Lisa Lutz, The Spellman Files

The Spellman Files

Lisa Lutz

Simon & Schuster, Mar 2007, $25.00

ISBN: 1416532390

In San Francisco Isabel Spellman has worked in the family business since she was twelve years old. However, the down side of being part of a family of private investigators is that her nosy parents have access to check into her dates though she is now twenty-eight years old. Still, working for Spellman Investigations is an easy way to make a living.

However, to the shock of her siblings, her Uncle Ray and her parents, Izzy falls in love with a dentist of all things; worse, a Bush-loving dentist. Her parents worry she is setting a bad example for her fourteen-year-old younger sister Rae who is the Bay area's greatest barterer. Her older brother David the attorney is pleased to a degree with a dentist as he figures on discounts though he has not sunk his teeth into the man's background. However, Uncle Ray has vanished again so this no time to think about love as Izzy is assigned as always to find him. Rae is hired to follow Izzy to uncover the identity of the mystical dentist while Izzy is assigned a cold case to resolve. Life is normal amidst the Spellmans until Rae vanishes and the get Smart tapes must go on pause.

This is a fun, private-investigative chick lit tale that will have readers chuckling at the antics of the zaniest family since the Sycamores rooted their shtick in You Can't Take It with You. The storyline is driven by Izzy as she drives everyone around her dizzy with her antics. Fans of lighthearted, amusing capers will appreciate this interesting thriller that showcases a grown-up Nancy Drew trying to get a life outside her bugging family.

Harriet Klausner