The Spellman Files ***

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz is the story of Isabel Spellman, a woman born into a family of private investigators. Isabel has shown interest in the family business since she was eavesdropping on her elementary school peers, and she has worked for her family since the age of twelve. Although this life seems ideal for Isabel, the Spellman home is not an easy one to live in. Being employed by her mother and father is a problem in itself, but when she finds out that her telephone has been wired a true battle begins. In the midst of this are her siblings, her perfect older brother David who has left the family business to become a lawyer, and her younger sister Rae who is addicted to two things: sugar and recreational surveillance. Uncle Ray just adds to the tension. When he is not aggravating Rae, named after him after he was diagnosed with cancer, he leaves on what has become known to the Spellmans as, “Lost Weekends.” This means that he has run off to a motel somewhere to drink and play poker and needs to be picked up in a day or two. When you add all of this chaos to the fact that her parents are following her twenty- four seven and she is working on a case from fifteen years ago, you come up with the craziness of Isabel Spellman’s life. But when Rae goes missing while on a “recreational surveillance” venture all other problems are forgotten until Rae is located and returned home safely. With a family of private investigators, how hard can it be to find a fourteen year old?

Keira G.

Per. 2