsessed with it from the moment it came on the air. I do also love Doctor Who and Get Smart. As I’ve said before, you can learn a lot from a person’s choice of entertainment. That’s part of the reason for pop-culture references in the books. But it’s also because in real life we reference these things all the time. Far more than most books indicate. It just seems to be a fair reflection of reality.

9. Why did you decide to reignite the romance between Henry and Isabel? Was there ever a different ending to the book where they parted ways? Did you always think they were meant to be together from the moment he was introduced in The Spellman Files?

When I first wrote The Spellman Files, I had no idea that Henry Stone would turn out so interesting. He was a small character in the first book. But I didn’t want him to read as flat. So as I tried to flesh out his character, he took on a life of his own, and his various relationships with the Spellmans happened organically. I’ve written the relationship between Henry and Isabel as I’ve gone along. There was never a master plan. I just wrote what felt right.

10. What’s next for you? Are there more Spellman adventures to come?

I just completed my first non-Spellman book, which was very exciting, and now I’m ready to come back to them. So I suspect there will be a return of the Spellmans in the not-too-distant future.

About The Author

Morgan Dox

Lisa Lutz

Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling, Alex Award–winning author of the Spellman Files series, as well as the novels The Accomplice, Heads You Lose (with David Hayward), How to Start a Fire, The Passenger, and The Swallows. She has also written for film and TV, including HBO’s The Deuce. She lives in upstate New York.