Mattress Mart Murder

Chloe Cook Cozy Mystery #1

by Kayla Michelle, K.M. Morgan

Thirty-four year old cosmetics saleswoman Chloe Cook is busy searching for a love that lasts in the tourist town of Cape Cod when a murder strikes.

The victim is Marty Diamond, a mattress mogul known for his high pressure sales tactics and schlocky TV ads.

Unfortunately, the local police detective suspects that Chloe's good friend Kristina Miller is the killer.

To prove Kristina's innocence, Chloe has to take matters into her own hands and find the real killer herself.

Books In The Chloe Cook Series:
Book 1 -- Mattress Mart Murder
Book 2 -- Reunions Can Be Deadly
Book 3 -- Killer Finale

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Novella, Fiction

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2015

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mattress Mart Murder is by Kayla Michelle. It is set on Cape Cod. In this serene little town, it is almost impossible to believe that a murder could take place; but it does.
Chloe Cook is a good friend. In fact, she is such a good friend that she agrees to go with her friend Kristina Miller to the Mattress Mart annual employee appreciation picnic. Neither wanted to go; but it was expected of Kristina and she needed some support. After eating, they were privy to a series of argumentative confrontations all involving Kristina’s boss, Marty Diamond. Marty was obsessed with making money and cared little about almost everything and everyone else. The first argument was with his son, Stewart. Stewart was with his girlfriend, Lucy Lemke. Marty ended the confrontation with a demand that Stewart give up Lucy or face the loss of a job and the loss of his inheritance. The second was with Walter Gold, a local competitor. Walter was talking with Delia Diamond, Marty’s wife, and handed her an envelope. In it were photos of Marty’s mistress. Marty threatened to give the local newspapers the story of Walter’s illegitimate daughter and ruin his business and reputation. The third argument was with his wife and mistress. Delia Diamond scornfully told him she was getting a divorce and he better get used to it. While he was arguing with Delia, Jennifer Carter tried to get his attention only to have him wave her away as if she meant nothing to him. She stalked off in anger. The last altercation (as such) came when he told Kristina she was out of a job due to money problems and in the next breathe told her he had hired his nephew, Jason Diamond, for her position. Jason was just out of prison and needed the work too. It was an exhausting afternoon and Chloe still had a dinner with her Mother to get through.
The next morning, Chloe was awakened by the police wanting to question her about the death of Marty Diamond. In the lineup, she learned who the other suspects were and that they had no alibis. Only Chloe did due to her Mother’s dinner. Chloe also learned that the police suspected Kristina and Chloe was not about to step aside to see Kristina arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. Chloe can’t let a friend go through this alone.
This was a very quick read and not quite as interesting as Daisy Dare and her novels. It was cute though.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe is a cosmetic saleswoman in a small town. She goes with her friend, Kristina to an employee appreciation barbecue where she sees lots of unhappy people. The owner of Mattress Mart, Marty Diamond likes money more than anything or anyone else so he has lots of people who don't like him. For what should have been a festive occasion, there sure were a lot of arguments. All included Marty. When Marty is murdered, the police had so many suspects that it was going to take a very long time to solve the crime. Since their top suspect was Kristina, Chloe knew she was innocent and had to find the killer herself.

This is a fun story (even though it is about a murder) and the writing is smooth making it easy to read and follow the plot. You have to love Chloe 's determination to be a good friend by proving Kristina is innocent. She clearly is not experienced at sleuthing which showed in her lack of investigative and questioning skills. But you've got to give her points for trying. On the personal side, it's funny how the older women in town try to set Chloe up on a blind date. Since she's 34 and there aren't many single men in the small tourist town, they seem to feel it's up to them to connect Chloe with someone.

Please note I received a copy of Mattress Mart Murder in exchange for an honest review. I liked this cozy mystery and recommend it.

