Member Reviews

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story will draw you in, the Christie sisters, Ellie and Meg, run a popular bookstore in a Colorado ski town. They come from a mystery-loving family and set out to solve a murder in a small Colorado town where a murder occurs on a gondola.

I think fans of Agatha Christie and those looking for a cozy mystery may enjoy this book. A good read.

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This is the start of the Christie Bookshop Mystery series. This was an enjoyable beginning to this cozy mystery series. The characters, including the diva bookshop cat and ornery pony, are likable, nosy, and in truly cozy fashion, when a murder occurs, they just can’t help but get involved in solving the mystery. The mystery is well crafted with everyone being a suspect, plenty of misdirection and secrets to be uncovered. An entertaining read.

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I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, so I knew I had to read this book. I loved all the references to her works.

The little town the book was set in sounds so cozy I wish it was real so I could visit, I'm a sucker for unique bookstores - especially those with cats.
I appreciated that this was a lighter-hearted mystery, despite the main component being a murder, I never got the sense that the narrator was in danger. I highly recommend to others to read this book.

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When a visitor to the Christie’s book shop is later found murdered, Ellie Christie doesn’t believe the police have found the real killer and sets out to clear the name of a friend. The plot is nice and twisty and the characters complex. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

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A cozy mystery that is charming, adorable and funny. The Christie sisters, Ellie and Meg are the owners of a bookshop. There are some delightful characters including a cat and a horse. When a murder happens the sisters and their book club get involved in trying to solve the crime. In the small town everyone becomes a suspect including them.

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Well this book is just the cozy mystery lovers dream! Dead and Gondola takes place in a mountain-side ski town, inside of a bookstore...with a cat (cleverly named Agatha C after the main character's Christie last name)! When a mysterious man enters the Book Chalet during book club, Ellie begins to be concerned. He is looking for someone/something, but seems up to something nefarious. When Ellie and her sister Meg find this mysterious stranger dead, the plot thickens!

It a great cozy mystery. There is a whole cast of neighbors trying to "help" solve the case. It reminds me a bit of The Thursday Murder Club series with a wide range of cast members who are very funny, super nosy, and clearly everyone is hiding something. I want to read more of the town (Last Word) and the Book Chalet! It held my interest and the ending was unexpected. Loved Dead and Gondola!

Thank you to Random House Publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Dead and Gondola should be the poster child for a cozy murder mystery! It had everything that one could want from the genre. It was very well written and the characters were endearingly lovable, despite being some of the nosiest and dramatic people ever. There were several times that I found myself laughing, cackling or giggling out loud while reading this book. It was truly an enjoyable read.

This book is exactly what it claims to be, a cozy murder mystery. So that being said, if you are looking for a thriller or a mystery that completely shocks you to your roots, then this is not the book for you. I knew the whodunnit pretty quickly, but the ride that the plot and story took me on was more than worth the read. I mention this because I feel like it would be doing both the author and the book a disservice if someone rated it lower just because the mystery didn’t awe them.

Overall, I loved this book and now have a new go to cozy mystery author. I have not had a book make me laugh like this in quite awhile and for that I thank the author. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by Ann Claire, she just seems like my kind of person.

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I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and was really looking forward to reading this book. Although the story was good with the quirky characters and of the course the animals I thought that it could of been a little shorter since it dragged in some places of the book.

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Super cozy murder mystery where I suspected everyone! I also really enjoyed the small twists and turns that the author included, it kept me on the edge of my seat while still being realistic!

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A nice start to a new series! And- it's a locked town cozy mystery. The Christie sisters, Ellie and Meg, run the family bookstore at the top of the mountain. It's a good life, what with their family, their friends, and Agatha the cat. When a stranger shows up for a book club event and then is murdered, the sisters (and their buddies) know they have to get answers because they're been stuck as the result of a rockslide. There's a missing employee, the appearance of a first edition novel, and little surprises along the way. The sisters are great, the setting appealing and the mystery just twisty enough to keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read and I'm looking forward to the next one.

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Fall is a wonderful time for a cozy mystery. I loved the title, Dead and Gondola. I had hoped to be grabbed by the story in the first few chapters but, it just didn't happen for me. Great for Agatha Christie fans but sadly, not for me.

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So I must admit, I have never read a Agatha Christie novel. Right, who am I as a reader if I haven't picked-up one of her books. Dead and Gondola is a the cozy mystery I needed this fall.

The beauty of this book is that is takes place in a bookstore. The owners last name is Christie and the cat that roams the halls is named Agatha. This book is charming with full array of characters from down to earth to eccentric.

Road trip to Last Word, CO so I can wander the shops, taste the delicious goodness and enjoy the wintery landscape.

Oh wait there is a murder with the Book Chalet (bookstore) detective team on the job. I look forward to the next installment with these super sleuths in the Christie Bookshop series.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for the #gifted copy of this book.

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What a fun novel! I don't read the cozy mystery genre as a rule, but decided to make an exception for "Dead and Gondola", and I'm very glad I did. I chose it of the Agatha Christie connection, and it's certainly there - besides the mystery, there's the siamese cat named "Agatha Christie", the Christie sister MC's and the bookstop and of course the mystery. So fun & full of quirkiness & fun! Highly recommend! It was my pleasure to read & review this title, and I wish to thank both Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary DRC.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Publishing for DEAD AND GONDOLA by Ann Claire in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Cozy mystery

Whenever I read a mystery, I always want it to be cozy. This title instantly caught me! How cute is Dead & Gondola???

