Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery by Nancy J Cohen. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery
by Nancy J Cohen
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
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.
Author Guest Post: Planning a Series Starter
Book One in a new mystery series requires extra attention to details that will carry over to subsequent stories. Not only are you creating new characters, but you’re establishing a setting that you’ll potentially be visiting for several years. It helps if it’s a place you’d want to spend time in, whether real or fictional.
While the main characters can be people you want as your friends, they don’t have to start out that way. Giving them flaws so they can learn and grow makes them human. For MURDER PAYS A CALL, I started with my protagonist, Keri Armstrong. To give her an interesting job, I made her a personal concierge with her own agency.
Why did she choose this career? Her mother died of a stroke and her father of a heart attack. When she began experiencing palpitations at her high-pressure marketing job, she realized she’d better slow down. Moreover, she was missing out on the things in life that mattered. Helping other people gain more leisure time to spend with family became her new goal.
I decided to set the series in Central Florida where I now live. This makes things easier to research. I’m in the greater Orlando area that boasts attractions, parks, historic sites, and museums. Keri’s agency is located on Broad Street in the affluent town of Sunny Grove, which is modeled after the real city of Winter Park. Tourists and residents alike flock to this location with its trendy boutiques and restaurants.
Next, I invented Keri’s friends, family and colleagues who will populate my stories. She has her bestie Lora, who always falls for the wrong guy. Pam is a reporter with a news hound’s instincts. Then there’s Purdy, the financial manager at Keri’s agency. He shows a staid personality during the day but parties at night. And Staz, their IT whiz, has an artsy side. Of course, each mystery has its own cast of quirky suspects.
World building is critically important for the first book in a series, because it sets the foundation for each book to come. It’s helpful to record this info so you have a story “bible” to carry forward. Then by the time you begin book two, it’s like jumping into a familiar environment with a set of characters who are already friends.
Do you prefer shorter series or long-running ones? How do you catch up with the backlist when you discover a new series that you like?
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
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Barnes & Noble Nook
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Do you have a favorite Cozy mystery series? What is it? Leave your answer in the comments!!
Murder Pays a Call TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 11 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
September 11 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
September 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
September 12 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 13 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
September 13 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 14 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
September 14 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
September 15 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 15 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
September 16 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
September 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
September 17 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
September 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
September 18 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
September 20 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
September 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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Thanks so much for hosting me here!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping!
I don’t have a favorite cozy mystery series. I enjoy reading many cozies.