[Carrie Donohue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sorry Ms Michelle, I am not liking the book so far. The dialog is repetitive, the scenes feel stilted and unlikely and the police are jumping the gun too quickly, no half way decent cop decides who the killer is without being suspicious of an anonymous informant, especially when there are much better suspects in front of you. Also only in a Colombo mystery would the police gather all the witness' together, and NEVER for an alibi giving.. They want everyone to think someone turned on them.. And for what reason would you bring in someone (Chloe) who had NO reason to want the victim dead? One last thing (for now at least) just because some has been to jail before does not immediately put make them a suspect in murder.. WHY was he in jail? What makes you think he has a motive, you have not even spoken to him yet and the last time you saw him he was friendly with the victim.
Okay I read to Chapter 17.. I am sorry I cannot sing the praises of this book. Good luck with your next one
I am truly sorry because I really wanted to love this book.

[Rosemary K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe Cook is a great friend which is why she finds herself trying to solve a murder. Who would have guessed that beautiful Cape Cod would be the scene of the crime when the mattress king is killed? Marty was all about the money. He didn't care who he stepped on or used. With so many suspects Chloe is surprised that the Police are sure that her friend committed the crime. Kayla Michelle has written a fast-paced cozy mystery that pulls you right into the story. Chloe Cook is smart, resourceful and determined. She makes a perfect sleuth. There are plenty of suspects and potential motives that I was kept guessing until the very end. The dialogue is great and the hint of romance was a pleasant. I enjoyed the humor and the snarky attitude. I'm looking forward to more of Chloe's adventures. Mattress Mart Murder was exhilarating and exciting. What a nice way to relax.

[Evelyn Grabas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pathetic. It seems that writers have lost their imagination (if they had one) and grab onto the same scenario and each book, even though different authors, reads the same. Stupid, silly woman rushes to tell detective her friend couldn't kill anyone, assuming, of course, that he will immediately drop her friend from the suspect list as, after all, she said so and what more could you want. I particularly liked Shannon's comment when Chloe states that she can find the killer because she has read a lot of mystery books, and Shannon replies that although she has read a lot of medical dramas she isn't ready to go out and do brain surgery. Wow, a logical comment, how refreshing. I read the book about half way and then skimmed through it until the end, just so I could rate it, even though the lowest rating available was one star.
All I can say is "Kayla, don't give up your day job."

[Sandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe Cook is a cosmetic saleswoman who gets involved in solving a murder to keep her friend from being charged for the murder. This book has all the right components. Three dimensional characters, backstory, relationships and a mystery. The only con I have is the order of the story. The first half of the book was all about introducing the characters so that while they are interesting characters there was limited story. Then the last half of the book was the murder and solving the murder with no further character development. That said, I really liked the characters and am looking forward to reading more about them.
I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this new series from K M Morgan. Her new character, Chloe Cook is a great addition to a new cozy mystery series.

Chloe has the right attitude to get involved in sleuthing and helping the police solve the murder of the mattress mart owner. Her friend Kristina was the main suspect, but she knew better and proved it.

The book is very well written and planned out, it kept me reading and wondering who done it, to the end. I enjoyed it very much and hope to read more about Chloe and her new love interest Dr. Foot!

I would recommend it to my Goodreads Group Readers of Cozy Mysteries and my others friends and family. It is a good Beach read!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short book but the author did a good job of fleshing out the characters and the story in a short amount of time. I liked all of it, except where the heroine, Chloe, was "interrogating" the suspects. She just was an annoying big mouth then. No, cleverly asking leading questions, but barge into accusations. I didn't like the character much during that phase, which is unfortunate, because she was very likable and loyal the rest of the time. I did like the rest of the story, of the obnoxious man who gets murdered and who ends up doing it, and this gal who doesn't have a problem eating pie!
I received this ebook free from the author.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am about 20% into this book but honestly am not sure if I will be able to finish it or not. The story concept is good and it caught me right away with action from the first paragraph, but the writing is difficult to read. It's chunky and written in a very matter of fact way (Chloe did this, and then Chloe thought that) sometimes written almost as a narration and other times from the point of view of the characters. It made it difficult to get lost in the characters and really relate to them, which is one of my favourite things about reading.

