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    The Spellman Files: A Novel
    The Spellman Files: A Novel
    The Spellman Files: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    The Spellman Files: A Novel

    Written by Lisa Lutz

    Narrated by Ari Graynor

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From the award-winning author of The Accomplice and The Passenger comes the first novel in the hilarious Spellman Files mystery series featuring Isabel “Izzy” Spellman (part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry) and her highly functioning yet supremely dysfunctional family of private investigators.

    Meet Isabel “Izzy” Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors—but the upshot is she’s good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family’s firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people’s privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.

    Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. Duties include: completing assignments from the bosses, aka Mom and Dad (preferably without scrutiny); appeasing her chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress); setting an example for her fourteen-year-old sister, Rae (who’s become addicted to “recreational surveillance”); and tracking down her uncle (who randomly disappears on benders dubbed “Lost Weekends”). But when Izzy’s parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Izzy’s new boyfriend), Izzy snaps and decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there’s a hitch: she must take one last job before they’ll let her go—a fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person case. She accepts, only to experience a disappearance far closer to home, which becomes the most important case of her life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 13, 2007
    ISBN9780743564359
    The Spellman Files: A Novel
    Author

    Lisa Lutz

    Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling, Alex Award–winning author of the Spellman Files series, as well as the novels The Accomplice, Heads You Lose (with David Hayward), How to Start a Fire, The Passenger, and The Swallows. She has also written for film and TV, including HBO’s The Deuce. She lives in upstate New York.

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    Reviews for The Spellman Files

    4/5

    151 ratings122 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Izzy Spellman is funny and likable. The plot was fairly predictable though and I solved Izzy's big case about 100 pages before she did. The characters were definitely more entertaining than the plot.
    • 5/5
      So far this book is fast-paced and funny. I would compare Lutz to authors like Cabot and Kinsella. My husband enjoyed it, but I think it would be a book more popular with women.
    • 4/5
      The Spellman Files is the first in a series of Spellman comic mystery novels. Certainly good for a fun, light read. The mystery isn't heavy. The comedy is uneven, but entertaining. The Spellman family themselves are quite annoying. Quirky, yes, but irritating. None of them trust one another, and quite rightfully so. They alternately spy on and blackmail one another with little thought. This is a quick read if you are looking for light fare, but if you are looking for strong complex characters, skip it.
    • 4/5
      Love this book. Very enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz was not very memorable. An Alex Award winner, the main character seemed flighty and not very engaging. It was a "Beach Read" - did not say anything of import but easy plot to read. If you enjoy contemporary Female detective stories, I recommend Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.
    • 3/5
      Fun. Good characters. Not too meaty.
    • 5/5
      How I wish there were more books published like this one.

