Trail of the Spellmans

ACCLAIM FOR
TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS

“Lisa Lutz’s Spellman books are always hilarious, but
Trail of the Spellmans
reminded me how serious funny books can be. As precocious as the Spellman kids have always been, they’re only now really coming of age and the result is, yes, hilarious, but also tender and melancholy and full of hard-won wisdom. This one’s going to stay with readers for a long time.”
—LAURA LIPPMAN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TESS MONAGHAN SERIES

MORE PRAISE FOR EDGAR AND MACAVITY AWARD NOMINEE LISA LUTZ AND HER
NEW YORK TIMES
BESTSELLING SPELLMAN SERIES

“The most hilariously dysfunctional family since the Royal Tenenbaums.”

—
MYSTERY SCENE
MAGAZINE

“This is one of the best comic novels I’ve ever read.”

—
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“The love child of Dirty Harry and Harriet the Spy . . . whip-smart sass.”
—
PEOPLE

“Delightful.”
—
USA TODAY

“Fun and irreverent.”
—
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

One smart mouthed writer.”
—
DAILY NEWS
(NEW YORK)

“A series that keeps getting better and better.”

—
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Lie back and enjoy this tale of intergenerational gumshoe mayhem.”

—
KIRKUS REVIEWS

FOR THE FIRST TIME
in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities—with no apparent motive. Dad has a secret. Izzy’s brother and sister are at war—for no apparent reason. And her niece keeps saying “banana” even though she hates bananas.

That’s not to say that Izzy isn’t without her own troubles. Her boyfriend, Henry Stone, keeps wanting “to talk,” a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry’s mother.

Things aren’t any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. And as the questions pile up, Izzy won’t stop hunting for the answers—even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.

In
Trail of the Spellmans (Document #5),
LISA LUTZ
has delivered another knockout adventure in what
Library Journal
has deemed a “side-splitting series.” This quirky and hilarious family of sleuths provides entertainment for days, and Izzy’s uncommon, unforgettable, undeniably addictive voice leads the way. In addition to writing the Spellman series, Lutz is also the coauthor of
Heads You Lose,
written with David Hayward.

Visit Lisa at
www.lisalutz.com
Become a fan at
Facebook.com
/lisalutz.author
Follow Lisa @lisalutz

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
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JACKET DESIGN BY JACKIE SEOW
JACKET ILLUSTRATION BY NOMA BAR
COPYRIGHT © 2012 SIMON & SCHUSTER

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

The Spellman Files
Curse of the Spellmans
Revenge of the Spellmans
The Spellmans Strike Again
Heads You Lose
(with David Hayward)

Simon & Schuster
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New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012 by Spellman Enterprises, Inc.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition February 2012

SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lutz, Lisa.
Trail of the Spellmans : document #5 / Lisa Lutz.—1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. Women private investigators—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3612.U897T73 2012
813’.6—dc23
2011032509
ISBN: 978-1-4516-0812-0
ISBN: 978-1-4516-0814-4 (ebook)

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Contents

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