The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
I’ve been in a book slump (too many bad books sapping my will to read) and I needed something to pull me out of it. This fun mystery/spy romp did the trick.
The Spellmans are a family of private investigators. Olivia and Albert met while on the job, and their kids have followed in their footsteps. Izzy, the narrator, is the troublemaker. David is the perfect one. Rae is the much-younger sister, and Uncle Ray gives them someone to track down when he goes on one of his “lost weekend” benders.
I’m a sucker for a good mystery, and this novel has several. There’s the case of the missing sister, the case (repeated) of the missing Uncle, and even an old case that her parents give her where a kid named Andrew Snow vanished for no good reason. I’m also a sucker for a meet-cute, as when Izzy meets ex boyfriend #9. I’m developing into a fan of lists, oddly placed flashbacks, and charts describing characters’ traits, last words and other amusing facts.
I my only minor complaint about this story is quite minor–I wished that she didn’t have characters named “Daniel” and “David” because they look similar enough that I got them confused. That’s really my only complaint. I found the characters charming, the story engaging, and the end satisfying. Best of all, it’s restored my faith in reading and I’m ready for another novel.
