Books like Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

In the third book of the Spellman series, Izzy Spellman—PI and licensed professional—finds herself arrested for the fourth time in three months, a sign of the "job hazard" that plagues the quirky investigative family. While Izzy obsessively monitors a suspicious next‑door neighbor, her parents, who run Spellman Investigations, refuse to bail her out. Enter Morty, her elderly lawyer, who must learn the full story before he can build a defense. Over coffee and diner sandwiches, Izzy reveals the truth behind her arrest and the series of odd crimes the Spellmans have been juggling. Izzy’s day is filled with compiling suspicious behavior reports on family members, surreptitiously watching her neighbor, and keeping her sister Raimonda from stalking her best friend, Inspector Henry Stone. Meanwhile she also chases a copy‑cat vandal who is replicating the 1991‑92 holiday lawn tableau attacks that once drove Izzy and her friend Petra to rebellious antics. The book blends family dynamics, investigative intrigue, and humor as each Spellman member works to stay true to the family’s peculiar code of loyalty. Re‑meet a family where eavesdropping is a skill, lock‑picking a norm, past missteps are undeniable, and blackmail is the preferred negotiation method—all in the name of unconditional love.

First publish date: 2008