      I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. I've never laughed so hard from a book before or since. All of the the Characters were endearingly ridiculous. The fake drug deal and the final tennis match made my cheeks ache from laughing.
    • 5/5
      Twenty-eight-year-old Isabel Spellman is good at her job as a private investigator, but Izzy decides that sixteen years devoted to working for her family?s firm is definitely long enough and she states her intention to leave. But there?s one last case to solve, a missing person cold case. And then Izzy?s teen-age sister, Rae, disappears.This humorous, light-hearted tale, with its strong character development, offers readers plenty of zany escapades and laugh-out-loud moments. There?s a mystery along the way, but the highlight of this fast-paced narrative are the Spellmans themselves. With Izzy relating the hilarious doings, readers who appreciate witty stories will have no problem falling in love with the delightfully ditzy Spellman clan.First in a series, the Spellman Mystery Series continues in five more volumes of entertaining family hijinks. Let the laughing begin.Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      I typically don't grab books from the mystery section, but I am so glad that I made an exception for The Spellman Files. The Spellman's have got to be one of the quirkiest and most memorable fictional families. Though there are a couple mystery's in this book they are only a diversion from the antics of the Spellman's who all work for the family-owned private investigators business. The nature of the business makes family members extremely suspicious, even of each other, with hilarious results. Everyone installs deadbolts on their bedroom doors, parents chase daughters in high-speed car chases, and siblings bribe and blackmail each other to keep secrets. This is well-worth reading and I am looking forward to the sequel.
    • 4/5
      This was a great book - a fast, fun read with a loveably imperfect anti-heroine. I read it during the holidays when both my time and attention were constantly being interrupted, and had no trouble following the action. And while I do like to read books that make me think, there is also something to be said for books like this one that you read for sheer pleasure.Izzy Spellman is a 28-year-old private detective who works for, and still lives with, her parents. Over the years, she has developed a very suspicious nature. So suspicious, in fact, that the slightest discrepancies in a person's behavior compel her to investigate that person, and it doesn't matter if it is strangers, friends, or even family members. She always asks potential ex-boyfriends a million extremely personal questions just prior to running a background check on them - a habit that has aided in more than one of her break-ups. She is also a life-long troublemaker who at times seems to have the rationale and decision making skills of teenager. But even so, she is still quick-witted and street smart. Some people compare Izzy to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. I guess if I stretch your imagination a little then I can see it. Both get caught up in trying to solve mysteries that should probably be left to the police. Both are "creative" with their investigative techniques, and do eventually solve the mysteries. Both are smart and funny, have trouble with men and their crazy families, and both manage to get into plenty of trouble. But that is about as far as it goes. Izzy is rather obsessive and short-sighted, while Stephanie has the ability to see the bigger picture. Stephanie also seems to have a maturity and innate luckiness that Izzy lacks. That doesn't mean that the Spellman series is not as good as the Plum series, it just means that they are unique enough to set them apart and keep them interesting. One of the other things that sets this book apart is Lisa Lutz's writing style. She has a way of bouncing around between plot lines that could almost be confusing, but ends up holding your interest. The focus of the novel doesn't center on Izzy's attempt to solve her primary investigation, but is actually more concerned with her personal relationships. Lutz also employs several uncommon techniques to add interest to the novel including lists and footnotes (I found the footnotes a little off-putting and distracting, but lots of readers like them.) I give this book a 4 because while it was better than average, it wasn't so good that I had trouble putting it down.
    • 4/5
      First Spellman mystery that I have read. Light and fun.
    • 4/5
      Isabel "Izzy" Spellman works for her parents in the family business. She is also at war with her family as the whole family spies, manipulates and does some very mean things to each other throughout the course of the book. There are reasons to not like this book, but the humor and the style not only make the book readable but in the end this odd girl and her equally odd family make for a good read. Several years ago I stopped watching most Bruce Willis and Will Smith movies because the smirking, smart ass characeters grew tiresome to me. To read this book you have to have a pretty high tolerance for wise ass characters and Izzy in particular is one wise ass girl. In the beginning of the book it is a little too much and is wearisome to a degree. But this is also Lisa Lutz's first book and to some degree that seemed to be a part of the problem early on in the book. The style is not fluid; it feels like the author is trying to hard. But then the book begins to flow better and the style works better. Izzy is still a smart ass, even to her own detriment. She knows she is doing it but doesn't really know any way to stop and be something else. In fact, she is in some