Review
The First Keri Armstrong Mystery
Running a personal concierge service Keri Armstrong helps a variety of people get things done. Whether it's simply spending time with someone in a nursing home, making travel arrangements, picking up groceries, or planning parties and events Keri and her employees do it all! Keri is looking forward to spending the morning chatting over tea and strudel with Fiona, her favorite client. She's curious as the day before Fiona said she wanted to discuss something with her, but refused to share any details over the phone. However, when Keri arrives the front door is unlocked, the house quiet. When Keri's calls go unanswered she heads upstairs only to find Fiona dead, her room in a shambles. While Keri is distraught, seeing Fiona as a friend and mentor as well as a client, she soon learns that others were not so fond of the woman, a woman who apparently held more than her share of secrets. As the police begin to investigate Keri starts to wonder who could have killed Fiona and why now, a week before her eightieth birthday, while also hoping the police don't find her a plausible suspect.
I really enjoyed the first Keri Armstrong Mystery. Keri is smart, helpful, and has an open mind. She's able to realize she may have been mistaken, even about her friend Fiona. We didn't get to learn too much about her employees, especially Staz. Purdy's social life gave me a giggle and I hope to discover more about these two in future books. I found Lora to be a bit annoying, but I liked Pam and I really enjoyed the friendship these three women share.
Nefarious dealings and red herrings added interest and complexity to the mystery. It was fascinating learning more about the various suspects and watching as various schemes started to unravel.
Strong characters and an intriguing mystery make MURDER PAYS A CALL a great start to a new series.
**********************************************************************
Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery by Nancy J Cohen
About Murder Pays A Call
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Florida
Publisher: Orange Grove Press
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
Print length: 290 pages
“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.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.
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.
Author Links:
Website: https://nancyjcohen.com
Blog: https://nancyjcohen.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJCohenAuthor
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancyjcohen
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nancyjcohen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyjcohen
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancyjcohen
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/njcohen/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nancy-j-cohen
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@NancyJCohen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/nancyjcohen
BUY LINKS Universal Link Amazon Kindle Amazon Print Apple Books Barnes & Noble Nook Barnes & Noble Print Google Play Kobo Bookshop.org or Indiebound Books A Million
No comments:
Post a Comment