The Spellman Files (series) by Lisa Lutz

[DATo]

I intentionally deferred giving a recommendation to this series of books in the past but I am now on my third book and I am convinced that it is definitely worthy of recommendation. I'm sure it is not for everyone, but if you like totally insane comedy against a serious backdrop I think you will enjoy it.

The author, Lisa Lutz, had been through a wide variety of low paying jobs when she was younger. One of the jobs she had was as a helper to a private investigating company which was entirely comprised of family members (not hers I might add). Her experiences working with this family inspired this series which has become widely acclaimed.

The Spellmans are a TOTALLY dysfunctional family of private investigators. They work out of a four story Victorian home which has been in the family for generations. The house is painted blue with white trim (I know, unnecessary information, but suggestive). As you enter the home the living room is to the left of the stairs and to the right is the Spellman Investigations office, which is kept permanently locked. Inside the office are four old, and badly chipped desks, one for each member of the family. Albert and Olivia are the parents, who met when Olivia intentionally kicked Albert in the groin; then there is Isabel, the narrator of the books, (which she refers to as "documents") who is the oldest daughter -28 years old; her younger sister Rae - who is 12 years old in the book I am currently reading. Each has a desk. Isabel also has a brother, David, who appears to be the only "normal" person in the family. He can be regarded much like the "normal daughter" character in the TV series The Munsters. He left the company and became a lawyer but cannot free himself from being pulled in and entangled in the constantly disruptive antics of his family.

Along with the principal characters are a host of secondary characters including a kindly, but conscientious, police detective who has arrested members of the family so many times that he is now considered PART of the family; an 80 year old retired Jewish lawyer who has bailed Isabel out of jail and handled her cases, free of charge since her parents would never post her bail, and he did this so many times when she was younger and a juvenile delinquent that he has become her best friend, (they have lunch once a week and their conversations are hilarious); then there is Milo, the barkeep at Isabel's favorite bar - The Philosopher's Club. Rae also is known to visit The Philosopher's Club to knock back shots of ginger ale when she has something bothering her. There are too many characters to name but each is hilariously funny in their own way.

The Spellmans are not above blackmailing each other or having another family member arrested ... that includes the youngest, Rae - ESPECIALLY Rae - who is only 6 in the series opener (the first book) but is already working for the company.

The books are peppered with footnotes which are sometimes funnier than the subject they refer to. Isabel also includes an appendix to the book which contains, among other things, a database of her former boyfriends, their statistics, and why they broke up.

The first book in the series is called The Spellman Files but if you can't find it I would recommend The Curse Of The Spellmans which fills you in on the backstory from the preceding books. It takes a bit of patience to get into the "feel" of these books because Lutz's style is very different, but once you do it becomes a marvelous romp.

Easy reading, nothing heavy to think about ... just pure and delightful fun. Highly recommended !!!

[Fran]

@DATo
From your mentions on other posts I had already included The Spellman Files on my TBR list but after reading this review it gets bumped up & I will follow up this week. Sounds really intriguing.

[DATo]

@DATo
From your mentions on other posts I had already included The Spellman Files on my TBR list but after reading this review it gets bumped up & I will follow up this week. Sounds really intriguing.

Hi Fran. I am currently reading the first book of the series - The Spellman Files. I was unable to get it when I first discovered the series so I started with some of the other books. I think The Curse Of The Spellmans was actually a better book in terms of laughs but for that matter they are all good and very wittily crafted. I must warn you that these books would not come under the heading of "Great Literature". I could best describe them as a palate cleanser between courses of more established literature. Sometimes I think it's good to take a break from "serious" reading and just have some fun, and these books certainly provide that.

[Fran]

@DATo
From your mentions on other posts I had already included The Spellman Files on my TBR list but after reading this review it gets bumped up & I will follow up this week. Sounds really intriguing.

Hi Fran. I am currently reading the first book of the series - The Spellman Files. I was unable to get it when I first discovered the series so I started with some of the other books. I think The Curse Of The Spellmans was actually a better book in terms of laughs but for that matter they are all good and very wittily crafted. I must warn you that these books would not come under the heading of "Great Literature". I could best describe them as a palate cleanser between courses of more established literature. Sometimes I think it's good to take a break from "serious" reading and just have some fun, and these books certainly provide that.

Absolutely agree with you DATo ..... a bit of levity in between the serious stuff is good for retaining the balance

[Maud Fitch]

I've heard nothing but good reports about this series!

[DATo]

I've heard nothing but good reports about this series!

