What a fun, quick read! I couldn't help but fall right into the little-bit-quirky characters of the book from the beginning with their meeting up at a book club at a bookstore run by sisters Ellie and Meg. When the Hollywood star, Morgan, brings out a Ouija board - we know there will be problems! Finding a stranger dead in the gondola brings all the characters together in a mystery that has some anticipated twists and some you don't see coming. Enjoyable characters that are the beginning of a series - so will be fun to follow along on their adventures! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #DeadandGondola #NetGalley

This was a true cozy mystery with its setting, characters, the sleuthing... And a great mystery to solve to boot! I quite enjoyed reading this book. It’s a perfect read to cozy up under a blanket thanks to its snowy setting.

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+ I really enjoyed the various mysteries at play here. There’s the murder, but many other questions surface too. I especially enjoyed the main mystery quite a lot, since it’s kind of like a locked room murder, but actually not.
+ There are many great characters here, all of whom love to read. A nosy and brilliant neighbor, a missing coworker, an ex actress turned book club runner, a gossip columnist, a cowboy poet & more! I think the book does a great job in setting up all these characters for the rest of the series.
+ I especially loved all the Agatha Christie stuff in this book. Not only are there many references to her books, there’s also a lot of trivia in there about the queen of mysteries' life, some that even I didn’t know!
+ The book also has a perfectly cozy setting. Snowy mountainside, with gondolas, a grumpy cat named Agatha C. Christie (C is for cat), and a pony that hates to be called her full name.

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- This was quite a slow read for me, especially up to ~65-70%. It’s well written but sometimes thoughts seemed to pop out of nowhere so I’d go back trying to see if I missed anything but I usually hadn’t.
- I way prefer smart cozy mysteries where it feels like the detective is ahead of me and I’m trying to catch up with their logic. Sadly most of the ones I’ve been reading, like this one, seem to shelf the most obvious hunches until later, just so it doesn’t get solved too soon. Instead it feels like I’m waiting for the sleuth to catch up with me.

Overall rating: 3.7⭐

Thank you so much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC!

Ellie Christie returns home to help her sister Meg run the family bookstore. When a man is found dead on a gondola they decide to investigate. After all they are Christie's, as in Agatha Christie. Good book one of the series.

The Christie sisters are running the family bookstore in mountainous small-town Colorado. Their parents are touring the world but their grandmother is still around for support. Their bookshop touts a cat named Agatha as what else could the Christies name their cat. When a guest to their bookstore exits the gondola and dies, the Christie sisters find the need to clear their name and their employee’s name. Great start to a new series.

“Dead and Gondola”, by Ann Claire is a nice beginning to a new cozy mystery series. If you like “Murder She Wrote” and Hallmark movies, this is your vibe! A historic bookstore in the Colorado mountains sets up the perfect atmosphere with coziness, a fireplace – perfect for reading until there was a mysterious murder.

The characters are charming, especially the Christie sisters and their sleuthing cat named Agatha. The mystery itself was overall ok, but I was able to figure it out easily. Unfortunately, I wasn’t completely hooked, and I had trouble staying interested. It was a cute cozy, so maybe it’s just me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great Historical Cozy Mysteries abound, but it’s tough to find good quality cozies with a modern setting, so this book was a lovely surprise.

Dead and Gondola has a terrific sense of place, snowy and isolated but also cozy and bookish, and the murder of a man seemingly alone on a ski gondola is a terrific premise for our amateur sleuths, two sisters with the last name of — yep — Christie who own a bookshop in a tiny Colorado ski town.

The mystery itself (as well as its solve) are plenty satisfactory, and the setting and characters are terrific. I love an atmospheric cozy with both a wintry and a bookish bent, and both of those elements are well-rendered in this story.

There’s even a seance in a finely-crafted nod to Agatha Christie herself.

Fun stuff all around, and I’m pleased to see that this is slated to become a series.