ways compelled to continue doing things she knows are self defeating.The humor is the best part of the book though the mystery, which doesn't really start until the book is almost half over is pretty good as well. The book is really the history of the Spellman clan and how Izzy feels first her brother, then her parents and finally even her younger sister, impose themselves on her and make it difficult for her to have any a sembalance of personal identity that is separate from them. She has already used alcohol, drugs and men to try and escpae from the overwhelmingness of her family. Now at 28 years of age she is willing to do to her next "future ex-boyfriend" what has been done to her all her life. She spies on him, disregards his privacy and manipulates him with outrageous lies. She is willing to do whatever it takes to be with him. She knows it is wrong but doesn't know how to be normal, so she does what she knows how to do, try and get him by using everything her family taught her to do. She is a tragic figure, she is her own worst enemy. Her family once was but now it is Izzy that hurts herself more than even they can. By the end of the book, as a result of the mystery she is given to solve, she doggedly sticks to the unsolvable case until she knows what happens. As a result, she begins to become Izzy, a person separate from her family. Not a perfect book, but I liked Izzy and will probably read the next one in the series.
    • 4/5
      I bought this novel thinking that it would be like the Stephanie Plum series. I was surprised to find out that not only is it not really like the Stephanie Plum series at all, but that it is an excellent first novel in a series. This book was a total page turner!I cannot say enough good things about this book. Liza Lutz hit the nail on the head with balancing the mystery aspect of the novel with the other themes, family and relationships.Parts of the book were really quite funny. I loved the trials and tribulations that the lead character Isabel always managed to get herself into. She is not a very good liar, but seems to make her lying ability even worse by piling lie upon lie. She finds herself in some of the most ridiculous situations possible.The family business is Spellman Personal Investigations. Mom and Dad, Rae who is 14, Isabel who is 28 and David who is 30 all work for or previously worked for (David) the company.Their once vibrant, now deadbeat uncle comes to live with them and help with the family business which throws the entire family balance into a tailspin. Ray likes to disappear on Lost Weekends and always has to be retrieved from some nasty situation by his family.At one point in the novel the business card that Isabel uses is displayed, the number on it is real! I of course decided to call, and the number takes you to an answering service for Spellman Investigations! How fun is that?This series is not Stephanie Plum, but it doesn't need to be. Its an excellent book, keep an eye out for more from the Spellmans.
    • 3/5
      The Spellmans are a family of dysfunctional investigators who seem to spend most of their time investigating and sabotaging one another. Isabel drinks too much, keeps lists of ex-boyfriends (and it's pretty easy to understand why they are EX-boyfriends) as well as other relevant documents, and tries to keep her little sister out of trouble when she is not helping her get into trouble. She tells us her story in the first person. This is a mystery of sorts, but not a grisly one. There is a child who disappears, and one dark section towards the end of the book. Overall though, it is light, fluffy reading about deeply flawed but likable if not entirely believable characters.I enjoyed it. However, occasionally it got a bit too contrived, and the lists got a bit old. It sometimes felt like the author was just trying to hard. This is the first book in a series, and despite the minor flaws, I'll probably give the next one a try.
    • 5/5
      Hands down, one of the most entertaining books that I have ever read. The deceptions, the tails, the investigations, the background checks, the manipulations...the love. The Spellmans are one unique clan. Private investigators that work as a family and trained their children as they grew in the family business. The are all so canny and onto everything bad that people are capable of that...well, they investigate everyone, including each other at times. So much fun, I can't get the next one fast enough!
    • 5/5
      My first book by Lisa Lutz was a Christmas gift (2016) . Although I have never read one of her books before now, I'm happy to say that I'm HOOKED! Glad to see it is a series, that makes me extremely happy, as I've fallen for the characters Izzy and her little sister Rae, and want to read more about them.
    • 3/5
      Liked this one. Rather kooky. Will certainly get the next one in the series and see where that goes.
    • 2/5
      This one underwhelmed me. Our heroine, Isabel Spellman, is a Stephanie Plum type private eye, with lunatic parents who own a PI agency, a really stuck up big bro who is an attorney (since this is a family site I won't use the word I'd like to use to describe him), a teetering on the edge of sobriety/unsanity uncle, and a baby sister whose character is so bratty, precocious, obnoxious, and stupid that she literally cannot be believed. This group of dingbats goes careening thru solving their 'cases' by spying on each other for practice, spying on Isabel's potential beaus, and racing toward a less than believable ending. The plot dragsssss on , the characters don't develop --they only get more out of sight---and you just keep praying for it to be over! If you like Janet Evanovitch's books, you'll probably like this one. I didn't hate it, but I'd only give it 2 stars.