I don't want to overdo it Maud. All I can say is that I was very surprised to find out how much I have come to enjoy this series. I wasn't expecting too much when I began the first book. I was reading it more out of curiosity than anything else, but my appreciation of what Lutz was doing began to rise exponentially with each page I turned till I finally "got it". This quote from a review at Amazon pretty much sums up the major theme of the stories ...

The Spellmans are a family of private detectives who wiretap, tail, photograph and blackmail each other as an alternative to more conventional ways of showing love.

... though of course there IS a mystery in the background, and in some books there are several mysteries going on at the same time, half of which require surveillance of family members by OTHER family members *LOL*.

Lutz employs a very different kind of style in these books and it may take a little getting used to - Fran said as much in one of the other threads - I can't speak for her of course but I think Fran might agree that the payoff is worth the patience. The best advice I could give if you begin this series is to just go with the flow and everything will begin to make sense in a very short time. With each page you learn more about the peculiarities of this family, and it is precisely these peculiarities which are the heart and soul of the books.

[Fran]

I'm now into my third Spellman book and I'm really loving them .... not high literature to be sure but I did finish Ulysses so I feel entitled to a voyage into the mad, crazy, funny and off beat world the Spellmans inhabit.
They are such fun and Lisa Lutz writing style is delicious.
Definitely Jasper has competition .... come on Maud & Gannon give the Spellmans a go, you'll love them but, as with Jasper, if you're reading in public you may need to wrap the book in a brown paper cover or you image as an intellectual may suffer

[DATo]

I'm now into my third Spellman book and I'm really loving them .... not high literature to be sure but I did finish Ulysses so I feel entitled to a voyage into the mad, crazy, funny and off beat world the Spellmans inhabit.
They are such fun and Lisa Lutz writing style is delicious.
Definitely Jasper has competition .... come on Maud & Gannon give the Spellmans a go, you'll love them but, as with Jasper, if you're reading in public you may need to wrap the book in a brown paper cover or you image as an intellectual may suffer :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

I am SO glad that I didn't drop a bomb on you Fran. I always feel it is sort of touch-and-go as to whether a reader will like this series and I was afraid that after all my recommendations you would not enjoy it. Isn't Isabel a trip ?!!! For that matter, aren't they ALL a trip!? You get the sense that despite the fact she seems to always be in trouble and always seems strung out that Isabel absolutely loves what she is doing as a private investigator. And there are rare moments of sentiment as well which harmonize with the comedy, like when she stopped the car on the way back from Uncle Ray's last "Lost Weekend" and had to wipe away the tears, and then ... "Izzy, can we get ice cream?" .... was that great writing or what!? Lutz has a rare natural wit that I find very refreshing. Did you know that Hollywood is already in the process of making the movie version?

[Fran]

I'm now into my third Spellman book and I'm really loving them .... not high literature to be sure but I did finish Ulysses so I feel entitled to a voyage into the mad, crazy, funny and off beat world the Spellmans inhabit.
They are such fun and Lisa Lutz writing style is delicious.
Definitely Jasper has competition .... come on Maud & Gannon give the Spellmans a go, you'll love them but, as with Jasper, if you're reading in public you may need to wrap the book in a brown paper cover or you image as an intellectual may suffer

I am SO glad that I didn't drop a bomb on you Fran. I always feel it is sort of touch-and-go as to whether a reader will like this series and I was afraid that after all my recommendations you would not enjoy it. Isn't Isabel a trip ?!!! For that matter, aren't they ALL a trip!? You get the sense that despite the fact she seems to always be in trouble and always seems strung out that Isabel absolutely loves what she is doing as a private investigator. And there are rare moments of sentiment as well which harmonize with the comedy, like when she stopped the car on the way back from Uncle Ray's last "Lost Weekend" and had to wipe away the tears, and then ... "Izzy, can we get ice cream?" .... was that great writing or what!? Lutz has a rare natural wit that I find very refreshing. Did you know that Hollywood is already in the process of making the movie version?

Hollywood - that does not surprise me .... I've been thinking it would make a great TV series, not so sure about a movie (so much to fit into so short a time frame). I do hope they are careful with casting, the wrong actors could destroy the gentle wit & style.
I totally agree Lutz has a unique and natural wit .... I love the gentle & subtle way she gets the jokes and witticisms in without hitting the reader over the head with them.
I'm loving the Irish Barman .... Ex-Boyfriend #12 ... and the mandatory lawyer dates

[Schmunzelmonster]

Thank you for the recommendation DATo. I like to read the Plum series by Janet Evanovich and the Culinary Mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson inbetween, but they are both getting repetitive so I am very much looking forward to the Spellman Files

[DATo]

Thank you for the recommendation DATo. I like to read the Plum series by Janet Evanovich and the Culinary Mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson inbetween, but they are both getting repetitive so I am very much looking forward to the Spellman Files :-)

Lutz's is often compared to Evanovich. Isabel Spellman and Stephanie Plum would probably make a good team as would Lutz and Evanovich. It would be fun to have Janet Evanovich and Lisa Lutz team up for a collaboration which would involve both of their star characters.

