The Spellman Files (The Spellmans, #1) in Ask Lisa Lutz!

Oct 31, 2009 Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: san_francisco, authors_i_have_met, mystery, spellmans

"I cannot pinpoint the precise moment when it all began, but I can say for sure that the beginning didn't happen three days ago, one week, one month or even one year ago. To truly understand what happened to my family, I have to start at the very beginning, and that happened a long time ago." So begins Isabel's narration leading to the major event that happens to the Spellmans. But before we can get to the what, there's the how, presented in a pastiche of images from the history of the Spellman "I cannot pinpoint the precise moment when it all began, but I can say for sure that the beginning didn't happen three days ago, one week, one month or even one year ago. To truly understand what happened to my family, I have to start at the very beginning, and that happened a long time ago." So begins Isabel's narration leading to the major event that happens to the Spellmans. But before we can get to the what, there's the how, presented in a pastiche of images from the history of the Spellman family. Isabel, our erstwhile and extremely dysfunctional heroine, was born into a family of PIs. Her father's an ex-cop, forced into early retirement by a bad back, he took up the only solid living an ex-cop is uniquely suited for, Private Investigation. On the job he met Olivia and it was true love. Their firstborn, David, was everything a child should be, hansom, athletic, smart and hardworking, growing up to be a lawyer. When Isabel came along she felt that it was only right that she was everything David was not, unruly, hard to handle and a juvenile deliquint... and perfectly suited for Spellman Investigations. But when Isabel was 14 the family was in for a surprise, in the form of Rae. Olivia and Albert found out that they were going to have another baby, while at the same time Al's brother Ray was dying of cancer. Rae was named in honor of the heroic ex-cop who then didn't die. Uncle Ray had an epiphany. If clean living made him sick then he'd just do what he wanted, mainly gambling, drinking and whoring which lead to a depletion of his resources and he moved into the residence of 1799 Clay Street, home of Spellman Investigations and the whole Spellman clan, minus David.

What follows is a narration of the odd events and circumstances that result when you've been raised in a family where spying, tailing, car chases, recreational surveillance, bugging, extortion, blackmail and all around prying into each others lives is the status quo. "The Spellman Wars" take many forms, from Rae stealing "new uncle Ray's" lucky shirt and holding it for ransom, to Isabel meeting a cute dentist on the job and then pretending she's a schoolteacher in order to date him, to mass sugar consumption, to fake drug deals... the wars are manifold with many skirmishes and allegiance shifts. But in the end Isabel decides that maybe this isn't the life for her and she asks to be let out. Her parents agree to her leaving if she can solve an extremely cold case involving the disappearance of one Andrew Snow, thinking that in a job where mysteries are rare, perhaps this will whet her appetite and return the status quo. But the status is very not quo when all the duplicity and infighting leads to Rae's disappearance.

I can not emphasize enough how much I enjoy the Spellmans in all their dysfunctions and obsessions, which I can sadly relate too. The interesting quirks and different forms of addictions each character possesses is hilarious, but at the same time, oddly realistic. From Rae's addiction to sugar and recreational surveillance, to Izzy's drink and Get Smart, to Uncle Ray's women and cards. Each character has there own set of flaws that make them unique, but at the same time, obviously related and relatable. Also the way the story is told in little snippets, like a dossier, makes you see the overall history of the characters through specific incidents and examples versus having an extremely long backstory. It also stripes away the Hollywood glamor of the PI's life showing the dysfunction and strained relationships that result from needing to always know the why. Isabel's headlong pursuit of the truth is single-minded and self destructive, but haven't we all been there? Knowing we should stop and we've gone too far, but knowing that we will still do it anyway. Fans of Veronica Mars will enjoy the same kind of mystery combined with a dry wit. I really can't recommend this book, and all Lisa Lutz's books enough! But be forewarned... be prepared to having the overwhelming desire to watch mass quantities of Get Smart afterwords! ...more

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Feb 05, 2010 Sandi rated it it was amazing

One of the funniest books I've ever read...laugh-out-loud funny. I recently reread it (ok, listened to it) on my Kindle during a long road trip to the south. Even the crabby husband thought it was a riot and swore to continue the series once we got back home. I can't wait until the final installment comes out in March, but I will be sorry to see Izzy go! ...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Douglas rated it really liked it

Hilarious, the best part for me was taking the boyfriend to meet the family. The family were all over the top, but still in ways I could believe. It was only nominally a mystery, but overall I had a great time reading this -- enough so I went to get the second.

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Apr 01, 2008 Rhonda rated it really liked it

This was a fun book to listen to. If you like the Stephanie Plum Series, then I think you will like this series.
The story is about a family of PI's and the story is narrated through the eyes of Izzy (Isabel) Spellman. Izzy is the oldest daughter of the Spellman clan and she tells of the tales she encounters with her job as a private investigator and her dating experiences. Izzy is a very strong heroine who seems to know herjob well and doesn't need to be rescued by anyone. As a reader you will ...more

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May 24, 2011 Angie rated it it was amazing

As usual for me, it's the characters that make me love this book, although the story is also great. I fell for every single character for their own reasons, and I'm so glad there are more books in the series so I don't have to say goodbye to them quite yet. This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Humor is surprisingly hard to come by in books so I really appreciated and enjoyed that. I love the way it's narrated. The style is very unique but fits the story so well and provides for some ...more

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Jun 20, 2009 Jesse Jackson rated it it was amazing

A wonderful introduction to an interesting family. I love the dynamics of the relationships. This is a great start to one of my favorite series!

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Apr 20, 2010 Maria rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

i loved this book...it grabbed my attention from the beginning. You felt the dysfunction of the main character, and you were frustrated with her at the dysfunction of her family. However, you ended up rooting for the family in the end. Plus it has the bonus advantage of solving crimes! It was just really fun to read.

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