Cozy winter themed murder mystery with nods to murder mystery queen Agatha Christie.

Ellie Christie, no relation sadly to Miss Agatha, has returned to her picturesque mountain hometown to run the family book store with her sister. Things quickly heat up when a mysterious out of towner winds up murdered after a book store's book club meeting complete with a séance. The Christie sisters, grandma, and other townspeople channel their inner Agatha Christie detectives to solve the case.

Very easy and cute read with a little bit of murder. Can definitely call several of the plot points while reading, but don't mind on a more lighthearted read. Did find the main characters' consistently referencing their love and channeling of Agatha Christie a bit redundant.

Ann Claire's DEAD AND GONDOLA was a fun, bookish cozy. For fans of bookstores, snowy days stuck inside reading, and stories that thrive on people's secrets and lies, this is the book for you. El and her sister, Meg, and her grandmother and niece--the Christies--make for a wonderful crime-solving team, and when they went "Marpling" I just loved it. Such a fun read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

(And as an aside, I'm probably supposed to *want* to shake Piper Tuttle, and that was very effective. I did want to shake her. Or push her down in the snow.)

This is the first book in a new series, and the author did a good job of setting it up. Ms. Claire has a way with words, and her descriptions of the area surrounding the bookstore is real enough that I could picture it in my mind easily. The mountains, the snow, and the cold are all visible in her words. It’s packed full of colorful characters. It was a fun, enjoyable cozy mystery. Just enough suspense to keep you reading.

Ann Claire's debut cozy mystery DEAD AND GONDOLA is set in fictional Last Word, Colorado, where literary references abound. Ellie and Meg Christie are the latest generation to manage their family's bookstore, the Book Chalet, having recently assumed the mantle from their parents now reading their way around the world. Although not related to author Agatha, the Christie sisters' lives are nevertheless shaped by the author's life and work. Christie fans will enjoy the Agatha-related trivia throughout the book.

Readers will get a better sense of the mountain skiing hamlet setting than the main characters, Character development of the sisters themselves, their family members, and local villagers, wasn't a strength of this debut, but there is room for that in future outings. Although there are suspects aplenty, avid mystery readers are likely to figure out whodunit long before the book ends. The bookstore setting was charming and provides a good foundation and foil for gatherings and creating intersections between the main characters, local residents, and tourists. The Christie Bookshop series has great potential, but this freshman outing didn't quite live up to the twist and turn writings of its namesake.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book! #netgalley #deadandgondola

So much fun! If you like cozy mysteries this is a series to follow. This debut was a delight; bookshop - cat - cute cover - fun writing - super characters to entice the reader - loved it!!!!!

I do love finding a new cozy mystery. They make a refreshing change from the heavier stuff I tend to read a lot of. When I see a cozy that's the first in a new series, and it's playing around with a funny, punny title, I just can't resist grabbing it! I'm happy I chose Dead and Gondola, as it managed to push so many of my 'cozy-buttons'. How many, you might ask? Let me count the ways:

~ A punny book title.
~ The Book Chalet, a bookshop in the snowbound mountain village of Last Word, Colorado.
~ The Book Chalet has an unusual origin story and long history.
~ The Book Chalet is home to Agatha, a loveable, clever cat named Agatha.
~ The Book Chalet's owner lives in a cozy loft.
~ The cozy loft is upstairs in the Book Chalet!
~ Agatha the cat loves to snuggle in bed in the loft over the Book Chalet.
~ Two sisters who get along and take care of each other. Surname? Christie!
~ A kindhearted, clever, extremely lucid grandmother who frequently bakes muffins.
~ A teenager who reads, bakes, doesn't angst much, is not having romance woes, and interacts gracefully with adults.
~ Neighbors who genuinely like each other, to the point of friendly competitions over who will be the first to shovel the snow off each other's walkways.

Another bonus for me - the storyline reeled in plenty of red herrings. I love trying to figure out everyone's angle on the murder, and I enjoy being challenged on that. Bring on the scarlet fish, I say!

The actual murder is in keeping with the light, gentle tone of the story. I like that the light and fluffy little village of Last Page is kept from simply floating away on its own niceness by two anchors - a hotel run by a secretive, put-offish owners, and an off-limits celebrity mansion that everyone craves exploring.

While I really loved the book, I do have one small criticism. The author indulged in some repetitive conversations, as info passed from one character to another. These conversations could just have been mentioned as having happened without going into details the readers have already heard before. Hopefully this tendency will be tightened up as the series progresses. I would like to stick with the good folk of Last Word, as I like them and their village, and I do love the Book Chalet!