This book was absolutely precious and I loved (almost) every minute of it! It seemed a smidge long, but I think that’s just because I’m not used to more lighthearted mysteries.
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Dead and Gondola gives big Hallmark vibes and it was just the cozy mystery to break up the more scary and serious books that I gravitate to during this fall season.
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I think this book is perfect if you want mystery but not scary, and cozy but not romance. The atmosphere was perfect, the characters were absolutely adorable and so lovable, and I felt like I was transported to Colorado with the Christie Sisters. 10/10 recommend this one!

Ann Claire’s debut novel, Dead and Gondola, is a cozy mystery set in Last Word, a small town in the mountains of Colorado. The Book Chalet, the town’s bookstore, is managed by the Christie sisters, Meg and Ellie. When a stranger visits the store and then is later found murdered, the women find themselves in the middle of a real-life mystery.

Dead and Gondola is a charming mystery and the author’s descriptions of the town and the surrounding area adds a great deal to the story. There are a variety of characters, the plot is interesting, and, with the last name Christie, it’s not too surprising to find some references to the famous mystery writer. Even the bookstore cat is named Agatha.

I found it refreshing to read a story where a majority of the characters are friendly to each other and the sisters are close friends, sharing a strong family bond with their grandmother, parents, and Meg’s teenage daughter.

My only complaint is that reviewing clues and events occurred more times than necessary and that made it hard for me to stay engaged with the story. But, all in all, this is one of the better cozy mystery books I’ve read lately and it was nice to step into a kinder world. It is definitely a good book for a quiet day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Ellie Christie moves back to her hometown to help her sister, Meg, run their family bookstore. She is happy to do so, but when there is a mysterious death of a visitor to their shop, the Christie sisters decide that they must solve the mystery once a family friend is seen as the suspect.

“Dead and Gondola” by Ann Claire is the series debut to the wonderful world of the Christie sisters and their cat, Agatha. These book selling sisters love mystery, but they never expected a mystery to fall at their door. When one man is dead and their beloved employee goes missing, the sisters begin to sleuth all over town. Can they find the killer? Or will they be next?

This cozy mystery feels like a fun winter read. Imagine an Agatha Christie book meets a hallmark movie. I like to imagine it as the sweet spot of light reading.

The cast of characters that Claire created seem like the kind of people you’d want to solve a mystery with. They were clever and thoughtful, but also they weren’t without their flaws which made them more believable as characters.

In the end, this was a solid 4 star read for me. It was quick and on the lighter end of mysteries, a good read for when you’re craving a mystery you won’t have to overthink.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

While I did enjoy reading this and looked forward to the time I spent each day reading it, I think this is really geared towards those who are into Agatha Christie and like that type of mystery. I do not like those types of books nor have I read many from Agatha Christie so I’m sure much was lost on me.

I loved the little mountain top town where this took place, and I enjoyed the variety of characters. I did not enjoy that most of the time the story went similarly to the following:

“Oh! I know who the murderer is! It’s the librarian. Because of x, y, and x, she’s the perfect fit. Wait that’s not right, it’s actually the innkeeper. Because of x, y, and x, he’s the perfect fit. Wait that’s not right, it’s actually the gardener…” and so on until they’ve made their way through everyone in town until the get to the killer at last.

So, like I said, if you like that sort of book then I would definitely recommend this book to you. It is not a book for me and I still enjoyed reading it so it is a very likable book.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the E-ARC. This book started off strong but I just got lost in the middle there were way to many characters to remember what each one was doing especially since they all could be the killer. The ending made a comeback but not enough for me to forget the middle part. Unfortunately this book did not do it for me

Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9 years old and bought a box set of Poirot mysteries at a garage sale. So, just about any mystery book that invokes her name pulls me right in immediately. The Christie Sisters and their cat, Agatha, running a bookshop in CO -- yep, reading it! Easy choice. How could I not? I live in CO...and if this bookshop were a real place, I would be there!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I like the setting, the characters, the plot....the story is just fun to read! I read my review copy of this book while watching the first snow of the season fall over the front range, sipping hot tea, and snuggled under fuzzy blankets. It was perfect!

