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When Mr. Frank “Finance” Michaels trusts the wrong person with his nest egg, he falls prey to a monumental Ponzi scheme, think Bernie Madoff, his wife Maddie steps in to do everything she can to keep up appearances with their social class. Mrs. Frugalicious was born as Maddie started a blog and website for bargain hunters complete with paid advertisers. That with her frugal shopping is keeping her family afloat.

While out researching “frugasm”-worthy deals on holiday shopping for teens, she hits the mall. She finds a bunch of bargains at Eternally 21. Taking notes and lining up her purchases draws the interest of the store manager, Laila DeSimone. Laila thinks Maddie is the shoplifter the mall management has alerted them to watch for and quickly calls security. She is hauled away until she makes the security officer to understand she didn’t steal anything! When Maddie returns to the store to make her purchases her day goes from bad to worse when the manager “expires” right in front of her and the police tag her their prime suspect. Can she save herself? It’s going to take more than a double off coupon!

Dollycas’s Thoughts
What a fun debut!!

Who doesn’t want to save money? Add a murder to the shopping trip and some colorful characters and you have the start of a wonderful mystery.

Maddie is working so hard to keep her family’s head above water with two growing teenage boys and husband that can’t seem to realize the financial disaster he has created. He has a financial program that airs on the local channel and his viewers can’t find out the enormous mistake he made. Especially now that he is being courted by a network that wants to take his show national. He continues to spend, spend, spend while Maddie is clipping coupons and hitting the stores on triple coupon days. Readers will love Maddie!

The author has created a great group of primary characters and surrounded them with a very interesting group of supporting characters, both human and animal. She has put them into fantastic situations that will not only test you to figure out whodunit but will have you chuckling out loud as Maddie goes in circles trying to track down the killer herself.

The only thing I didn’t like in the writing was Maddie having a conversation with herself planning out what she was going to say to someone in advance of having the actual conversion. She did this a few times and it really detracted with the flow of the story.

Linda Joffe Hull is off to a good start with this series. A solid mystery that includes money saving advice we can all use. Looking forward to the next spree with Mrs. Frugalicious.