THE SPELLMAN FILES

TITLE: THE SPELLMAN FILES
AUTHOR: LISA LUTZ
Pages: 355
Date: 11/10/2007
Grade: 4.5
Details: nr. 1 Spellman mystery
Library

Four out of the five members of the Spellman family are involved in Spellman investigations; the parents, Izzie (aged 28) and her 14 year old sister Rae.
The Spellmans don't only follow and investigate third parties, but also each other. But when Izzie's parents hire Rae to discover the identity of Izzie's latest boyfriend, that is one too many infringement of her privacy. Now Izzie wants out of the family business and the family home. Before they let her leave though, her parents give Izzie one last case to solve. A case that has been open for 15 years and is supposed to be unsolvable.
But just when Izzie appears to be getting somewhere with her case, her sister disappears and suddenly nothing else matters.
A funny book with a very original view on family life. In fact although I had to laugh at the family's antics, they also left me feeling slightly uncomfortable.
The unsolvable case was a bit too transparent for it's reputation, but I'm intrigued enough by the Spellmans to look forward to the second instalment.