I'm giving it 2 stars because I'm enjoying the story line, but if it weren't for that it would only get 1.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was enjoyable but very simple and straightforward, so very easy to follow. It took quite some time for the mystery part to start - this was introduced half way through the book. However, considering that it's the first book in the series, the author might have wanted to introduce the readers to the characters.

Also, the fact that Chloe (the main character) is a saleswoman who's very charismatic etc, and then is so lousy in speaking to the suspects during her sleuthing did really put me off.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book and would consider reading the next one in the series.

The Kindle version of this book is available for free.

[Sarahanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing had a matter-of-fact feel - this happened and then this and then this. Not much depth to the characters or storyline. The finale was...odd. An epiphany that wasn't really that momentous & a confrontation that was either planned based on the dubious breakthrough or an extremely lucky coincidence (wasn't clear which).

Quick read.

I think I have another by this author & I'll check it out. First books in a series can be tricky.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from the publisher. This review is my honest opinion, and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.”

I love a good quick cozy mystery and this one fits the bill. The characters work well together. I really enjoyed this one. I am looking forward to the seeing where the next book takes us.

[Patricia White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started off with a bang!! I mean it was non stop action from the beginning. The author did a good job with detailing the main character Chloe Cook's back story. And from that point on I couldn't put the book down. I finished it in one day. That is how good I found this book. Very detailed.

[Amary Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe is a cosmetic salesperson drawn into a murder investigation because her friend was a suspect. She corners all the suspects to question them, while her friend does her own internet investigation. Together the prune the list down to one, while trying not to antagonize the police. Cute short cozy. I received a free advance copy for an honest review

[Sandra Small · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six of One, Half Dozen Of Another

I enjoyed the writing of the first half of this story. The words flowed effortlessly and the story moved along nicely. The second half of the story was ok. The writing was straight and to the point. However, a little choppy for me. So overall, it was an ok story.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to a new series of short stories, it was maybe a little "clunky" in a few places but over all excellent and I look forward to the next one.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story. Characters developed. Would have rated five stars but for grammatical errors.

[Kandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to read. Loved getting to know Chloe, her friends and family. Think this is going to be a fun new series and look forward to many more.

[Robin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I need to state that I got a free copy of this book for my honest review. Business aside, now down to the actual review.

The Mattress Mart Murder is a new book from Kayla Michelle. The heroine, Chloe Cook, is a cosmetic salesman on Cape Cod who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder case. One of the chief suspects in the murder is Kristina Miller, a friend who has been a loyal customer of Chloe’s for a number of years. Kristina works at the Mattress Mart, and at the company picnic finds herself fired the afternoon before owner, Marty Diamond, is found murdered in the store’s parking lot.

Spoiler alert: if you want to read the book for yourself, stop here. Suffice it to say that it’s a good book, worth the read.

Kristina, after finally dumping an ill-repute boyfriend, asks Chloe to accompany her to the company picnic, since she will be going stag. When Kristina and Chloe arrive, everyone at the party is going through the motions, but it’s obvious that there is much wrong going on below the surface.

First to set off Marty is an encounter with his chief rival, Walter Gold. Marty finds Walter talking to his wife, Delia, after handing her some kind of envelope. It turns out that Marty has been cheating with his secretary, Jennifer Carter. Walter apparently has uncovered some damning evidence of the affair and has made sure that Delia is aware of Marty’s peccadillo. Blow up number one.

In return, Marty reveals that he has discovered that Walter has an illegitimate daughter named Candace McDowell that he is been supporting for almost 20 years, unbeknownst to Walter's own wife. Threats are exchanged between Walter and Marty before Walter leaves the party. Blowup number two.

Delia confronts Marty about his infidelity, and Marty, in true Marty fashion, demeans his relationship with Jennifer within her hearing. Jennifer, of course, storms off when she discovers how little her relationship with Marty matters. Blowups three and four.

