I've really gotten into cozy mysteries! The only problem with them is that sometimes they seem all a bit the same, usually with similar characters and hobbies and even mysteries! However I am happy to report that the first in this series by Ann Claire combines the classic with the new, along with a beautiful location and even a grumpy but loveable bookshop cat, Agatha C. (for cat) Christie!

Ellie Christie has finally returned home to her tiny town of Last Word, Colorado, ready to take the helm of her family bookstore situated within a beautiful chalet. Helping her is her older sister, Meg, Meg's daughter, Rosie, and their wise and baking crazy Gram. But when the bookstore opens its doors to actress Morgan Marin and her book club, things get a bit...deadly. Morgan has the customers, including several longstanding and beloved citizens of Last Word, perform a séance. The Ouija board spells out two words: "dead man". And who would guess that only a little while later a returned ne'er-do-well by the name of Prescott St. James would be found dead on the gondola, with Meg and Ellie witnessing the whole thing!

The setting is one of the things that makes this book so enjoyable! As someone from the perpetually hot state of Texas, it was wonderful to hear of a place full of glittering snow, fondue cafes, chocolate shops, a fancy inn complete with natural hot springs, and all the skiing and hiking they get up to! It sounded like the perfect place to visit, and maybe even the perfect place to plan a murder. I also enjoyed the aspect of the sisters' relationship, which was kind and supportive and, speaking as an older sister myself, a true representation of sisterly camaraderie. And of course, who doesn't love to hear about the beautiful long-haired Siamese queen of the bookshop, Agatha!

A perfect read for the upcoming winter months. Complete it with cocoa and your favorite furry friend and you're in for a real treat!

I chose this mostly for the title and I'm so glad I did. If you're in the mood for a cute and warm mystery and need a break from dark suspense books, this would be a great choice.

Dead and Gondola has every element to make this mystery so much fun. Sister relationship, bookstore setting, cozy views. Sometimes it’s really refreshing to read a cozy mystery after all the hard hitting psychological thrillers. This had a great flow and characters that made you want to read more.

A Cozy Bookshop Mystery

Ellie Christie is back in her hometown of Last Word, Colorado. She’s excited to restart her life particularly since she’s running her family bookstore,, the Book Chalet, with her sister Meg and their adorable cat, Agatha. Things seem to be going perfectly until a strange man enters the book shop. He’s obviously looking for someone.

He returns that night when the sisters and Gran are holding a séance. He leaves mysteriously and forgets his briefcase which contains an Agatha Christie novel written under the pseudonum, Mary Westmarcott. When the sisters see the man later, they follow him down the mountain in the gondola behind his hoping to see what he’s doing. They never get the chance. Before their gondola lands, a woman tries to enter the gondola the man rode in, but finds him dead. This catapults the sisters into the role of witnesses and sleuths in the best Agatha Christie tradition.

This cozy mystery has all the features to make it a fun read. The scene set in a small town in the mountains reached by gondola is a good background. What makes it even better is that Christmas is coming. The characters are quirky. The sisters are resourceful, and Agatha steals everyone’s heart.

I enjoyed the book. It’s a quick, relaxing read. At times I was annoyed with Ellie. She seemed to be missing clues right under her nose, but it was part of her character. If you love cozy mysteries, this is a good one.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

When I read the blurb for Dead and Gondola I couldn't wait to put in a request for an ARC. Soon after I downloaded it I discovered that the author also wrote two series I enjoyed very much - as Nora Page she wrote the Bookmobile three book series and as Ann Myers she wrote the Santa Fe Cafe three book series. I was not disappointed and enjoyed it from start to finish. As they say, it checked all of the boxes. The setting is a quaint small town called Last Word, CO and the bookstore sounds so good I'd almost be a daily visitor - for books and local gossip and friendship. Add a grumpy Siamese cat named Agatha and I was a happy reader.
Opening with an event in the Book Chalet and a seance and leading to the murder in a very clever "locked room" - the gondola ahead of the one Ellie and her sister Meg are in - the Christie sisters (they haven't found a family connection to dame Agatha but that's neither here nor there) set out to catch the killer. When their trusty employee, Ms. Ridge, goes missing the night of the event it's even more pressing to solve the mystery. Aided by their grandmother and their teenaged niece, this team of amateur sleuths are sure to make Dame Agatha proud. I'm looking forward to their next case.
My thanks to the publisher Bantam and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was definitely intrigued when I saw the title and then that it takes place in a bookstore. I loved the association to Agatha Christie. I found the mystery to be ok. It wasn’t a mystery that kept me glued to the book, but one I had to push myself to not get distracted from. I didn’t think the big reveals were particularly surprising, but I did like that there were some layers of mysteries. Not just a murder but a missing person and figuring out how all the people connected. My favorite character, by far, is Agatha the grumpy looking bookstore cat. The sleuthing sisters fell a little flat for me and I hope that if this series continues they get a little more filled out as characters. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded down since I was hoping to love it more.

