The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

I read about 80 pages of this book on Monday night and then the remaining 280 last night. I was actually disappointed when the season finale of House came on because it meant I could only continue reading during commercials.

This was a great book. But it’s going to be one of those reviews that is sort of haphazard because it’s another one that’s particularly difficult to write about, for some reason.

I was about halfway through it when I realised that not much was happening - there was so much not happening that I didn’t even notice it at first. Most of the book is taken up with the description of Izzy and her life working at her parents’ PI office. Her family is hilarious - seriously, I laughed out loud (and hard) quite a few times. They tail each other, they bug each other’s rooms, they negotiate for everything. Okay, I can see that trying to describe it is not going to do it justice. Just trust me and pick up this book for the characterizations of Izzy and her family and the way they interact with one another - plus one or two interesting mysteries along the way (which are solved a little too smoothly, but the run up to them is so amazing that I can’t think of anything that would have lived up to it).

Except you, Louisa, because there is a good chance this book will be joining your next parcel.

My rating: A-