A promising new cozy mystery starts with this pleasing debut. Set in a small snow-covered village in Colorado, the Christie Bookstore provides respite from the cold and an alternative to hurtling down a mountain. When the latest mystery book club meeting does a séance that predicts death (just like out of the Agatha Christie novel), no one takes it seriously until an unwanted visitor to the bookstore is found murdered later. With unexpected connections to many people in the town and secrets revealed, another séance might be the only way to expose a killer.

This definitely falls into the cozy genre, from the small town, the snuggling weather, a cozy bookstore, and plenty of quirky human and animal characters. And don't forget the red herrings, Christie facts, and nod to others from the Golden Age of Detection.

I enjoyed it and look forward to the next in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Ellie Christie has returned to her Colorado hometown to take over running the family bookstore, The Book Chalet, with her elder sister Meg, aided by Meg's daughter Rosie, their grandmother, faithful store employee Mrs. Ridge and the store cat Agatha C Christie. The bookstore is accessible either by a twisty mountain road or a gondola.
When Ellie and Meg take the gondola down to the village, the ride is stopped due to the dead man discovered in the car in front. While they can identify him as the man who interrupted a book club meeting at the store, they have no idea who he is. When his identity is revealed, it turns out that he had scammed some of the residents in town and had recently been released from jail. To top it all off, their employee Mrs. Ridge has vanished without a trace, making her a suspect in the eyes of the police. Looking into connections between the dead man and residents lead to more questions.
First in a new series - a quick read.
#DeadAndGondola #NetGalley

A mysterious man shows up at the Book Chalet during the mystery book club meeting (where they are having a seance no less). He's looking for someone but when she doesn't appear he leaves. However he leave behind his satchel with a pretty valuable book in it. Later when the Christie sisters, who run the bookstore, see him getting on the gondola they try to catch up to him. However, once they reach the bottom of the mountain the man is dead with a knife in his back. Who could have killed him since he was alone in the gondola? Also, where did Ms. Ridge, their ever-efficient bookseller, go? Don't worry, the Christie's are on the case!

I love the snowy setting of the small Colorado mountain town. It is perfect for winter reading - I live in the south so I prefer my snow in pictures and books! The book is set around a bookstore that is owned by the Christie family - so far they haven't found a genetic connection to their favorite author but that doesn't keep them from hoping.

First books in a series, Dead and Gondola is the first book in the Christie Bookshop series, can be hit or miss for me. I have to say this one was a hit. Books that are a miss for me usually spend too much time introducing the characters and town. But Claire perfectly balanced out the need to set the stage for the series and keep the story moving. I think having a local resident go missing was a great way to let the reader naturally meet the townspeople and look around the town.

The main character Ellie is likable, but there was something about her that felt like it could be annoying if overdone. Even though she is well-traveled, she felt very young to me. Maybe it is because her older sister Meg pretty much handles the business side of the bookstore. I couldn't tell what Ellie did at the store other than run the register, even though they are supposed to be running the store together.

I liked the mysteries - both the death of the mysterious visitor and of the missing Ms. Ridge. While the police are on the scene there isn't much interaction with them. I'm not sure how Chief Sunnie and her deputy are going to be portrayed in this series. Are they just background characters, though we seem to get a lot of info about them? Are they and the Christies going to buttheads on future cases as the Christies are told to stay out of the investigation? Or are they going to be mildly incompetent for easy laughs? Or will they work together for the mutual best interest of the town? I'm hoping for this last scenario and it could work well since Sunnie is new to the town.

Overall this is an excellent mystery to read this winter as you snuggle under cozy blankets with a hot drink. I'm looking forward to more books in this series.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/11/dead-and-gondola-by-ann-claire-review.html

Calling all cozy mystery lovers! This delightful book is a love letter to the genre. Ellie Christie (sadly, no relation to the famous author) has recently returned to the charming hamlet of Last Word, Colorado, to help her sister Meg take over the family bookstore, the Book Chalet. Ellie’s in love with the written word and ready to settle down after far-flung adventures, and she’s also looking forward to spending time with her Gram and her young teen niece Rosie. But when a mysterious visitor to the bookstore is found dead on the town gondola, and the bookstore’s most loyal employee, Ms. Ridge, goes missing, Ellie and Meg find themselves drawn into a real-life whodunit. And did I mention there’s a cat named Agatha C. Christie?