Great setting, an interesting cast of characters, and of course a murder. Everything you need for a fun cozy mystery. Taking place in Last Word, a picturesque small town in the mountains of Colorado, the Christie sisters run a business that’s been in their family for generations: a bookshop named the Book Chalet. The sisters are fans of mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie (no relation, though they have a cat named Agatha, lol) so when they come across the dead body of a mysterious stranger, naturally they can’t resist attempting their hands at amateur sleuthing. Clearly author Ann Claire is also a big fan of Agatha Christie as she has included many of the hallmarks of Agatha’s work, including one of my favorites: the gathering of the suspects for the big reveal. I’d say the Christie Bookshop series is off to an excellent start and look forward revisiting the Book Chalet and Last Word, Co. again in the future. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Dead and Gondola.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2NPFGPAB3V68S/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

Returning home to Colorado to help her sister, Meg run their family’s historic bookshop, Ellie Christie is happy to begin again! The book chalet is the perfect place for book lovers. It's cozy, warm, and accessible only by ski gondola and a twisty mountain road. One night a man enters the bookstore during a séance ends up dead in a gondola. The Christie sisters just happened to be in the gondola behind his and decide to put their "detective" skills to work. Fans of mysteries, these women and their trusty cat, Agatha, hope to solve the case of the man's murder. The sleuthing sisters’ step on a few law enforcement toes but they will not be deterred. I enjoyed doing my own super sleuthing while reading this book. I also loved Agatha the cat!

This cozy mystery showcases the author's love of Agatha Christie's novels. This was a delightful and fun cozy mystery which does not disappoint. The characters are fun, quirky, and engaging. This was an entertaining book with a well thought out plot. It is also the first book in the Christie Bookshop series. I look forward to reading more books in this series in the future.

A stranger walks into a bookstore. Not just any bookstore, though. It’s the famed Book Chalet in the ski-town of Last Word, Colorado, a resort town that draws the rich and famous. The man came in during a local book club meeting where they were re-enacting a séance from an Agatha Christie novel. Naturally, the planchette spelled out D-E-A-D-M-A-N.

He dies, of course.

And Ellie Christie and her sister Meg are witnesses of a sort. Of course, with the last name Christie and owning a mystery bookstore, not to mention being at the scene of the crime, there’s an expectation throughout the town that they will try to solve the murder. However, more pressing for them , their employee Ms. Ridge has disappeared. Given her scrupulous attention to detail and her responsibilities, they won’t accept that she just left.

They suspect and soon discover that Ms. Ridge’s disappearance and the murder are connected. Ellie and Meg are assisted by their grandmother and Meg’s daughter Rosie. Ellie also gets some help from a new romantic interest, an old high school acquaintance who is an enthusiastic skier and snowboarder.

Dead and Gondola is the first in what I hope will be a long series of cozy mysteries featuring the Christie Bookstore. It’s a completely fair mystery. We know what Ellie knows. There are enough red herrings for a buffet and the secondary characters are charming, nuanced, and going to be so much fun to meet again and again. Best of all, I did not solve the mystery half-way through and wonder what what was taking Ellie so long. I was surprised by the resolution and this confirmed for me that this series is going to excel. It turns our expectations on their head and that made me so happy.

It is also just what I needed right now. With so much that is grim in the world, it was a delight to read a book with kind people.

I received an e-galley of Dead and Gondola from the publisher through NetGalley.

Dead and Gondola at Penguin Random House
Ann Claire author site

Such a fun, cozy mystery! Ellie has returned home to help her sister run the family bookstore. But at a book club meeting, a mysterious man appears. Days later, he's dead, and there is no shortage of suspects! And after an innocent man confesses, it's up to Ellie to unmask the real murderer.