I love how El Christie and her older sister are friends. There's also the grandma and niece who have a tender relationship. The tension comes from the murder mystery instead of family drama. (For me this is a bonus!) Just like the Christie sisters, I kept wondering who could have done the murder. A mystery is even better if there's a hint of romance—the intrigue of love adds another layer to DEAD AND GONDOLA. There are lies, misdirection, secrets, and tantalizing revelations. The red herrings were also a dead ringer for fun in this book. I expected a bit more mayhem from the title—but the tempo fits El who is passionate about reading, the cat (Agatha), strong family ties and great food.

My guess kept developing for who committed the crime. (I try to choose who it will be in the beginning.) At three-quarters through, I still wasn't positive. But I had one nagging feeling—hoping I was wrong . . . But I'm like the Agatha cat and won't tell.

Take the gondola up the mountain to figure out who dunnit!

I recommend this book :)

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Cozy mystery indeed! The Christie Bookshop is just where I would love to be...nestled in a quaint Colorado ski village, full of books and a cat. But when a murder occurs, the Christie sisters believe it is their duty to solve the crime, just as Agatha Christie would have told.

Meg and Ellie, and a whole slew of supporting characters are determined to solve the mystery of their missing employee and dead bookshop patron, who has left behind a first edition of an Agatha Christie novel that was penned under a pseudonym. There are so many nods to the famous author, although this was not annoying. It was actually done very cleverly. The characters, although there are many, are all likeable.

This made for a perfect read as the weather changes here in the south. It made me long to be in a snow capped area and ready to solve a mystery of my own. I look forward to more installments in this Bookshop Mystery series.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire is the first book in the Christie Bookshop series. Sisters Ellie and Meg who run the bookshop in Last Word, Colorado are determined to solve the murder on the gondola. They have several suspects and work to eliminate them from their suspect list and to come to a conclusion on the actual culprit. I enjoyed following along with the sisters to their conclusion. This was a fun read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Dead and Gondola is a great cozy mystery with a wonderful title!

Ellie Christie has moved back home to Last Word, Colorado, to run her family's book shop alongside her sister, Meg, her grandmother and her niece. The bookshop, Book Chalet, is in a resort village that is filled with skiers and snowboarders all winter. This day, Morgan Marin, a retired Hollywood actress who had begun an online book club called Shelf Indulgence, is in their shop an in-person book club meeting for their latest read, The Sittaford Mystery, by Agatha Christie. While she is there, a strange man comes into the shop, and says he is waiting for someone special, a woman named Cece.

Later that evening, Meg and Ellie see him again, getting on the gondola to go down to the lower village. But when they arrive, one car behind him, they find out he is dead, stabbed at the top of the mountain. Now Ellie has to figure out who he is, why he died, and how that could be tied into the disappearance of the Book Chalet's indomitable shop assistant, Mrs. Ridge, that same day.

Like other cozy mysteries, this book has no gore, and while there is suspense, most of the book feels lighthearted and, well, cozy! It is perfect for reading curled up on a winter's day, preferably looking out on a snowy landscape. Dead and Gondola is a really fun book to read, and a great start to a new series. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy!

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Dead and Gondola is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Ann Claire. Set in a picturesque, fictional Colorado ski town, only accessible by ski gondola and a mountain road, it centers on two sisters, Ellie and Meg Christie, who run the family's historic bookshop, The Book Chalet. Agatha Christie fans, they have not yet found a familial link to the famed author but did name their cat in her honor. When a mysterious stranger who visited their bookstore is murdered and a rockslide locks down the town, the Christie sisters are on the case!

With nods to Agatha Christie, her works, and facts about her life, this is very much a tribute to the Queen of Mystery. As it's the first in a series, significant groundwork is laid for potential sequels. So, it's lengthy for a cozy, with a great deal of world-building, a large suspect pool, and a few twists along the way, but overall an enjoyable read. Bibliophiles will find the charming bookstore in the mountains setting appealing and fun. There's even a celebrity Bookstagrammer! The mystery is puzzling, as it's a somewhat unusual locked room mystery. This is a light-hearted read with a unique concept, and perfect for a snow day!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballentine for the opportunity to review this ARC.

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I like cozy mysteries, as well as Agatha Christie, so that caught my attention with this book. I really enjoyed the setting, as well as the bookstore angle. I enjoyed the characters, though there were a bit too many of them introduced at the beginning. The mystery is solid, though I did figure things out before the reveal. Some things did feel a bit too drawn out at times, but it was an enjoyable read overall.

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A cozy mystery that will appeal to so many audiences:: Agatha Christie readers, snow enthusiasts, book lovers, etc. the plot is cute and the murderer is a true surprise. There is a lot of the book devoted to the main characters’s love of books. While I appreciated this… it was brought up every page or so. Way too much. I get the impression that this is the start of a new series. I’ll be interested in how the books mature over time. This book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

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