My thanks to the author, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I didn’t like this book. I’m sorry, but it was just not for me. I had no motivation to read or pick up the book.
I’m just not a “cozy mystery” reader. Mystery, yes. But ‘cozy’ is synonymous with ‘cheesy’ in my mind. It was a quick read, but definitely not a favorite.
The mystery was lackluster and it seemed the whole book was just clever ways to reference Agatha Christie. I wasn’t impressed.

3.5⭐

Set in the (fictional) ski town of Last Word, Colorado, the story revolves around Ellie Christie, who along with her sister Meg owns and operates the only book shop in the town, Book Chalet which has been in the family for five generations. The bookshop is a destination of choice for local bibliophiles with its cozy reading nooks, shelves full of books, and, of course, the queen of the shop, Agatha C. Christie, the territorial Siamese who is quite popular in social media circles.

The Christie Sisters(any direct ancestral link to the famous author is yet to be discovered) are fans of murder mysteries. So when a mysterious man, who visited their bookshop in the middle of a celebrity influencer's book club meeting when a séance was being conducted ( as a reenactment of a scene from the Agatha Christie mystery being discussed in the group), ends up murdered in a gondola with the Christie sisters right behind him in the next gondola, they decide to do some sleuthing on their own. The murder is followed by a burglary in their store wherein a book the gentleman had left behind is taken. Added to this is the sudden disappearance of their trusted employee Ms. Ridge who was last seen the night of the book club meeting. The Christie sisters with their feline sleuth Agatha C., their resourceful grandmother who exchanges homemade baked goodies for insider news and Rosie, Meg’s daughter embark on some “Marpling”, with local law enforcement not too far behind.

“Murder might be easy, but deciphering mysteries sure wasn’t.”

Who was this mystery man and why was he in the bookshop? Why did he leave his satchel and the valuable signed Mary Westmacott ( pseudonym of Dame Agatha Christie ) novel behind? Is Ms. Ridge’s disappearance linked to this man?

With a cast of quirky characters (human and feline), a good dose of humor, an interesting mystery, and a cozy bookshop setting, Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire, the first in the Christie Bookshop Series, is an entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoyed the tidbits from Dame Agatha Christie’s life shared throughout the narrative and loved how her books and characters are alluded to throughout the story. However, the book should have been shorter in length. The pace did drag in places but after the 60% mark moved swiftly towards the end, the climax reminiscent of some of our favorite scenes from Agatha Christie novels. Fans of the Queen of Mystery would enjoy this one. I look forward to reading future books in this series.

Many thanks to author Ann Claire, Corina Diez at Random House and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ellie Christie has recently returned to her hometown of Last Word, Colorado, accessible from the lower altitudes by–you guessed it–a gondola. Ellie and her sister run the family bookshop, which is frequented by locals, including an increasing number of rich and celebrity residents, and tourists. A visit from a stranger sets in motion a series of mysteries, including a possible murder or two, a robbery, and a missing person. I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning, but I was very, very wrong.

This cozy mystery was incredibly well-written, with plenty of characters, clues, and red herrings to keep things interesting (as well as keep me guessing). We get to know the town of Last Word along with Ellie, who revisits the people and places of her past while learning about all the new changes since she left. With Dead and Gondola, Claire has expertly set the stage for a new series. There are so many characters, places, and Ellie’s own past that can be expanded on in future installments. I know I will be looking for the sequel.

I love books about books. And I love a cozy mystery ala Agatha Christi. This had both. The Christi sisters, Ellie and Meg co-own a bookstore in the small town of Last Word, Colorado. The bookstore also has a resident cat named Agatha. A stranger wanders into the bookstore one day claiming he was supposed to meet a person named Cece at the store. No one in town has ever heard of anyone named Cece and the man is not-so-politely asked to leave. Later that same man is found dead on a gondola ride and the Christi sisters, who were in the next gondola behind him become embroiled in solving the mystery of who he was and who killed him. With nods to Agatha Christi throughout, this was a fun mystery filled with red herrings that kept me guessing until the very end. The first in a series, it is a must read for cozy mystery lovers everywhere. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing group. The opinions expressed are my own.
This is a nice lightweight mystery. I liked the cold, winter setting. I thought using the gondola was also a nice touch-haven't read many stories where the murder takes place on a gondola. I did have some trouble connecting to the characters-lots of repetition and not much depth. I think this mystery is probably meant for the younger crowd. Recommend if you like a quick, cozy mystery!

A snowed-in mystery taking place in a town called "Last Word", the mountain is called Bookman's Peak, the sisters' surname is Christie, their pet cat is named Agatha, and they own a bookshop called the Book Chalet, and no one does anything but talk about books and book plots. <i>If I was a character in a mystery then this would happen...</i> A cast of characters that I wasn't able to garner anything remotely like <i>care</i>...

Also, there aren't any partners in this. No boyfriends, husbands, spouses - no partners of any kind. So, this one bookshop in a hamlet that caters to winter vacationers is supposedly supporting 2.5 households and possibly another in a few years.