Dead and Gondola is delightful read filled

Ellie Christie has returned to her home town of Last Word, Colorado to help run her family's bookshop, the Book Chalet, with her sister Meg, her niece Rosie and her lovable Gram. It is really much more than a bookshop, though, to the hamlet of Last word it is a social hub. Book clubs, cozy reading spaces coffee, muffin donuts - what is not to love? There is even a cat name Agatha C. Christie, of course, who may curl up with you as you read, but most likely will choose not to.. The town has gondola that locals use much like a subway system in other cities. The quickest way to travel is not the steep windy road up and down the mountain, but leisurely and with the glorious view. You may even spot a moose, but not if you are the new sheriff, Chief Sunnie ;)
Although the Christie's are of no known relation to the great writer of the same name, they are devoted to her works and love a good mystery. It was during recreation of a séance from one of Agatha Christie's novels that a mysterious man appeared, made a comment about meeting someone named Cece and then left the Book Chalet. Seeing that he left behind a briefcase, the Ellie and Meg follow him but cannot catch him before he boards a gondola down the mountain, They take the one behind him, determined to catch him on the bottom of the mountain. They won't be able to return his things, however, because he does not disembark, but instead is found murdered in the gondola.
How is someone murdered on a moving gondola high above the mountain with no one else in his car? Where did Ms. Ridge, their dedicated employee disappear to? The girls live up to their Christie name and are determined to solve the mystery.
Ann Claire writes a delightful cozy mystery with characters that I cannot wait to get to know better in future books in the series.. I find the gondola murder a creative twist on a locked room mystery.. How I would love to sift through the shelves of the Book Chalet myself with their Italian hot chocolate and the people of Last Word.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun, cozy read to get you in the mood for winter as the colder temperatures come in...

Dead and Gondola is set in a small, isolated mountain town where an unexpected visitor's passing sparks suspicion and intrigue, and a local bookshop with mystery book lovers put their sleuthing skills to practice. My only reality based question was when they actually worked! :)

Thank you to Random House, Ballantine, Bantam, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I couldn’t get through this one. The writing did not grip me, and certain phrasing was clunky enough to pull me out of the story entirely.

This book wasn't for me. As someone with a love of skiing, mountains, Colorado, and cozy thrillers, I thought I would enjoy it. But I struggled to get through it. I felt that it dragged on too long. Though the twist in the end was somewhat unexpected, overall I just lost interest in who the murderer was. I found it repetitive and just not written in a way that drew me in.

This was such a cute, fun Agatha Christie-style mystery read. As a resident of Colorado, I loved the setting and thought the author's use of the gondola was a great choice.

This book was fairly predictable and not too heavy or spooky. Would be a great read for anyone new to Agatha Christie and looking for a more contemporary style and a quick read.

Synopsis:
Ellie Christie is thrilled to begin a new chapter. She’s recently returned to her tiny Colorado hometown to run her family’s historic bookshop with her elder sister, Meg, and their friendly bookshop cat, Agatha. Perched in a Swiss-style hamlet accessible by ski gondola and a twisty mountain road, the Book Chalet is a famed bibliophile destination known for its maze of shelves and relaxing reading lounge with cozy fireside seats and panoramic views. At least, until trouble blows in with a wintery whiteout. A man is found dead on the gondola, and a rockslide throws the town into lockdown—no one in, no one out.

He was a mysterious stranger who visited the bookshop. At the time, his only blunders were disrupting a book club and leaving behind a first-edition Agatha Christie novel, written under a pseudonym. However, once revealed, the man’s identity shocks the town. Many residents knew of him. Quite a few had reason to want him dead. Others hide secrets. The police gather suspects, but when they narrow in on the sisters’ close friends, the Christies have to act.

Although the only Agatha in their family tree is their cat, Ellie and Meg know a lot about mysteries, and they’re not about to let the situation snowball out of control. The Christie sisters must summon their inner Miss Marples and trek through a blizzard of clues before the killer turns the page to their final chapter.

a truly entertaining descriptive read. A real page turner with lots of twists and turns and interesting complex characters. I did not see the ending coming! A must read cozy mystery that won't disappoint!

I love that this took place in a bookstore. A fun mystery. The cat Agatha was a nice touch. The who dunnit was a surprise.

At times, even a good book is not the right book for you. This is true for me with this book. While I usually like cozies, I am not a big fan of books told in first person. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

Late fall/winter is the perfect time for a cozy mystery, so this seems like the perfect time to have gotten to read the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

This story follows a charming and lovable cast of characters (and a cat), and I found myself really enjoying them and the story. Though I did find it to be a bit predictable, and perhaps a bit slow at times, it was still an enjoyable read that kept me entertained.

It had a cute and cozy setting, and I am a sucker for all things bookstore/book related in my stories so that definitely helped to suck me in.

Overall a cute, quick read I would recommend for a snowy afternoon.