Lisa Lutz has written several stand-alone novels as well as six books in the "Spellman Files." She has won an Alex Award for this book (best adult novel with appeal for young adults), awarded by a division of the American Library Association, and has been nominated for an Edgar. This is the debut novel (2006) in the "Spellman Files" series; I read a review of a later installment but wanted to start at the beginning to get a flavor for the characters. I think the author herself offers a wonderful overview:
"In THE SPELLMAN FILES you first meet Isabel 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 Isabel. 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."
Kirkus calls this book a "spirited, funny debut from screenwriter Lutz that mixes chick-lit, mystery and a dose of TV nostalgia." The protagonist is addicted to Get Smart re-runs.They continue, "It’s all casual, swift and hip. But an underpinning of reality, the complex emotions of growing up and letting go, shows through occasionally, warming up this hilarious debut." Publishers Weekly offers, ""Cracking the case can get complicated and outrageously wacky when a family of detectives is involved, but Lutz has a blast doing it in her delicious debut...Can the family that snoops together stay together? Stay tuned as a dynamic new series unfolds."
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