I do understand these things are not necessarily important, but they were distracting to me.

This is probably going to be like those series that are like The Lemon Meringue mystery, The Tabby Cat mystery, The Apple Orchard Mystery, etc.

A very lightweight mystery.

I could not get into this book, but I kept hoping that I could. It was set in Colorado (my home state) but in a fictitious mountain town, throw in a cozy mystery and I hoped for so much more. The biggest thing that threw me surprisingly was the constant reminders of how much the main character loved to read. I just felt beat over the head with it, remember this is coming from a self-declared bibliophile myself. The killer was also predictable from the time they were introduced. I wanted more from this book.

This was a fun mystery novel. As a bibliophile, a story that revolves around a bookstore and old books is appealing. Moreover, the Book Chalet, the Christie family bookshop in Last Word, CO that is the focus of the story sounds like a fun (albeit fictional) bookstore to visit. The story starts off with a mysterious stranger coming to town and interrupting the murder mystery discussion at the bookstore and then ending up dead in a gondola (a primary means of travel in this mountain town), as well as the disappearance of the shop assistant, Ms. Ridge. A snowstorm has blocked access to the town, meaning the killer is likely still present -- but is it a local or a tourist? Ellie and Meg, the sister proprietors of the Book Chalet, are fans of Agatha Christie, among other authors/writers. Their grandmother is particularly fond of Agatha Christie's recurring character, Miss Marple. One frequent customer, Rusty Zeller, is a big Nero Wolfe fan, while another customer, Glynis, enjoys Nordic mysteries/thrillers. The story also features Emmett, cowboy poet, and his pony, Calamity Jane, and Morgan Marin, a retired actress turned social media influencer who is also an Agatha Christie fan and book lover.

When the identity of the dead man is revealed, as well as his connection to Last Word, multiple local residents suddenly become suspects, although Ellie and Meg and their family do not want to believe that any of them are killers. The dead man left some belongings, including a book by Mary Westmacott (a pseudonym of Agatha Christie), at the bookstore -- belongings that will later be stolen in a burglary at the store. The investigation into the killer (both official and the amateur/unofficial efforts of the Christie sisters and other town residents), the victim's reason for coming to Last Word, and the Christie sisters' efforts to find Ms. Ridge will reveal a number of secrets involving town residents. Some of the secrets/plot twists are easy to figure out, but there are some plot twists that come as a surprise. The story has some humorous moments and a fun cast of characters.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire is a cozy murder mystery that takes place in Colorado where a man is found murdered on the gondola. Meg and Emily are sisters who own a book store and are big Agatha Christie fans. Even their cat is named Agatha. Of course they do some sleuthing. It was a nice easy read. Sometimes Emily can go on for a bit in conversation. But all of the characters are like able and you care about them. The story line unfolds well. I would love to see the setting for this book and especially the book chalet! I will recommend this book. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

This looks to be a really good series and I'm looking forward to the next one. A book store in a ski town owned by sisters named Christie has to be a fun cozy mystery..

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fun, enjoyable cozy mystery with likable characters. Just enough suspense to keep you reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little cozy mystery! The setting was absolutely PERFECT. Even though I read it in the middle of summer, I was transported to a chilly mountain town. The setup of the mystery was great and hooked me from the beginning. The story got a bit long towards the end, but I was shocked by the reveal and enjoyed the resolution!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I am not currently a big Agatha Christie fan although I did read a lot of her work in high school. I was attracted to this book because it centers around a bookstore which I am interested in reading about. This book is from the POV of one sister who co-owns a bookstore in a little ski town with her sister. They get pulled into a local murder mystery and try to help their friends not be unfairly jailed for the murder. The writing and timing of the story were enjoyable and there are definitely some well-defined characters. A good start to a new series.

I absolutely loved DEAD AND GONDOLA! The author sweeps you into the story world right away -- and what a cozy world it is. Last Word is a charming ski town and the Book Chalet is a place I'd love to spend an afternoon.

Sometimes in mysteries, I get impatient with all the character introductions in the early pages. However, with this novel, it was handled seamlessly.

I see that other reviewers have been concerned about the pacing, and I will admit that certain scenes seemed a tiny bit repetitious. For example, occasionally after something has happened, Ellie tells someone else, like her sister, what the reader already knows has happened. Overall, the length of this novel could have been shortened, which would have been for an even more enjoyable reading experience.

The mystery itself was a great puzzle with entertaining red herrings sprinkled throughout. I also loved the characters. DEAD AND GONDOLA was such a pleasurable read! I'm already wondering what will happen in book two and I can't wait to find out.

Ann Claire is a very talented cozy mystery writer, and she has vaulted to the top of my favorites.

Highly recommended for fans of cozies.