The Spellman Files, Lisa Lutz

I am not sure how i felt about this book.

This statement is not a reflection of how i felt about the novel as much as the fact that i was suckered into reading book one of a series.? as a standalone book, i enjoyed it. as a series, i think i would rather step on a nail. there are 4 more books..

This is not to say that i did not enjoy The Spellman Files. I did enjoy it, i would recommend it to others. Four more novels (with likely more on the way) that is quite an investment of time to move forward into something i found enjoyable, but not stellar. yet, i already know the characters, i know their personalities and quirks. it seems natural to move to the next in the list.

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The Spellman Files revolves around a screwed up family of the same name. the mother and father own a detective agency, and instead of using the TV as a baby sitter, they bring their kids in on the business. From an early age, the spellman kids learn how to professionally stalk people. they learn how to do background checks and process data. they get really good at it. something like that can fuck you up… but humorously. it is told from the perspective of Izzy Spellman, family fuckup. She is prefers using windows over doors, she has smoked some of “the pot” and obsesses over the tv series “Get Smart”, wishing she could be part of the evil organization KAOS.

the characters were tangible, understandable, and other “ble” words. you get brought into the folds of their family and you watch as characters (d)evolve into their next variations of self. unfortunately, it almost seems that you keep reading due to only to the loose humor and obsessive characteristics of Izzy.? It takes more than 3/4 of the book to bring around more details brought up in chapter one, and as a result, a? lot of time is spent wondering “why am i reading this?”

i felt compelled to finish reading the Spellman Files, but only so that i could have plot closure and move onto something a bit less silly. I kept hoping that the main character would get arrested.

I hate to say it, but no matter how much i enjoyed the book, i was just glad when i finished reading it.

unfortunately, now i have to make a decision at a later time.. do i read the next book or do i write this off. as a standalone, the characters are solid. do i think that a whole series should have spawned from them, not really.
if i do move on to book two, i seriously cross my fingers that i will be impressed and not utterly disappointed. in a nutshell, good book, check it out, make your own decision about moving forward to book 2.

Author’s website: http://lisalutz.com