The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz from Simon and Schuster 2007
I decided to read The Spellman Files because the upcoming book for our group is The Trail of the Spellman. Ms Lutz does a wonderful job with the characters and I love Isabel. She is easy to relate to, however, I don't think there are many out there that aspire to be like her. The Spellman are the ultimate dysfunctional family but a lot of fun at the same time. The Spellman Files was an easy read making for light reading before bed. My only problem was the footnotes from Isabel, since the book was written in the first person, because I found them distracting and truthfully they don't add much to the story.
The Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz from Simon and Schuster 2008
The Curse of the Spellmans is a wonderful followup to The Spellman Files. What I really like about Ms Lutz's Spellman series is you don't necessarily need to read the books in order or all of the books for that matter. The books are done in such a way they can be read in isolation, however, they are a lot more fun when done in order of the series. The Curse of the Spellmans picks up a couple of years after The Spellman Files left off and continues to draw the reader into Isabel's wacky world. Again the characters are loveable with Isabel being the star of the show, but Rae could easily carry the series herself if the books continue that long.
The Spellman Strike Again by Lisa Lutz from Simon and Schuster 2010
Another side splitting caper from Ms. Lutz! Even though I've read this book out of order, Revenge of the Spellman comes first, I don't feel that I've missed much. There is a wonderful amount of information that is repeated in each of the Spellman Files books that allows for the reader to pick up just about any of them and dive in. While I find the footnotes from Isabel annoying at times, if you are starting with this book then they do help explain some of the history as does the appendix. The way the information is repeated across the Spellman Files books does not make it boring, as there is always a new spin on it. I particularly like how Isabel will occasionally advise the reader that if they want more information on a certain topic they probably should go read the previous books.
The Revenge of the Spellman by Lisa Lutz from Simon and Schuster 2009
The Revenge of the Spellmans was the perfect followup to the Curse of the Spellman. As I mentioned in my previous review, I read this book after The Spellman Strike Again meaning out of order. While It helps to read all of the Spellman books I didn't find that my reading experience was diminished. As much as I might rile against the footnotes and the appendix, these additions to the books allow you to read out of order or just one.
The Trail of the Spellman by Lisa Lutz from Simon and Schuster 2012
I found this rendition of the Spellman files to be a bit of a departure from the 4 previous "documents." This novel focused on a few key cases and explored interesting topics allowing for a much more in depth relationship with the secondary characters. My comments on the previous four books hold true for this one, however, it was more developed with Isabel having a much more stable life. The treatment of the Vivian Blake case after it is discovered//assumed she is adopted was handled very well and I was especially please by Isabel's advice to Vivian when she presented her with the envelope that could potentially answer several questions. Of the 5 Spellman file books if you only have time to read one this is the one I recommend you read.
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