Likes: The whole book is charming: tone, writing style, characters, setting, and all. Last Word’s cozy Victorians, friendly (if somewhat nosy) neighbors, ample skiing, and enormous (!) bookstore make it sound idyllic. The bookstore especially appealed to me, with its Reading Lounge, hot drinks bar, vast selection, and charming ambiance. And with a bookstore at the center of the story, there’s lots of fun mystery author name-dropping. Ellie’s voice as the narrator is funny, wry, and self-deprecating without being maudlin. The eccentric suspects include a movie star turned internet book influencer, a cowboy poet and his cantankerous pony, and a nasty out-of-towner. The family has a wonderful, supportive relationship; I would love to share a meal of fabulous roast chicken or homemade macaroni and cheese while “Marpling” with the sisters, their grandmother, and Rose. And Agatha the cat steals every scene she’s in! This is a fast-paced read that would be the perfect book to take on a winter vacation or pull out when you’re craving a cup of cocoa by the fire.

Dislikes: really nothing. I did see a few of the twists coming, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this book.

FYI: murder, injury, financial crimes.

This cozy mystery is best read curled up with a cup of coffee, next to a Christmas tree! You will fall in love with the setting (a snowy hamlet best reached by gondola), the protagonist (book lover who has come home to run her family's book shop with her sister), the supporting characters (wise grandmother, cowboy poet, nosy neighbor), and most of all, with Agatha Christie, herself, a moody cat with an Instagram following. This is the perfect holiday read!

4.5 rounded to 5

Ann Claire puts together all the right elements--a pair of sisters who own a bookshop together, a charming small town (in this case, in Colorado, already a bonus), a resident cat named Agatha (who has more online followers than the shop), a grandma who brightens every page she appears on, a quirky bunch of locals, (especially the police chief, who I LOVED), and a victim who nobody liked, thus there's no depression over his being mysteriously bumped off.

Throw them together with seances, brisk pacing, lots of book talk (did I mention the sisters' last name is Christie?), and a perp you want to see get caught, and you get a delightful afternoon's read. What a fun book kicking off a new series! Will we learn more about the town? Is there romance in the future for the sisters, along with more mysteries?

All I can say is, I look forward to finding out!

If you're looking for a fun new cozy mystery series that centers around a resort town bookstore and Agatha Christie, this is it.

There’s murder, a celebrity book club, and my favorite, a cat named Agatha C. Christie (the C stands for cat). There's also a little hint of romance and of course, books. Tons and tons of references to books, reading books, ditching your plans and curling up with a book. Things only a book lover would understand.

There's a lot going on in Dead and Gondola. Not only is there a murder, but one of the bookstore employees goes missing at the same time. Are the two related? Ellie Christie wants to find out just that. Because of an avalanche, there's no way in or out, which means the killer is stuck in town and everyone becomes a suspect. There's a lot of secrets and motives for wanting the victim dead. Red herrings abound and I had no idea who the bad guy was going to be. I was definitely surprised when it was revealed. Another thing I loved was that Ellie was not a damsel in distress. She didn't get herself caught up in stupid situations and when she did want to go off alone, her sister, Meg wouldn’t let her. Ellie is a capable and smart woman that we need more of in cozy mysteries.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to spending more time at The Book Chalet (such a cute name) with the Christie sisters and Agatha the cat.

The Christie sisters find a mysterious man’s belongings in their bookshop. They discover that this man has died right after leaving their bookshop. A local woman in town also ends up missing around the same time. Soon secrets begin spilling out and everyone is shocked and ready to learn what really happened in their town and who is to blame. They are living a real life mystery novel!
I thought this book was very fun and easy to read. I felt like there were a few twists to make you believe certain people in town are the killer. It was a fun and enjoyable read! Thank you to the Netgalley and to Random House Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC!

Dead and Gondola is quite a ride! No pun intended! The story is very funny, with a quirky cast of characters, a wonderful mystery with references to all-time favorite aficionado of crime, Agatha Christie as well as a purrfectly fastidious cat!

Ellie and Meg Christie own a bookshop in a small town in Colorado named The Book Chalet. With a last name like Christie, it is not a surprise they are obsessed fans of the writer herself. Even their shop cat, Agatha is an homage to the master! The town is so high in the sky that during the winter with all the snow, the preferred method of travel is gondola.

When a stranger wanders into the bookstore while a seance is going on and suddenly disappears, leaving a duffle bag with a rare Agatha Christie novel inside, they are dumbfounded. That same evening their elderly employee seems to have upped and vanished as well. But the next day when the women find the same man dead on a gondola, well, they feel the need to become Miss Marple and do a bit of sleuthing, against the wishes of the police.

With the help of their Gran who is the pipeline to gossip in the small town, they try to figure out just who the murdered man is and why he had been in their bookstore. When they finally find out who he is the mystery deepens as to why he came to town. He was not a well-liked man and caused people great distress when he had lived there.

As they follow the clues, it seems there are no shortage of suspects. And to add to their anxiety, their employee still has not shown up, leaving them to believe something has happened to her as well. It seems someone is trying to prevent them from getting too close to the truth. With a break in at the bookstore and Agatha going missing, someone seems to be trying to tell them to drop the investigation.

