Eternally 21: A Mrs. Frugalicious Shopping Mystery

Assured, if occasionally over-the-top, this first in a new amateur sleuth series from Hull (Big Bang) introduces Maddie Michaels, wife of Denver’s Channel Three TV finance personality, “Frank Finance.” Maddie has two jobs: personal assistant to her devoted-to-appearances husband, who lost most of the family’s wealth in a Ponzi scheme, and as “Mrs. Frugalicious,” an online extreme-couponing adviser. When Laila DeSimone, the manager of an apparel store called Eternally 21 falsely identifies Maddie as a shoplifter, Maddie becomes a suspect in Laila’s subsequent murder. Other suspects range from retired clowns Mr. and Mrs. Piggeldy and their monkey to Eternally 21 assistant manager Tara Hu and her techy boyfriend, all of whom disliked the abrasive Laila. Maddie’s fitness regimen, worries over her husband’s possible affair, and interactions with her twin teen sons flesh out a character whom readers will be pleased to follow. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG Agency. (June)