My favorite character? Agatha, of course!

The basics: Ellie and Meg Christie run a bookshop, the Book Chalet. When a man is found dead in a gondola on the nearby ski lift, trouble starts. Rumors, secrets, a rock slide..... Can the Christies sift through a mountain of clues and find the killer?

Loved this book! I am definitely eagerly awaiting the next book!! This was the perfect book for reading on a snowy night in CO!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Random House/Ballentine. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

I was able to read "Dead and Gondola" by Ann Claire through NetGalley. This is a mystery with many wonderful elements. The main character, Ellie Christie, and her family own a bookstore named The Book Chalet in Colorado. It sounds like the most amazing, cozy bookstore. Unfortunately, a murder occurs in their small town and Ellie and her sister set out to help solve it. There are tons of Agatha Christie references. And a town full of unique characters. I enjoyed reading this mystery!

A Tour de Force for Agatha Christie lovers! You will love these characters and their rabid determination to solve the mystery of a man's murder!
You won't want to put this book down!

🏔 Murder Mystery
🏔 Small Ski Town
🏔 Agatha Christie inspired
🏔 Centered around a bookshop
🏔 Social Media Sensation kitty- "Agatha"

This story takes place in Last Word, Colorado, a small ski town known for its slopes and Agatha, the social media sensation kitty. Agatha's owner, Ellie Christie, now runs her family's town bookshop. One morning, the shop's book club decides to hold a séance in the store - just like in one of Agatha Christie's novels. During the séance, a visitor comes in the store looking for someone and leaves just as unexpectedly as he arrives. Not too long after, he is found dead in one of the town's gondolas.

I thought this book was good and has some twists and turns, some I expected and others not as much. I really enjoyed the Agatha Christie aspect of the novel and how the the author incorporated her and her works throughout it. I wanted to connect with Ellie since I'm also an introverted booklover but there was just "something" missing from her character. I would've liked to know more of her backstory as to why she went away and is now back in her hometown. Overall, this was a cute murder mystery and give it 3.25 ⭐

This cozy mystery has the very specific theme of bookish amateur detectives/bookstore owners and Claire happily runs with it.
The Christie sisters are happily running their family's bookstore in scenic Last Word, Colorado when a man who had just visited their shop and left behind a first edition Agatha Christie book gets murdered seemingly right before their eyes. Their little town is not used to murder but it definitely loves to gossip, and many of the Christie's friends get caught up in the gossip and speculation. Long-held secrets get exposed and everything Ellie and Meg discover leads them to more questions than answers.
The plot has solid pacing that sets up the big reveals and events perfectly among the quieter character moments. I really enjoyed how Claire takes the time to set up and introduce every single character so that you never really know who is hiding something. The big reveal was also very unexpected while still making excellent sense, not an easy feat.
Overall, it's the quintessential small-town cozy mystery wrapped up in lots of gloriously bookish talk and quirky relationships. Totally worth the read.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the exciting read!

Seriously good! This book was a fantastic romantic comedy. The characters were lovable, and I was so sad when it ended. I loved it!

I’m torn. I started this book really liking it and finished it with some disappointments. I loved the setting, a Colorado ski town and most of the quirky characters. The thing that bugged me the most was the main character were more Nancy Drew then Agatha Christie. It felt a little juvenile.

The writing was good and I think with time it will get better. I’ll definitely read the next book in the series and see if some of the bugs are worked out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3⭐️

I was definitely intrigued when I saw the title and that it takes place in a bookstore. It's definitely a cozy read. I do think the writing style is more juvenile and leans more towards YA. It didn't keep me glued to the page. It did seem very chaotic in the beginning and with trying to remember who all the characters were and how they were related. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this for my honest review.