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.

This was...fine!

In recent years, I've found it difficult to consume a lot of cozy mysteries, as most often seem to sacrifice a good mystery or likeable characters for silliness and overdone attempts at humor. I was first drawn to Dead and Gondola becauses of the nice, wintry setting - a ski chalet turned bookstore in a small mountain town in Colorado, home to resident cat Agatha and the two Christie sisters who run it? Sign me up.

The setting was both unique and familiar, as anyone who's read Carolyn Hart's popular Death on Demand series will recognize some parallels in setup, if not geographically. There are lots of references to Agatha Christie throughout, in addition to the character homages.

This book sets up a series well, and that's great because otherwise the dump of characters might have been overwhelming! The writing is good, the protagonist never too silly or stupid; at one point she uses the verb "Marpling" and I had to chuckle. Her millennial struggles and sardonic humor are entertaining, as are the colorful regulars who frequent the shop, and of course the doted-upon cat Agatha.

I did find myself dragging my feet through the book. I think like many cozies, it was lacking anything to hook me besides a nice winter ambience and the usual cozy vibes; the mystery was not difficult to solve, and that often puts me off too. Three stars.

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.

This is a fun mystery read. The Christie sisters run a lovely bookstore in a ski town in Colorado. Ellie & Meg are running the family bookstore, The Book Chalet. When a mysterious visitor to the bookstore dies on the gondola, and the Christie sisters happen to be in the next gondola, things in this quiet little town start to change. Who was the mysterious visitor? What is his connection to the town? Where has the long-time employee of the Book Chalet disappeared to? And what exactly does Agatha Christie know about the break-in at the Book Chalet? The Christie sisters are marpling their way to get answers.

I very much enjoyed this book, the characters are likeable, the mystery unfolds with a steady speed toward the conclusion and add a cat named Agatha Christie what more do you want? Ellie Christie is a person I would enjoy getting to know. The Book Chalet sounds like a bookstore most book lovers would want to visit. Ann Claire does a wonderful job of telling a story, creating likeable characters and writing a mystery with definite stumpers. I would recommend this book, fun, easy to read and a good story to boot!

In this series debut, a mysterious bookshop visitor dies under murderous circumstances, compelling the Christie sisters and their cat, Agatha, to call on all they’ve learned about solving mysteries from their favorite novelist.
Ellie Christie has to solve many mysteries. I loved the characters and plot.
#DeadandGondola #NetGalley

A cozy mystery with books, a cat, a persnickety mini horse and a murder to solve? Sign me up! Set in a snowy hamlet in Colorado, El Christie (yes, like that famous author!) and her family set out to solve the murder of a stranger. Loved the twists and turns and can’t wait for book two!

Loved this cozy mystery! The characters were so much fun and the setting was perfect! Can’t wait for the other books in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!