Marty’s son, Stewart, shows up with a girl named Lucy, who is the daughter of Patrick Lemke, a man who was injured in Marty’s warehouse after a pile mattresses fell on him. Because of his disability, he tried to sue Marty for million dollars, but Marty’s lawyer made sure that Patrick only got the minimum payout possible. Marty openly calls Lucy a “shameless, low class, gold digger,” and accuses her of trying to get Stewart’s inheritance. Marty tells Stewart that if he doesn’t get rid of Lucy, he’s going to be disinherited. Blowup number five

After all of the other hullabaloo between Marty, his wife, Walter Gold, Stewart and Lucy, Kristina finds herself fired, her position being given to a stranger that she saw Marty talking to after she first arrived. She can only assume this stranger is some sort of family member of Marty’s, because usually only family members managed to get any kind of promotion within the company. Blowup number six.

Into all this chaos stir in the fact that Chloe’s ex-boyfriend, Mark O’Doul, shows up, married. To add insult to injury, his new wife, Vicki, and he had returned to attend the baby shower being thrown for Vicki. A harsh blow, considering he had always made it known to Chloe that he never wanted children.

Lastly, Chloe’s mom, Amanda is intent on setting up a blind date for Chloe with a podiatrist that Amanda found out about through her friend, town divorce lawyer, Wanda Winger.

Take all of these events, toss liberally, and you have the essential elements for the Mattress Mart Murder.

There are several twists and turns in the book that kept me on my toes. I have to admit that I didn’t get the ending at first, but after rereading it (and I won’t give away the ending), my reaction was, “Well duh, of course that was the answer!” Like Jessica Fletcher of the “Murder She Wrote” franchise, she was just a teeny bit ahead of the rest of us viewers, and I find I’m going to have to get my thinking cap reset to those old, but reliable, standards.

I really appreciate the fact that there was little adult language and swearing in the book. I also appreciate the fact that Kayla Michelle did not feel the need to describe the murder in gory details. Although I enjoy the more technical thrillers, sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and try to puzzle things out without the author practically giving everything away using the modern methods like the science of DNA, etc.

In my circle of friends, family and acquaintances there are several whom I think would appreciate the style of writing. There’s still enough mystery to keep it interesting, and I feel that it’s a great mystery book to recommend to Christian and young adult readers. It’s a brain exercise without all of the gory sensationalism present with other writers.

The main character, Chloe Cook, has a regular sort of job that many of us can identify with, as well as problems that a normal person might face in everyday life. Mom wants to get her married, and as soon as possible, and Chloe finds that she has a love affair with pie that could be an issue with her figure. I think it’s empowering for women and girls everywhere see that, with a little bit of cleverness, even a regular person can rise to the occasion and solve a difficult problem on her own.

All in all, a good read, and I find myself waiting to see the next book in the series.

[Emmalynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve never laughed through a book so much and not in a good way. Chloe is awful!!!!!!!!!!! Her way of investigating is to ambush, antagonize and infuriate every suspect into either yelling or attacking her in the hope they would confess???? Seriously?????

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series that I have listened too and I enjoyed it. I like Chloe as a main character as she is a girly girl (selling make up ) but is still a tough cookie (learnt self defence when growing up). I also think her strong quick witted grandma is fun and hope to see her more in the next book.
Chloe is a make up seller but she isn't pushy.....Well that is until her friend Is accused of murder and a policeman keeps telling her to stay out of it. Chloe's friend is the number one suspect the night her boss is murder as it just so happens to be the night she is fired. Even though there other suspects with much better reasons to want him dead the police believe they have there killer and Chloe sets about proving them wrong.
The narrator was quite different as some of her characters had a real American twang, that took some getting use to but by the end of the story I found them charming.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

PDF for Review
Chloe Cook is a cosmetic salesperson at a small Cape Cod tourist town. When she tags along with her friend’s company barbeque. she finds herself being witness to several outbursts by the company owner.
Who knew he had so many enemies which would cause him to be murdered soon after. His rival tells his wife of his affair and she wants to end their marriage and take all their money. Not only has that she fired his mistress who is outraged. Their son who thinks his new girl friend is after his money and tells him to break up or he will disinherit him. Then there is Chloe’s friend who was fired before leaving the barbeque.
Chloe knows that her friend did not murder her ex boss as she finds herself solving the case to clear the case. Who really wanted him dead the most in this quick passed story?

