Black Thursday

September 1, 2014
Maddie Michaels, a star on the blogosphere as Mrs. Frugalicious, is back in this smart series and ready for a TV appearance on the evening of Thanksgiving (Black Thursday). All of her in-laws have arrived for the holiday, making the situation with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Frank, awkward, as he now lives in the basement. Maddie is also dealing with a heckler on her blog, Contrary Claire. At the Black Thursday event, a member of Maddie's fan group, called Frugarmy, is killed under a falling pallet of toasters. Although Maddie continues to get nasty messages from her heckler, Cathy, the murder victim, shares initials with Contrary Claire. Maddie investigates the crime while going on with her TV appearances, and Frank proves to be supportive. Maddie's shopping tips and family scenes, especially those with her clever teen twin sons, add to the ambience and help make this a fun and savvy mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)