Narrator Isabel Spellman is a private investigator with her parents’ private detective firm Spellman Investigations in San Francisco. Izzy started working as a P.I. when she was only twelve and never wanted to do anything else. Izzy has a perfect brother David, two years older. In classic sibling birth order fashion, Izzy always knew she couldn’t equal perfect David so she chose not to try and instead to be bad, really bad as in committing vandalism and abusing alcohol and drugs. Now at 28, she’s pretty much cleaned up her act, but her ability with interpersonal relationships leaves much to be desired. She still lives in her parents’ home, albeit in an upstairs apartment.

When Izzy was fourteen, her younger sister Rae was born. Izzy reacted in full sibling rivalry mode, and fourteen years later, she is still conflicted over her little sister. Rae began working for Spellman Investigations when she was only eight. Coming from such a family, it’s not surprising that Rae indulges in some precocious behavior.

Another family member is Uncle Ray. (Rae was named for Ray when it was feared he was dying from cancer.) Ray is an alcoholic and addicted to gambling and loose women. From time to time, he goes missing while he succumbs to vice, in what Izzy calls a Lost Weekend. He turns up later, wasted and broke.

As the book begins, it appears that Rae has disappeared. In spite of her mixed emotions, Izzy loves her baby sister and is desperate to find her.

Yes, this is a family that puts the “fun” back into “dysfunctional.”

Rather than a coherent plot, The Spellman Files is made up of a series of disordered episodes. (The chapter titles and numbers reflect the disorganization.) Izzy provides detailed family history. She reminisces about her misspent youth. She lists her ex-boyfriends and reasons for breaking up. She recounts meeting dentist Daniel Castillo and beginning a relationship with him with lies and eccentric activities. (Their strongest connection is a mutual fondness for the old TV series, Get Smart.) She fumes over surveillance by her parents. She meets with a police detective about Rae’s disappearance. It’s smart, it’s funny, but it isn’t enough to maintain momentum in a 300-plus page book.

There are two anemic mystery plots. One, Rae’s disappearance. Two, a decade-old case about a missing teenager which is supposed to be Izzy’s last case before quitting Spellman Investigations. By the end, both fizzle out.

What does work well is Izzy’s narration. It carries the book farther than might be expected in the absence of much of a plot. Izzy’s sense of humor – sometimes laugh-out-loud funny – and the overall wackiness of the characters cannot compensate for the lack of a viable plot, but they do provide a decent enjoyment factor. The characters do have promise, and there is a feel that this book is launching a series.

Fans of Janet Evanovitch’s Stephanie Plum series might be interested in checking out The Spellman Files. Readers who are looking for a solid mystery novel are likely to be disappointed.

--Lesley Dunlap