The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz is a character-driven novel. Isabel, Rae, David, and Uncle Ray have distinct personalities that over-shine the meager plot Lisa Lutz has created thus far. I am one hundred pages into the book and could not tell you what has happened. The book is mostly anecdotes about the characters from Isabel's point of view. I am not complaining though, because these are round characters with unique and bizarre personalities.
David is Isabel's older brother who always bribes or blackmails Isabel into going on blind dates with his lawyer friends. Their mother bribes David to bribe Isabel because she disapproves of Isabel's romantic choices. Rae blackmails Isabel into picking her up early from sleepaway camp with some "dirt" she gathered on Isabel on their last mission. Also, the Spellman parents bribe Rae with an expensive new video camera to be polite to their Uncle Ray. Rae has a feud with Uncle Ray for unclear reasons. Uncle Ray frequently goes on "Lost Weekends" in which he disappears for days on end in a mysterious location to drink and gamble.
In brief, there is a lot of bribing and blackmailing going on within the Spellman family, which I find hilarious. The Spellman Files is a romp of fun.
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