Murder Pays a Call by Nancy J. Cohen

Item: Murder Pays a Call
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted September 30, 2025 by BaronessMom in Mystery, Review / 1 Comment

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder Pays a Call

by Nancy J. Cohen

Series: Keri Armstrong Mysteries #1
Series Rating:

Published by Orange Grove Press on September 9, 2025
Setting: Florida
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 319
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Author
Goodreads
Bookhype
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Google, BookShop.org, Nook

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.

Murder Pays a Call by Nancy J. Cohen is a fantastic read. I love everything.

Will Kerri figure out what happened to Fiona?

Keri Armstrong

Our sleuth is Keri Armstrong. She runs a personal concierge agency in Florida. So, she really doesn’t have much time to investigate. However, when a client asks you to do something that is covered in your business slogan, you do it.

Keri is a go-getter who could be considered a workaholic by some. Yet, I think I like to think of her as driven to achieve her goals. She also isn’t good at taking care of herself, which is funny since that’s what she does for her clients. Oh, and the people who remind her of this throughout the story.

I like Keri, her friends, and staff. Keri is so believable and not perfect, which makes her even more realistic. I would totally be friends with her. Ms. Cohen creates these awesome characters that jump off the page and into our hearts.

The Mystery

Keri’s favorite client at the time is Fiona, a wealthy elderly lady whom Keri assists with a wide range of things, from helping her liquidate her collections to online banking and driving Fiona to appointments. Of course, there is some party planning in there, too. Keri finds that Fiona has passed away at home, but Fiona’s bedroom has been tossed. Keri doesn’t know how to process the loss, but Fiona’s heir asks Keri to help figure out what happened. Once Keri starts speaking with the suspects, she becomes the target.

Then Fiona’s neighbor dies suddenly. Are the two incidents connected? Keri is on the case; either way, along with her college friends and staff members, they try to figure out the connection. I enjoyed the dynamics of the clients who use Keri’s service and the way she gets recommended by clients. Keri’s agency is all about connections, and boy, does she make them in this first installment.

Five Stars

My rating for Murder Pays a Call by Nancy J. Cohen is five stars. Ms. Cohen has chosen a brilliant setting to place her elegantly crafted characters. I love the mystery, with all the twists and turns. Seriously, the culprit’s reasoning is highly flawed and totally caught me off guard. Yet, I think it is fantastic. I highly recommend this book to all you cozy readers. Ms. Cohnen is a fabulous storyteller.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder Pays a Call by Nancy J. Cohen.

Baroness’ Book Trove is an Amazon affiliate, meaning that if you make a purchase, this blog receives a small percentage of the sale. Primarily, this helps offset the website’s costs and a few giveaways.

About Nancy J. Cohen

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers’ Favorite gold medal, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy’s instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won a gold medal at the President’s Book Awards from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys cooking, fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping.