Some times it is hard to pick out a book for another reader.
If that reader likes a good mystery with some fiction behind the scenes
add Linda Joffe Huff to the list of books to pick up for Christmas this year.

Bio:

That Linda Joffe Hull’s father thought it well advised to read Kafka in general, and The Metamorphosis in particular, to his then eight-year-old daughter is a question better left for the therapist’s couch. As a result however, Linda was bitten by the literary bug.

Always an avid reader, she ignored the corresponding compulsion to write receiving a B.A. in Economics from UCLA, embarking on a career in sales and diving headlong into the all-encompassing job of motherhood.

Thanks to the encouragement of her family and the support of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers she finally gave in to the unavoidable urge and finally sat down in front of the computer.

Linda is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri, but currently resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband and children. She is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and is currently on the board of Mystery Writers of America.

Eternally 21 (Book 1)

Coupon-clipping Mrs. Frugalicious gets more than she bargained for

After Mr. Frank “Finance” Michaels loses the family’s financial nest egg in a Ponzi scheme, his wife Maddie does whatever she can to help keep up the appearance that everything is financially fine. When she starts a bargain hunter’s blog under the alias Mrs. Frugalicious, her website becomes a viral hit with a growing “frugarmy” of budget advice seekers.

While Maddie is researching “frugasm”-worthy deals on holiday shopping for teens, Eternally 21 store manager Laila DeSimone mistakenly accuses her of shoplifting. Then her day goes from bad to worse when Laila expires on the floor. Since Laila was a universally disliked manager, the murder suspect list is longer than Maddie’s bargain spreadsheet. But when evidence points to Maddie as the prime suspect, she must track down the real culprit. Can she uncover the truth before police throw away her get-out-of-jail-free coupon for good?

Black Thursday (Book 2)

A bad deal for Mrs. Frugalicious

When Maddie Michaels, AKA Mrs. Frugalicious, is invited to take a local news crew with her on a Black Friday shopping expedition, she’s excited to show viewers at home how to score the season’s best savings. Despite a negative comment from Contrary Claire– the sole naysayer in her growing Frugarmy–Maddie is hopeful her first TV appearance will be a bargain-savvy success.

But Black Friday eve takes a bleak turn when a shopper is crushed beneath a pallet of toasters. After learning that the victim could be Contrary Claire, it becomes clear that Claire has made more than one enemy. Maddie finds herself dealing once again with a murder investigation. Will she catch the killer before someone else is slashed like a sale price?

Sweetheart Deal (Book 3)

Now the star of her own reality show, The Family Frugalicious, Maddie Michaels heads south of the border with her family to cover bargain destination weddings at a swank, but budget friendly, Mexican resort. Things get a little too real when timeshare sales manager Alejandro Espinoza makes a play for Maddie one evening and ends up floating dead in the pool the next. Was it an accident or a preplanned part of the Mrs. Frugalicious storyline?

When the show’s producers extend the trip so she, her all-but-ex Frank, and the kids can investigate—not to mention get enough footage for a two-part, Emmy-worthy episode—Maddie fears she’s in way more agua caliente than she ever bargained for.

Linda Joffe Huff has two other books:  The Big Bang and Frog Kisses.
Depending on your reader you could add those to the list.