Let me know if you like the books so I will know whether or not to keep recommending them *LOL*

[Fran]

Finished off The Spellmans Strike Again .... just loved the punishment meted out to Rae (she is one funny/scary creation!) & she still gets accepted to Yale Loving her new boyfriend though
So sad Morty is RIP
Not happy with the stereotypical Irish Barman though but I laughed myself silly at his "encounter" with Bernie

DATo .... I'm in your debt for the introduction to this crazy family

[DATo]

Finished off The Spellmans Strike Again .... just loved the punishment meted out to Rae (she is one funny/scary creation!) & she still gets accepted to Yale :lol: Loving her new boyfriend though :lol:
So sad Morty is RIP :(
Not happy with the stereotypical Irish Barman though but I laughed myself silly at his "encounter" with Bernie :lol:

DATo .... I'm in your debt for the introduction to this crazy family :lol: :lol:

I'm very happy to learn that you enjoyed the books. There are a couple more Spellman books out there but I haven't read them yet ... and it seems Lutz is in the process of writing another. I am going to take a Spellman break and come back to them later.

You will be pleased to learn that I brought Jasper home with me tonight. Picked up The Fourth Bear on my way home from work. I will be starting it tonight. We seem to agree on all things literary so I'm sure I will enjoy it. I am in YOUR debt as well for the many great recommendations you have given me.

Will be reporting on Jasper and his bear friends soon *L*

[Schmunzelmonster]

I finished the first Spellman and must admit I am not sure what to think. I do get Izzy and where she comes from, but the length this family goes through to hurt eachother is incomprehensible to me. I didn't think it was funny at all, but that's maybe because english is not my mothertongue.

SPOILERS That the brother was dating her best friend and that the missing person wasn't really missing was too obvious for my liking. And even Rae kidnapping didn't face me much. What I don't understand is how a family can come back from this deceptions.

I'll give the second installement a try and see if that works better for me. I contemplated long about posting, because you like these book so much and I don't want to tear them down, but then again, you asked me what I think about them. I guess I am just very set in what I believe how far family members should/can go in testing the love of others and that's why this book was hard for me to digest. I do believe in unconditional love, but I also think it's cruel to test it's limits.

[DATo]

I finished the first Spellman and must admit I am not sure what to think. I do get Izzy and where she comes from, but the length this family goes through to hurt eachother is incomprehensible to me. I didn't think it was funny at all, but that's maybe because english is not my mothertongue.

SPOILERS That the brother was dating her best friend and that the missing person wasn't really missing was too obvious for my liking. And even Rae kidnapping didn't face me much. What I don't understand is how a family can come back from this deceptions.

I'll give the second installement a try and see if that works better for me. I contemplated long about posting, because you like these book so much and I don't want to tear them down, but then again, you asked me what I think about them. I guess I am just very set in what I believe how far family members should/can go in testing the love of others and that's why this book was hard for me to digest. I do believe in unconditional love, but I also think it's cruel to test it's limits.

When posting a review never spare my, or anyone else's feelings. The only way people who read these boards will be well-informed is to post with total honesty - and you have done that. I admire you for it. But I think you have missed the point. These books are meant to be a comedy about a totally dysfunctional family. You must view their apparent mistreatment of each other in that light. Underneath it all you are made to feel aware that they really DO love each other and would rally together against any outside threat. I don't know which book you read but in each case you must ask yourself WHY they hurt (or work at cross-purposes to) each other and if you look deeply enough you will find that they hurt each other to help and protect the person(s) they are hurting. SPOLIER - Example: Rae disappears to bring the family back together again.

The first book I read was The Spellman's Strike Again and I too, like you, was not sure if I liked it or not because I had not yet gotten into "the groove" of Lutz's writing style and the whole Spellman "thing". This is why I wrote in my original post to this thread that I hesitated before writing a review. It was only after I had read Curse and Files that I got into it and offered my opinion that these books were worth a look. I think you have to let these characters, as well as the author, time to grow on you. Once again, as I posted in my original post - "these books are not for everyone" and they are certainly not "great literature" but in my opinion they are lots of fun, and that's why I recommend them.

Thanks for your comments !!! [:-)