As a fan of Heather Weidner's work, I would say that Murder Strikes a Chord is my favorite book of hers so far. This easy-to-read mystery is perfect for summer, offering the perfect mix of intrigue, humor, and charm that makes it hard to put down.
One of the highlights of this book is the fascinating glimpse it offers into the behind-the-scenes world of rock star life—even the lives of aging rock legends. The details feel authentic and add a unique layer to the story, making it all the more engaging. The quirky characters and their adventures in the music scene keep the pages turning, with plenty of twists to keep readers guessing.
Heather Weidner has truly struck the right chord with this one, crafting a light yet satisfying mystery that entertains from start to finish. If you're looking for a fun, feel-good read, Murder Strikes a Chord hits all the right notes.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Murder Strikes a Chord by Heather Weidner is a charming and clever cozy mystery that hits all the right notes for fans of the genre. The story follows Cassidy Jamison, a young event planner who unexpectedly inherits her late grandmother's business and becomes entangled with a quirky group of older women, affectionately known as the Pearly Girls. When a famous rock star is found dead during a concert event that Cassidy is helping organize, the Pearly Girls are thrust into an unexpected murder investigation.

What makes this book such an enjoyable read is the delightful cast of characters, especially the Pearly Girls, who bring wisdom, wit, and plenty of heart to the story. Cassidy, the central character, is both relatable and endearing, struggling to balance the responsibilities of running her grandmother’s business with the unexpected chaos of solving a murder. The dynamic between Cassidy and the Pearly Girls adds a lot of warmth and humor to the narrative, creating a perfect blend of suspense and lighthearted moments.

Weidner's writing is engaging and fast-paced, and she does an excellent job of building suspense while keeping the tone light and enjoyable. The mystery itself is well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end. The setting—focused on event planning and the glitzy world of a rock star’s concert—adds an interesting backdrop to the plot, making for a fun and unique mystery.

Murder Strikes a Chord is the perfect read for fans of cozy mysteries, especially those who enjoy a good dose of humor, camaraderie, and a little bit of suspense. With its charming characters, witty dialogue, and a satisfying mystery, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a delightful escape into the world of amateur sleuthing.

A delightful story featuring some woman of a slightly older age. Interesting to see events through eyes with some history and nostalgia. The story includes behind the scenes peeks into event planning and the managing of an event center in addition to a murder mystery.
The woman provide insight while solving a mystery and working together to create a successful musical event.
Who to believe? Who do you mistrust? Who’s is a good guy? Who is a disreputable character?

Oh my gosh, I think I found a new favorite series! I love that Cassidy not only inherited her grandmother‘s business, but also her best friends. The Pearly Girls are one of the best parts of this series! With such a big age divide, this could’ve crashed and burned, but it works. It works really well.

I can’t wait for more in this series!

An event planning venue is a unique setting for a cozy mystery; and I appreciated Ms. Weidner's attention to detail in describing this Blue Ridge Mountains small community. The possibilities for more cozy mysteries could be endless with this type of public venue.
The Pearly Girls stole the show whenever they were on the page. These senior ladies know how to "rock and roll" both with celebrity band members as well as the media and the police. Cassidy is a credible amateur sleuth who was determined to solve the mystery and her business throughout this fast-paced story. A strong beginning to a new cozy series.

This is the 2nd book by Heather Weidner that I’ve read. In both books the lead female character has been a mostly serious, no nonsense sleuth. I would think throughout both books that I wish the character was a little more fun and spunky. Toward the end of this book I was thinking how the character reminds me of Nancy Drew. Sure enough when I got to the acknowledgments, the author writes about her love for Nancy Drew. 😂

This book is a cozy mystery about the murder of the lead singer of a rock band. Cassidy, the owner of Celebration where a music festival is taking place, is determined to find out what happened to the singer. Characters such as the classy and sassy Pearly Girls and the timed-out band members of The Weathermen makes this a fun and at times laugh out loud book.

Thanks to Netgalley of the opportunity!!

Cute cozy mystery but a bit too obvious and seemed repetitive in the description and dialogue. Was left wanting a bit more from this one. Thanks to NetGalley and Keylight books for an advanced copy for an honest review

3.25 stars!

