Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery by Nancy J Cohen
About Murder Pays A Call
Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Florida
Publisher : Orange Grove Press
Publication date : September 9, 2025
Print length : 290 pages
ISBN-10 : 1952886376 ISBN-13 : 978-1952886379 Digital ASIN : B0F8NNP8NN
Personal concierge Keri Armstrong will accept almost any job, but solving murders wasn’t on her to-do list—until now.
When personal concierge Keri Armstrong swings by her favorite client’s mansion to drop off groceries, she expects a heartfelt chat along with a cup of tea—not Fiona Sullivan dead in bed and her room ransacked. Though police chalk it up to a botched robbery, Keri isn’t so sure. Whispers around town suggest Fiona wasn’t as adored as Keri had believed, and many of the philanthropist’s so-called friends in affluent Sunny Grove, Florida seem glad she’s gone.
Keri refuses to let Fiona’s memory be reduced to malicious gossip. Armed with a keen eye, insider access, and a fully charged tablet, she sets out to uncover the truth. Soon her file of suspects grows faster than her to-do list. Between sneaky neighbors, resentful relatives, and tight-lipped charity board members, Fiona left behind a trail of frenemies who’d happily skip her memorial brunch.
As Keri digs deeper, she discovers her late mentor had a gift for extracting people’s secrets and using them like fine china—carefully storing them until they could serve a purpose. But Fiona also kept a few skeletons in her own walk-in closet. Now, with danger creeping closer, Keri must race to crack the case before her number comes up next… and Murder Pays a Call.
“A page-turner of a mystery from one of my favorite authors. Cohen’s deft mastery of the cozy genre shines through in every scene, delighting readers with another engrossing whodunit.” Muddy Rose Reviews “Fans of award-winning author Nancy J. Cohen’s long-running Bad Hair Day Mysteries will be thrilled to learn there’s a new sleuth in town. Murder Pays a Call is the debut book in her Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery Series featuring a personal concierge who adds solving murders to the services she offers her clients.” – Lois Winston, author of the bestselling and award-winning Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.
EXCERPT:
She shoved aside her thoughts as she drove to the grocery store to pick up a quick meal for dinner, since she thought Lora had plans. As she browsed the prepared seafood selections, a man addressed her from behind.
“Hey, Keri. How’s the arm feeling?”
Startled, she whirled around and took stock of the cute doctor from the E.R. Away from work, Dr. Worthington looked hot in jeans and a polo shirt. Judging from his muscled arms, he exercised in his off hours. His thick dark brown hair brushed his brow, making her want to feel its texture. She couldn’t help the swell of warmth that suffused her veins.
“Good to see you again, Dr. Worthington. My arm is doing well, thanks.”
“Call me Matt. Are you coming from work? I should stop by your agency sometime to check it out.” His cocoa eyes regarded her with a glimmer of interest.
“That would be great.” She gave him an inane smile. “I’m here to pick up a quick dinner. This salmon looks good.” She grabbed a container with a salmon fillet and braised Brussel sprouts for roasting in the oven. “Do you like to cook, or are you here for fast food like me?” That was a dumb thing to ask but it just popped out of her mouth.
He grinned, showing his even white teeth. “With my erratic hours, I need food that’s easy to prepare. Maybe we should get dinner out together one night.”
“Yes, I’d like that.” Blushing like a schoolgirl, she uttered a few awkward words before exchanging phone numbers with him and moving on.
What was wrong with her? She’d turned into a total teenager in his presence. Even saying his name in her head made her blood surge.
Unwilling to acknowledge her reaction, she headed home to relax and get comfortable. Since Lora was out, she had the place to herself. Grateful for the privacy, she put her meal in the oven and entered her bedroom to get changed. A legal-sized manila envelope lay on top of her bedspread, along with a note from Lora.
I picked this up at the front desk the other day and left it in your home office, but you may not have seen it. I’d forgotten about it until I went in there for some paper clips. Sorry; I hope it’s not too important.
Her heart lurched when she noticed the return address came from a lawyer. Hopefully, none of her clients were suing her. She tore open the seal with shaky fingers, and a leather-bound book slid out along with a scribbled note from the attorney.
