Izzy Spellman
Created by Lisa Lutz
It's a family affair...
Despite her habit of being arrested, ISABEL "IZZY" SPELLMAN may just be the "sane one" in her family.
Which may not be saying much.
She's the obstensible heroine (and narrator) of this entertaining comic series relating the hijinks of a family of private eyes. Izzy's father Albert started the San Francisco-based Spellman Investigations with his wife Olivia and his brother Ray when he retired from the police force, and he's enlisted his wife and two daughters, 30-year-old Izzy and 15-year-old Rae to fill out the ranks. The whole family chips in, except for older brother David, a successful attorney who'd rather have nothing to do with them.
And you sorta can see his point. Even if he is a tight ass. The Spellman clan is definitely peculiar, with more issues than a magazine rack. They all have their own little strenuously guarded secrets and there doesn't seem to be a door in the house without at least two or three locks on it, because they're all also as inquisitive as hell, merrily prying into each others' affairs. Rae is a Cheetos-chomping teen with a major jones for her middle-aged pal, deadpan SFPD inspector Henry Stone, the parents (and Ray) are prone to mysterious "disappearances," when they're not being over-protective, and Izzy's list of ex-boyfriends (and arrests) is staggering. And we won't even get into David's problems.
Adding to the fun, Izzy's wise-cracking narration is intersperesed with transcripts from "The Stone and Spellman Show," a series of recordings revealing Rae's obsession with Henry, who seems more or less oblivious.
But, through all the dysfunction and bickerings, misdirection and misunderstandings, not to mention the outright over-the-top zaniness, there's a sense of real warmth and affection here. Fans of Janet Evanovixh's Stephanie Plum or Michael Z. Lewin's Lunghi Detective Agency series will eat this one up.
NOVELS
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
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