Solving the case seems questionable until some good intuition and their mentor Agatha Christie intervene. Hopefully they will bring the murderer to justice before someone else is killed.

Dead and Gondola is a delightful cozy which should be read with a cup of cocoa and a furry pet animal curled up on your lap. Hopefully the Christie sisters will have a second act!

Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #AnnClaire #DeadandGondola for the advanced copy.

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire has a fair-play plot, vivid characters, and an intelligent and appealing protagonist makes this a winner. A perfect read that cozy fans will chomp at the bit for more.

A cute and unique cozy mystery. Two sisters, with the last name Christie, own a book store in a very small tourist town that attracts snow enthusists. They love their regulars, their book club and their silly cat named Agatha. The town is almost overwhelming at first. There are so many people introduced in a short span in the beginning that I struggled to remember anything about anyone. But slowly you get to know the town and the regulars and you start to remembre them.

I loved the added seance in the beginning to really start the story going, the influencer flair and the addition of the wise grandma. And if my last name was Christie, I would definitely do some geneology and see if I was related to Ms. Agatha Christie as well! Loved the little quirks that made this one funny. And the mystery was good. I never guessed the twists and just enjoyed the story.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

Dead and Gondola is the perfect example of a cozy murder that keeps you guessing right until the end. I love that the murder is not obvious. Sometimes cozy murders make it way too easy on the reader. This book moved smoothly with just enough suspects that had potential motive. Some surprises were easy to guess, but that is typical of a cozy murder and really didn’t detract from the plot line or make me less interested in finishing the story. Fair warning if you have never read an Agatha Christie novel you will want to read one after reading this book. I also adore the fact that this book is set in Colorado. Someplace super near and dear to my heart. I can just feel all the Colorado vibes, now if only this was a real town with such an enchanted bookstore. I can’t wait to see if the Christie sisters get to meddle in any more mysteries. This will be a series I will be on the lookout for.
Thank you so very much to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, Bantam, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This was a fun mystery to solve! The atmosphere is perfect with a historic bookshop nestled into the Colorado mountains. With a book chalet, panoramic view, a cozy fireplace and a reading lounge, I fit right in until the murder investigation took place. A mysterious book customer is found dead in one of the ski gondolas which sets off a series of events. A horrendous rock slide knocks out the entry and exit to the town, so everyone is trapped inside.

The Christie sisters make up the team for investigating with their cat, Agatha. When Ellie and Meg super sleuth with the towns people, they find out the man had a lot of enemies that would have wanted him dead. Then one of their employees, Ms. Ridge, goes missing. With a lot of leads and questionable doubts, this book keeps you sledding through it to find out whodunit.

I loved the Hallmark and Murder, She Wrote vibes and can't wait to read the next one in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

When I first read the title, I'll admit I expected Venice and godoliers wearing striped shirts! I was pleasantly exchanged this visual for a quaint Colorado town and ski gondolas :) The first in a new cozy mystery series--we meet the Christie sisters who have recently taken over the Book Chalet for their retiring parents. Full of fun characters (may fav may be Agatha the Siamese cat named for that other famous Agatha), books and mystery buffs, this was a fun, well developed and written debut.

DEAD AND GONDOLA is the first in a new cozy mystery series based around a family-owned bookshop in Colorado. The current managers, sisters, are continuing the family obsession with all things Agatha Christie and attempt to solve a local murder based on her books. For lovers of cozy mysteries and Christie books, this series should delight; the bookstore cat is aptly named Agatha. For non-cozy lovers, the tale tends towards silliness. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

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. The Book Chalet is perched in a mountain-top town, accessible b ski gondola. When a mysterious stranger is found dead on the gondola, the Christie sisters spring into action! They summon their inner Miss Marple's in order to solve the mystery that has even the police baffled.
Cute, cozy mystery. Should be read in front of a roaring fire, preferably while it is snowing outside.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this e-arc.*

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Uneven pacing and a bit silly but entertaining

Ellie Christie is back home in her tiny Colorado town to run the family bookshop with her older sister, Meg. Her sister’s teen Rosie and their fun-loving Gram help them in the business. The bookshop cat, Agatha C. Christie, does her bit to spread her hair around the books and bring more customers with her haughty frown.
The bookshop, Book Chalet, is a favorite destination for booklovers in the town. However, the appearance of a mysterious stranger disrupts their book club meeting. When the man later ends up dead and has a history related to the town, the list of suspects starts to grow.
The Christie family goes on an unsubtle amateur sleuthing as the snow piles high around the town. When a close family friend ends up as the prime suspect, Ellie and Meg have to sharpen their Marpling skills and find the killer. Can they do it in time and prevent more disasters in their cozy little town?
The story comes in the first-person POV by Ellie Christie.