Fiona Sullivan requested this item be mailed to you in the event of her death.
Her eyes widened as she recognized Fiona’s ledger. Fiona must have given it to the lawyer for safekeeping. But why had she made him wait until after her death to send it out?
Sinking onto the bed, Keri smoothed her hands over the worn cover. With bated breath, she opened the book and thumbed through its pages.
She scanned the entries, noting the sources that said Dad. Perhaps Fiona hadn’t wanted Keri to learn about her past. This would make it a lot easier to separate out the goods Crogher had given his daughter. Those needed further research into their provenance.
Another question begged an answer. How come Fiona had sent this to her instead of Diane? Fiona couldn’t have known Diane would hire Keri to help dispose of things.
Unless … Fiona had sent it to Keri because she didn’t trust Diane.
AUTHOR GUEST POST:
Setting and Suspicions
Nancy J. Cohen
An interesting setting in a murder mystery can set the mood and enhance the suspense. For my series starter, MURDER PAYS A CALL, I modeled the affluent town of Sunny Grove, Florida after the real city of Winter Park. Located just north of Orlando, this suburban location boasts a historic downtown, stately mansions, museums, and a shopping district popular with tourists. Real estate is expensive, but the southern charm and semi-tropical ambiance attract buyers.
Established in 1858, the town’s original purpose was to become a winter refuge for northerners. Its shady trees, series of lakes, brick-lined streets and flowering shrubs made it a park-like environment, hence the town’s name. Rollins College was founded there in 1885 for liberal arts education, and it’s consistently listed as one of America’s best colleges.
The city’s Central Park is a large, grassy square in the center of town where residents walk babies and small dogs in strollers, attend art festivals, listen to music on the bandstand, or shop and eat in the boutiques and restaurants lining the avenue. Central Park also has a rose garden, where you can sit on a bench and listen to the toot of a train from the nearby Amtrak station.
If you’re looking for other places to visit, the Morse Museum is famous for its collection of Tiffany glass. You can also take a tranquil boat tour of the lakes a few walkable blocks from downtown, visit the historic Casa Feliz Historic Home, or go window shopping along Park Avenue. The big draws for me are the restaurants and gift shops along with the historic architecture.
For my story, I twisted proper names so that Park Avenue becomes Broad Street. My sleuth, Keri Armstrong, owns a personal concierge agencylocated there. Across the street is Central Park, same as the real one. However, my restaurant names are fictional and so is the location for the police station. That’s the advantage of using a fictional setting instead of a real one. You can place buildings or businesses wherever you want them and redefine the layouts to suit your purpose. However, readers can still recognize the real places that you mention. This allows them to vicariously visit a place where they’ve been or have wanted to go.
A setting can easily become sinister if you describe it the right way. When Keri gets involved in solving a client’s murder, she puts herself in danger. Here’s an excerpt as an example:
Feeling overburdened by so many things on her mind, she locked the office and strode toward the parking lot around the corner. Away from the restaurant scene, the street was quiet. Overhanging tree branches blocked the light from streetlamps and cast skeletal-like shadows on the building walls.
A car engine idled nearby, and yet none of the cars parked along the curb had their headlights on. Goose bumps rose on her arms, and her pulse rocketed. John Beekman had said she and Pam were being watched. Was this one of his people keeping tabs on her?
She picked up speed, anxious to reach her Honda, but an uneven ledge of pavement caught her shoe and made her stumble. She regained her balance and hurried on just as a roar hit her ears.
She turned to see a pair of headlights flashing in her eyes as a car headed directly toward her.
Any setting can be made to create a certain mood. In Sunny Grove, society’s elite citizens hide their secrets behind the doors of their imposing mansions. The town’s façade as a winter playground and tourist mecca dissolve quickly when murder and mayhem erupt. And of course, we can count on Kerito pitch in and determine whodunit.
What kind of setting for a mystery appeals to you?
About Nancy J. Cohen
Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail and the Keri Armstrong cozy mysteries. Her books have won numerous awards including her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook. Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.
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