By: Nancy J. Cohen
Series: Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Publisher: Orange Grove Press
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.
I’m good, thank you. Thanks for inviting me here.
You’re welcome. I’m happy you could stop by. Please introduce yourself to readers.
I’m twenty-eight and single. I own a personal concierge agency in Sunny Grove, Florida, which is just north of Orlando. A personal concierge is different from a personal assistant. The latter usually works for one person and receives a salary. In my role, I’m an independent contractor with multiple clients, and I charge an hourly fee. I am certified as a Professional Personal Concierge, and I belong to the National Concierge Association.
What does this mean? It means I can do almost any task to make your life easier. Unfortunately, I’ve become as busy as I was in my previous job, even with two staff members helping to carry the load. I know I need to slow down, but I’m still building my reputation in town. And I want to do my best for clients. As for my interests, I like meeting friends for walks around Central Park, dining out, and watching rom-coms on TV. I don’t really have much downtime anyway.
Regarding my love life, I was burned once and have a hard time trusting men. However, I’ve just met two guys who are interesting enough that I may take a chance on them.
It’s great to meet you. Can you please tell us about some people we’ll meet in your story?
Zoey is my older sister. She’s married and has two kids. I go to their house for the holidays and like to play with my niece and nephew.
Purdy, a former accountant, is the agency’s finance manager. He’s a stickler for the bottom line and makes sure we all log in our work hours. But although he’s staid and solemn at work, he parties on the weekends and likes to meet women. Then there’s Staz, our IT expert. She yearns to be an event planner at a luxury resort. Staz has an artsy side that complements her brainy intellect.
You’ll also meet my best friends. Pam is a reporter who helps me chase down the facts. She writes for the Sunny Grove Gazette and would like to do more serious pieces rather than covering society events. Lora, my other bestie, is more emotional and is always breaking up with her loser boyfriends, but she’s loyal and supportive.
And speaking of boyfriends, I’ve just met Dr. Matt during an unexpected visit to the emergency room. And Chef Jarek hired me to plan his restaurant launch. They’re the interesting men I meet in this story, and I’m tempted to dip my toes into the dating pool again.
Sounds like a great group of people. Tell me about a defining moment in your life.
I was busy in a fast-track marketing career when my mother started complaining of headaches. She saw various doctors who couldn’t find anything wrong. They wrote it off as depression after my dad had died from a heart attack. Then when she died unexpectedly from a stroke, I was devastated. If I had taken her for one more consultation, she might have been properly diagnosed, but I’d been too focused on my job.
It wasn’t long before I started getting palpitations, and I worried about having heart disease myself. Getting laid off from my job turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I used my inheritance money to buy a condo in downtown Sunny Grove and to establish my agency. If I’d had help with some of my mundane chores while working full-time, maybe I would have spent more time with my mother. At least I could fill this need for others to give them more leisurely hours to spend with loved ones.
Sorry for your loss. What’s your most prized possession?
That would be my mother’s hand-written recipes that she compiled in a binder. I don’t have time to make meals and tend to be a grab ’n go person, but someday I’d like to recreate my mother’s dishes and have a family of my own. Meanwhile, this collection brings back a flood of happy memories.
Why do you feel the need to put on your sleuthing hat and investigate murders?
If a friend or client is the victim or is wrongly accused, I feel I owe it to them to seek justice. Most people wouldn’t care, but I see it as a duty. In a way, it’s a calling the same as my serving other people’s needs as their personal concierge.
What can readers expect from Murder Pays a Call?
It’s an entertaining story that will provide a few hours of escape from reality. We all need an outlet to relieve stress, and diving into a good book can ease your mind. You’ll learn more about me and see that I’m still a work in progress. I’m not perfect, but that gives me room to grow. I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know me.
Keri, thank you so much for your time.
Thanks again for inviting me!
You’re welcome. It was nice getting to know you.
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.
“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.
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Thank you for the interview and for hosting me here!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you so much for doing it and for stopping by. Congratulations on the new book.
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