    • 4/5
      I read this after I read #2 and #3 so I'm backtracking, but I very much enjoyed this first novel about the Spellman family. Although their family is so over the top at times, underneath there is a real ring of truth. I like that about this book - it's funny but also real. Now I'm waiting anxiously for #4.
    • 5/5
      good to listen to while driving to california. entertaining. not exactly lit but a good guilty pleasure
    • 3/5
      [Note: I listened to an abridged version of this book on audio.]Meet Izzy Spellman, a woman with a checkered past and an unusual family business: private investigation. They take it to extremes, including spying on each other on a regular basis. When Izzy realizes that she can never have a normal life unless she leaves, her parents/bosses send her on one last assignment: a 15-year-old missing-persons case. The whole thing is very funny, especially Izzy's commentary on her past transgressions, but the ending takes a dark turn and comes across as very strange. I suppose it might have been leading up to a sequel, but on its own it left me a little bit unsure as to how I felt about things. But up until that point it was a lot of fun.
    • 5/5
      I really loved this book! A great debut for Lisa Lutz. It had a comfortable feel about it, like an old "screwball" or ?madcap? movie. A perfect read for a snowy day in the north. This book flowed along like a brook in flood season, finding alternate routes to its destination, with the occasional boulder or tree in its way.This is a family that works together and lives together, with the exception of the son, David, who has made a career for himself outside of the family business. To say the family is dysfunctional does it a disservice as they are not so much dysfunctional as overzealous in their protection of each other, at the same time trying to protect their individual privacy. The family business is private investigation, the only problem being that they are more apt to be investigating each other than regular clients, at least in this first book. It's a good thing there are more in the future because I found I wanted more when I was done and continued right on into the preview of the next book. That left me dissatisfied because it made me want the book right now. Fortunately, the next two are already out, ?Curse of the Spellmans? and ?Revenge of the Spellmans? with a fourth due out shortly, ?The Spellmans Strike Again?. I?m only sorry I didn?t read ?The Spellman Files? when it first came out.The characters are wonderful, right down to Milo, the bartender who constantly has to phone Isabel, the main character, to come and get her little sister out of the bar before he gets arrested. My favourite character though, at this point, is Rae, the young sister, who has learned the art "negotiation" (translation blackmail) by the time she is eight.Isabel is the rebel of the family and blames both the business and her family for all her life failures. She uses the same techniques of surveillance in her search for a boy-friend as in her search for clues. Consequently at the end of this book she has reached Ex-Boyfriend #9. This is a great read, fast and easy, funny and sad sometimes, I even loved the cover with all the pairs of eyes peeking through the newspaper. I recommend it for a relaxing change of pace.
    • 5/5
      Very funny mystery featuring Isabel "Izzy" Spellman and her quirky family of private investigators. They investigate each other, clients, and in her sister Rae's case - random people on the street. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      The inaugural novel in The Spellman Files mystery series introduces us to the series' protagonist, the 28-year-old Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, a licensed PI in her family's detective agency. Although there are suspenseful moments when Izzy's precocious little sister, Rae, disappears or when Izzy bulldogs a 12-year-old cold missing-person's case, the primary charm and humor of the novel lies within the interactions of the eccentric family members. For example, Rae practices her surveillance skills by following and photographing various family members, including Izzy's dates and alcoholic uncle, and then blackmailing them.
    • 3/5
      ah the beginning of a great mystery/comedy/romance series of books. love this family.
    • 3/5
      Sort of cute. The premise -- family detective agency -- is fun, but the execution is overblown: the little sister is too much and the heroine's fixation on the dentist gets positively creepy. But the mysteries are sound. I look forward to the next one.
    • 4/5
      Entertaining quick read with quirky characters, first book of a series I'll be reading more of.
    • 3/5
      Quirky members of a family of private investigators work together and against each other on various cases as the mood strikes. Whenever you pick up a book that has been described in the press as "uproariously funny," you should probably begin reading with very low expectations. This is Lutz's debut novel and it's not entirely bad, but the humor is quite contrived and the characters too much caricature. The story does pick up in the second half when the stakes get a higher, but there are still a few twists that are just too unbelievable to be really funny. Hopefully, for the next book in the series, Lutz will stop trying to be funny and concentrate more on the plot and making her characters more plausible.
    • 2/5
      This was such a funny book! I loved it -- funky mystery, weird characters :-)
    • 5/5
      Very easy read, got my interest from the beginning. Isabel was on the verge of being too unlikeable by the end, though, and I need the main character to be someone that I can pull for pretty easily.