My Thoughts:
The book is set in a snowy fictional town in Colorado. The small-town setting is spot on, with an array of characters and even a celebrity thrown into the mix.
As the characters’ names suggest, there’s a lot of Christie in the book. As a fan, I did enjoy it, especially the regal cat.
The story is quite lighthearted and humorous. If you want something silly and goofy with murder, this is your pick.
The family dynamics are sweet, like really sweet. The teen is well-behaved and has enough skills to survive just about anywhere. Gram is tech-savvy enough to send voice messages (so what if the message ends up different from what she intended).
My major grouse is with the pacing. It starts well, dips, slows, picks up a little, dips again, and ends with a moderate pace. Tighter editing would have solved the issue. I wouldn’t mind editing the repeated references to reading, either. I already know that they are bibliophiles. No point in reminding me multiple times throughout the book.
Absent in the Spring by Christie (written as Mary Westmacott) has a key role in the story. I like how it’s incorporated into the plot.
The murder and a few reveals were easy to guess (something I don’t mind in cozies). As the first book in the series, this one sets a decent base for the upcoming murders… books. I’d like more details about the main characters’ lives and a little less about how much they love to read.

To summarize, Dead and Gondola is an entertaining read but a slightly bumpy ride. That said, I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Bantam, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Dead and Gondola is Ann Claire's first book in the series. Ellie has just returned to Colorado and is excited to run the family bookstore with her sister Meg along with Agatha the cat. The Book Chalet is reachable by gondola or a twisty mountain road. During a whiteout and a rockslide, a man is found dead on the gondola. He was a stranger who had visited the bookstore. After it's found who the mysterious man is, the Christies close friends are suspects. Ellie and Meg decide to investigate the crime to clear their friends.

This is a fun first book. I love that it is set in a bookstore. This is a great book if you are a reader of cozy mysteries or just light mysteries. The characters are well developed. Such a cute little egg to name the cat Agatha and the sisters Christie. Definitely will be reading the next book in the series.

This is a brand new cozy mystery series! I loved the Christie sisters and their dynamic, the mystery was interesting and the storyline was all together entertaining. I will happily read the next in the series as soon as it becomes available!

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire is the start of a delightful new cozy series featuring the Christie sisters and their wonderful cat, Agatha.
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
So many things have excited me to read this new series: it's set around a bookstore, there's a cat named Agatha Christie, and it's about sisters - Ellie and Meg. I love family themes, and it seems like any story featuring sisters will have to have some strong family themes. Plus, a cat named Agatha Christy…well, my heart swoons.
Actual Reading Experience:
I loved all the Agatha Christie references – from her personal life to her mysteries and lead characters. They are all used at various times to describe what is happening in the mysteries as a comparison. You may notice that I said mysteries plural – yes, there is more than one mystery. Someone is murdered, someone goes missing, something is stolen, and more. It may be excessive, but I still enjoyed it very much.
I also love the family themes that run throughout the story. Ellie has recently returned home to help her sister with the family bookstore. They have a great relationship, but Ellie must readjust to being back in the small town she grew up in. It is all so relatable and adds depth to the characters that no other situation could have done so effectively.
The mystery has many red herrings and twists that kept me stumped most of the time. I figured out who did it before the reveal, but I wasn't sure why. I thought all the twists and red herrings did an excellent job of keeping the puzzle pieces juggled around and the suspense high.
Characters:
Ellie Christie is the younger of the two Christie sisters. She has returned home to help with the family bookstore, where she lives with the family cat, Agatha Christie.
Meg Christie is the older of the two sisters. She's a single mom with a teenage daughter and has always lived in Last Word. She ran the bookstore with her parents until they decided to leave for an extended period, giving her and her sister ownership of the store.
Rosie Christie is Meg's daughter and is an unusually delightful teen. She loves to bake and brings different logical influences to the sisters detecting hobby.
Gram is the sister's grandmother and is often found Marpling. What is Marpling? It's sitting in the corner knitting while also collecting all the gossip to help solve the case – just like Agatha Christie's beloved sleuth Ms. Marple
Narration & Pacing:
The story is told through Ellie Christie using first-person narration. Since she's at a personal crossroads, she makes a very intriguing narrator. I enjoyed her voice and seeing the story through her eyes.
The pace should be quick due to the narration style and short chapters, but it is more of a medium pace. I believe this is due to the many details in each chapter. I loved all the details, but perhaps that was part of the problem. I wanted to catch and ponder each and every one.

Setting:
The setting is focused on the Book Chalet, which is in Last Word, Colorado. I love all the bookish details in the setting, and I found it very cool!
Read if you like:
• Agatha Christie
• Cozies set in bookish settings
• Family themes