Review: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

The Passenger
by Lisa Lutz

Genre: Adult, Crime & Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Publication: March 1st, 2016 by Simon & Schuster
Format: ebooks
Source: Netgalley, ARC
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

I can't stop thinking about this book. It was different than Lisa Lutz's Spellman Series, which happen to be my all time favorite. It was more mysterious and well, a bit more confusing.

The beginning starts with Tanya leaving her husband's body at the base of the stairs. She gets some money, a new name, changes her identity and skips town. Tanya, now Amelia, meets Blue, a bartender who knows exactly who she is and offers her a place to stay. 

'Passanger' has this mysterious thing going on all over the book. A few times, I have to close the book because things are getting confusing.  But I have to pick up the book again to find out to all the answers to my questions—who exactly is Tanya? What is she running away from? And Why?

I guess, Tanya, Amelia, or whoever she is starts to grow on me. She has to change her name and identity for many times to be safe. She has gone through so much while she's on the run and I couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. She finds someone who she might like on her run, and runs again once she found out that he's a cop! And I found Blue an interesting character. She helped Amelia with questioning motives, and in the end, I wish I could hear what is her story.

Lisa Lutz is excellent at building the story with good plots and twists that keeps me going as the mystery behind Tanya-Amelia-Debra unfolds. I definitely enjoy reading this book and would recommend this to fans of crime fans.

I received a copy of this book from the Netgalley & Simon & Schuster in exchange for my review.

Review: The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

The Last Word (The Spellmans #6)
by Lisa Lutz

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Humor
Publication: July 2013
Format: ebook, 352 pages
Source: NetGalley
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

The latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Spellman mysteries, finds private investigator Izzy Spellman on the verge of losing everything.

Isabel Spellman is used to being followed, extorted, and questioned—all occupational hazards of working at her family’s firm, Spellman Investigations. Her little sister, Rae, once tailed Izzy for weeks on end to discover the identity of her boyfriend. Her mother, Olivia, once blackmailed Izzy with photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994. It seemed that the Spellmans would lay off after Izzy was fired for breaching client confidentiality, but then Izzy avenged her dismissal by staging a hostile takeover of the company. She should have known better than to think she could put such shenanigans behind her.

In The Last Word, Izzy’s troubles are just beginning. After her hostile takeover of Spellman Investigations, Izzy’s parents simply go on strike. Her sister, Rae, comes back into the family business with questionable motivations. Her other employees seem to be coping with anxiety disorders, and she has no idea how to pay the bills. However, her worst threat comes from someone who is no relation. Within months of assuming control of the business, Izzy is accused of embezzling from a former client, the ridiculously wealthy Mr. Slayter, who happens to have Alzheimer’s, which Izzy and he are diligently trying to keep under wraps. Not only is Slayter’s business and reputation on the line, but if Izzy gets indicted for embezzlement, she’ll lose everything—her business, her license, and her family’s livelihood. Is this the end of Izzy Spellman, PI? The answer makes The Last Word, hands down, the most thrilling book in this bestselling, award-nominated series.

Oh well. I’m not sure how to begin. I love the Spellmans and have been looking forward to read this one. I was really worried that this might be the last book in the Spellmans series. I didn’t want the series to end. I love every single of Spellmans book. I’ve reread them a few times because I thoroughly enjoy them.

In The Last Word, Izzy has taken over the management and her employees (her mother and father) decided to boycott work. She found out that she is being investigated by the FBI for embezzlement from her benefactor, Mr. Slayter. Her sister, Rae is starting her own side business as a CRS (Conflict Resolution Specialist) which involved blackmail and other things. Her brother, David, is a stay at home dad to his daughter, Sydney. 

I love reading about Izzy and her dysfunctional family. There are tons of laugh-out-loud moments as well as serious ones. Mostly I love them because I can never grow tired of them. I love watching them going through changes and grew up. Well, maybe Izzy hasn’t grown up much, but she learned a lot about responsibility. (I can’t believe how Rae is now all grown up! I still remember her in the first Spellmans book). I didn’t really like how the book ended. It wasn’t the kind of ending I was expecting, but I can’t deny that it was a good ending.

*I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Review: Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Trail of the Spellmans (The Spellmans #5)
by Lisa Lutz

Genre: Adult, Chick Lit, Crime & Thriller, Humor, Mystery
Publication: First Published. February 2012
Format: Paperback, 416 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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, but then fakes 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

Clearly, I am reading the fifth book because I thoroughly enjoy the series. I’ve been a fan of the Spellman’s series since the first book and I just can’t get enough of it. In this book, the Spellman’s agency was hired for a few numbers of cases. There was a brother who hired them to follow his sister, a wife who wants her husband's every move tracked, and parents who want their daughter investigated for possible bad behavior.  Of course, Izzy was also investigating the strange behavior of her family member.

I love the whole Spellman’s family. They are always funny. I especially love the interaction between Izzy and her niece, Sydney and the ‘banana’ mystery. I can’t believe that Rae is all grown up. It feels weird a little bit.

This book is definitely one of my favorite. Then again, all the books in Spellman’s series are my favorite. Trail of the Spellman was definitely a quick and fun read. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who looks for a light, fun read. I can’t wait to read the next book and found out what will happen to Izzy and her family!