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novella with interesting characters and good potential as a series. I see there are now 2 more books in this Chloe Cook series.

Chloe Cook sells Crissy's Cape Cod Cosmetics like her Mom did. Her BFF Kristina Miller works at Marty's Mattress Mart for the volatile Marty Diamond. Marty's ability to make everyone of personal relationships hate him means there are a great many suspects when Marty ends up dead. With Kristina being a murder suspect, Chloe sets out to catch the killer on her own.

Meanwhile, Chloe's Mother Amanda is trying to set up a blind date between Chloe and a new doctor in town, Podiatrist Dylan, while Chloe runs evasive tactics.

Looking forward to reading the next in this series.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great, clean cozy mystery on Cape Cod where they have Chloes friend accused of murder and the police are satisfied with the investigation. Chloe a cosmetic saleswoman sets business aside and starts interviewing. Kristina and Chloe on a picnic feel something is off. Marty and Walter own the 2 mattress stores in town and are arch rivals. There is a sceneI won't expand on at the picnic. With all the chaos now an X boyfriend of Chloes shows up at the picnic. There are many twists and turns with believable and interesting characters. You have the interviews and all the lies, but you won't find out who did it till the end of the book.The narration is by Rachel Hanson. I love this is a great clean, family, cozy mystery.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mattress Mart Murder (Chloe Cook #1), my first read/listen from author Kayla Michelle, although I own several of her books I’d never gotten around to reading one. This is it. A cute, well-written clean cozy mystery. Since I own both the Kindle & Audible editions I was able to follow along while being read to as my wife listened along. Narrator Rebecca Hansen's vocal talents added to the enjoyment. I look forward to reading Deadly Resentment (Chloe Cook #2). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Debby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disapointed in this book. It started out with some promise, but I felt the dialogue was stiff, and the plotting was simply a series of confrontations. To me, there wasn’t much development of any of the characters which made me really care about them - either liking or disliking. It took me a week to get around to finishing it, as I really hoped it might change gears a bit and hook me to read more.

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mattress Mart Murder: Chloe Cook Cozy Mystery Series was a great read by Kayla Michelle. Chloe is looking for a love to last even though it is hard in the tourist town of Cape Cod. Unfortunately murder strikes and Chloe's good friend is a suspect. Chloe starts to investigate the murder to prove her friends innocence. Rebecca Hansen did a great job of narrating the story and I can't wait to read more by Kayla Michelle.

[Susan Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tidy Little Mystery

I give this mystery five stars because the author set up the crime so perfectly, everyone became a suspect. Then she systematically began working on the clues. The book is short, sweet and satisfying. It also honors friendship and how important having a good friend can be.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mattress shopping is murder!

Chloe Cooks job as a makeup salesman for Chrissy's Cape Cod cosmetics doesn't really prepare her to solve crimes but when one of her best clients and Friends is a suspect in a murder case Chloe decides it's time to expand her job description.

This is a fun cozy mystery. The plot is deep enough to keep you guessing but not keep you up nights. Anyone who likes cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.

[Janice Llewellyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discovered this download on my ancient Nook. I think the reason I chose it was the adorable book cover. That was the best part of this book.
Honestly, the plot wasn't bad; it could have been so much better if the writer had taken a little more time to develope the story and characters. Maybe it was rushed because it was meant to be "just a brief little story".
Unfortunately, it was just a waste of time. I guess the writer never heard of " if it's worth doing, it's worth doing it good".