Fiction Review: The Spellman Files

In need of a lighter read this winter after finishing Beartown by Fredrik Backman (an excellent novel but very dark), I reached way back into the depths of my TBR bookcase for a paperback I've been meaning to read for years, The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. It was just as fun and funny as I'd heard over the years, and I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel in a series about a family of private investigators.

Twenty-eight-year-old Izzy Spellman is the narrator of the story. She has an older brother named David, a much younger teen sister named Rae, and an eccentric uncle named Ray. She lives on the third floor of her parents' house, a situation which is often too close for comfort. The entire family (except David, who works as a lawyer) works for Spellman Investigations as PI's. Well, Rae is still in school and is not yet an official PI, but she is well on her way and enjoys "recreational surveillance" in her spare time. Izzy has a checkered past, but she has shaped up in recent years and is trying to be an adult. She has trouble maintaining a romantic relationship, though, partly because of her family and partly because guys don't seem to like it when their girlfriends stake them out and run a credit check. Which is why when she meets a handsome, kind dentist named Daniel (definitely not her usual type), she decides to lie about what she does for a living. This will, of course, eventually blow up in her face. Meanwhile, she is working on a cold case and receiving threats to stop investigating. Now, Daniel's mad at her, her parents are following her nonstop in a maddening way, she can't quite crack her case, and she is at the breaking point. But then Rae goes missing, and the whole family must set aside their differences and come together to try to find their youngest member.

As expected, this humorous detective novel is just pure fun! Izzy has a noncconformist streak, recklessness, and sarcastic sense of humor that reminded me a bit of Stephanie Plum (from the Janet Evanovich books). The entire family is eccentric, as are some of their cases. It's also a mystery/suspense novel, with several cases coming and going during the course of the novel, in addition to the cold case Izzy ends up working on, so there is plenty here to keep your attention and keep the pages turning. Alongside the humor and suspense, though, there is some real warmth among the Spellman family members, even if they drive each other crazy sometimes. I enjoyed the time I spent with the Spellmans and would love to read more of the series.

358 pages, Simon & Schuster

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!    
  

 

Or you can order The Spellman Files from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.