I've read a small handful of cozy mysteries in the past year, trying to find a series/author that I can really latch on to. I've been starting to fear I like the concept of a cozy mystery more than anything written in the genre itself. But this one gave me just a bit of hope again.

It had the right mix of our main characters' personal lives and mystery. Solid, likable characters. The event venue was a great choice for a setting/location. Some of the dialogue was a bit... stiff? A lot of expository dialogue too, where she would give recaps of the days' events or her thoughts to her dog. I didn't mind them too much, but they didn't feel necessary.

I'll definitely be coming back to this author next time I want to read something from this genre, and if this is the start of a series, I'd be happy to come back to it.

Murder Strikes a Chord: a Pearly Girls Mystery by Heather Weidner is a fun light read. This book is said to be like Veronica Mars meets the golden girls, but I would say it has some Scooby Doo in there as well.

Cassidy Jameson, an event planner and her 4 60-year old employees race to solve a rockers murder
Cassidy, and her Chihuahua mix named Elvis, inherited her grandmother's event planning business, and her friends. The friends are known around town as the pearly girls.

Cassidy is running a big music festival out of the event space and everything is going well, that is until people start getting murdered. Can Cassidy and her Grandma's friends find the culprit? Or will one of the Pearly Girls be the next victim?

Overall this book was a light, fun read. I found it to be a bit like Scooby-Doo how the whole thing is solved almost by accident. Also I felt like something was missing in this book, mostly a proper introduction to the characters. It felt like this book was part of a series that I started on book 2, but to my knowledge it is a stand alone book.
Thank you to Heather Weidner and Turner publishing company for partnering with NetGalley. I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book will be published March 18 2025

"Murder Strikes a Chord (A Pearly Girls Mystery #1)" by Heather Weidner has the main character Cassidy running an event space/land she rents out. This time it's for a big music festival going through the decades with live performances. There's even a headliner that's staying on sight to place each night of the festival. Unfortunately one of their members dies and attacks on the band keep happening. In the end Cassidy finds out who the culprit is but more by accident.

This book read more like a second or third book at times. We jump right into Cassidy fully running her event space she inherited. We don't get any of the returning to town and having to "meet" the members of the Pearly Girls, a group of women that have taken Cassidy under their wing. I just felt like I was thrown into a series rather than introduced to it. It's fairly standard alone though. I enjoyed the story but just was a bit surprised it was the first book with the way it read. Maybe a prequel book would be fun down the road.

Cassidy has just started running her late grandmother's event planning business, with the help of her grandmother's friends, the "Pearly Girls." When the lead singer of the band that is playing a weekend event at Cassidy's venue turns up murdered, Cassidy and the Pearly Girls have to find out who murdered the rock star to save the business. I loved this! This is the perfect cozy mystery! I loved the characters, and the setting. I think anyone reading this will no someone like one of the Pearly Girls. I will be looking forward to the next book in this series! Thank you NetGalley.

This is the definition of a cozy read for me; I loved the dynamic between Cassidy and her friends, and the plot kept me interested. 4.5 stars!

Cassidy and her gang of older helpers are an entertaining bunch, and this is an enjoyable series debut. I feel like an event venue is a great setting for a cozy series, since a new group of characters involved in each event will provide a new cast of victims, suspects, and murderers. It felt like an easy read, but I wished it was a bit more un-put-down-able. Still, I liked it enough that I'll look forward to seeing what shenanigans Cassidy and friends get up to next.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed getting to read this book, I was invested in what was happening and thought the overall feel worked. I thought the mystery element worked with the characters and how everything flowed together to tell the story. Heather Weidner was able to weave a strong tale and was invested in what was happening. I hope there is more in this world as I really enjoyed reading this.

Cassidy and her four elderly friends are dropped into a murder mystery. Fun read, with lots of clues and red herrings. Would recommend. Kept my interest throughout, and love her dog Elvis too.

#MurderStrikesaChord #NetGalley is a fun, light cozy mystery that I enjoyed reading.
The characters are very likable and easy to relate to.
The mystery revolves around A murder at a music festival.
Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Cute and entertaining cozy mystery that made me smile and kept me hooked and guessing.
Well plotted, likeable characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine