When a mysterious man enters their bookstore and then later dies under mysterious circumstances, the Christie sisters put all their sleuthing skills to use, even if they've only learned them from books.

Ellie is home to help her sister Meg run their family's historic bookstore.
When a stranger interrupts their book club he also leaves behind a book. A rare book. When the stranger's identity is revealed it shocks most in their small town. Many knew him and a few had reason to dislike him.

Someone goes missing in the midst of this mystery. The sisters work the clues they find along to way and make a last-ditch attempt to catch the killer before they attack anyone else.

A cozy mystery set in a ski town bookstore- I loved the premise. However, this book was so boring, and I kept with it, but wished I hadn't. This book was not for me.

Dead and Gondola - Ann Claire
In Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire, we meet sisters Ellie and Meg Christie. They run a bookshop in Colorado alongside a grumpy cat named Agatha. A mysterious man who had shown up at the bookshop has been discovered dead on a gondola. Ellie and Meg are determined to find out who he is and who may have killed him. This was a fun cozy mystery. I look forward to the next book in this series.

This is one of the most atmospheric settings for a cozy mystery I've read in a while, with a remote mountain setting and a charming bookshop at the center. Lots of great Easter eggs for Christie fans and a solid mystery on its own, and definitely characters and a place I'll look forward to returning to.

This had all the right boxes checked to make a perfect cozy mystery - beautiful setting, interesting characters, a bookshop, murder in unsuspected location - but it was way too long and threw too many characters at you for it to be successful. In a nutshell, what started out well dragged on too long and ended up making me lose interest; it was a chore to finish it. The author did a great job sticking to the theme of a bookstore but then beat you over the head with everyone's love of reading. There was so much promise but it didn't quite deliver. I might read the next in the series but not upon release.

Dead and Gondola was a cute mystery. But a little chaotic for me. So many people and connections, I couldn’t keep everyone straight! But I loved the concept- a bookstore for mystery book lovers, being trapped by a snowstorm and car accidents.

I loved the ski resort town and bookstore setting in this cozy mystery. This is the start to a new series. A lot of first books in a cozy start slow to me because there is so much set up. This book was no exception to that. I enjoyed the sisters and the Agatha Christie references, but the mystery was slow to me and the murderer was no surprise. 3 stars.

If you love cozy mysteries, look no further. This book is charming and witty. However, I don’t think cozy mysteries are really my genre of choice.

The Christie sisters run a bookshop at the top of a mountain in Colorado that is reached by ski lift. During their book club meeting, they have an odd encounter with a mysterious stranger, who winds up dead on the gondola. Ellie and Meg become witnesses, as they were riding right behind him. They use their mystery solving skills to investigate.

This story moved a little slow for me and I had trouble maintaining my attention on the plot. There is nothing wrong with it per as, but I just didn’t find it very gripping. In all, I think this book just isn’t the best fit for my tastes.

Thank you to Bantam/Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to read and review.

Meg and Ellie Christie, bookshop owners of Last Word, Colorado's, The Book Chalet, mystery solvers when a man who bumbles into their shop's séance turns up dead one gondola over from theirs on the funicular, and charming women trying to bring their worlds into agreement.

Meg, single mother of fourteen-year old Rosie, and her younger, newly unmoored sister Ellie, are invited by their retiring parents to come home and run the family's bookstore in their ski-resort hometown with her. It's a set-up that's an evergreen for a reason...it plays on the familiarity of a native place while still allowing the returned native a chance to "catch up on" the time they've been away. It also establishes the family's relations to each other, in that one would get a whole different idea of Meg had she seemed grudging or reluctant to accept younger, single Ellie to join the business. I think one is immersed in the sense of a happy family from the second their Gram comes onto the pages, knowing she has been their rock throughout life. That, too, sets a facet of the family's character as a system in addition to demonstrating the cozy-series bona fides Ann Claire is seeking to establish.

I'm a sucker for bookstores in fiction going back to the first mystery series set in one that I fell in love with: Claire Molloy's Book Depot in the Farberville, Arkansas, set humorous cozies by the late, lamented Joan Hess. This debut is joining a long and belovèd lineage. I am delighted to report that this is a happy meeting of fantasy (bookstores require *huge* amounts of labor and run on the slimmest of margins) and storytelling. The ski resort setting is nice, in that I'd always rather read about cold, snowy places than hot ones, but not outstandingly detailed. I suppose this is all a matter of what one wishes to have in a series-starting story...the sense of possibility is there in this story so there's plenty of room for additions and expansions.

Rosie annoyed me. She's fourteen, of course she was going to, but really this is a trope I can do without, the adolescent eyeroller. Anyway. At least she wasn't a bookstore cat, those horrible, misery-making creatures...like Agatha C. (for "cat" <I>ick<B>shudder</b></i>) Christie. I mean, *obligatory warning of sexist stereotyping to come* I know I'm not a woman so I don't really get the appeal of cats *end sexist stereotyping*, but can there be a bookstore without a cat in mysteryworld now? Please?

What's right about the read far outweighs my grumbles about details. None of them ruined my reading experience. I am sure Author Ann Claire (also known as Ann Myers and/or Nora Page) knows her craft from practicing it for quite some time across several series. I expect a high level of polish from such an author and was not let down in this read. Recommending a book such as this is always touchy...what causes a series to soar is so often alchemical symmetry between author and reader...but consider this: I read this entire book that <I>features</i> a <B>cat</b> as a character...my most deeply beloathèd animals!...and am here writing a positive review.

This is an author with chops. Trust her, follow her through this story, and I predict a lot of y'all will have a new series to enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was attracted to the setting and the sisters (and their cat) and the bookstore. This is definitely a “cozy” mystery … easy reading with a mystery to solve, although there are A LOT of characters to digest. Not my favorite, but still enjoyable and may resonate well with readers who like this genre.

0HHH this was excellent!!

The ONLY reason this is not a five star is because I do think this book was slightly overwritten and wordy at times. It didn't help there was a whole cast of characters to follow as well. 50 pages shorter and I think this would have been perfect.

I loved this book and did not guess the ending! Hooray! I adored the cozy winter atmosphere and the bookish chats! It was so fun to read about book loving characters. Fictional characters, they're just like us.

Highly recommend for a true mystery book!

Cozy mystery set in a bookstore in Colorado. Loved the heroine's name. This one ended up being cuter than I thought it would be.

Dead and Gondola is the first in what I hope will be a series, set in Last Word, Colorado. The main characters are Ellie and Meg Christie who run the family’s book shop in the ski town, and they love all things Agatha Christie. The novel is a near perfect cozy (particularly in the winter) with very likable main characters and a well-drawn locale. The plot is also very smart and reminiscent of the Agatha Christie novel that is at the heart of the story, with many suspects, and a big reveal. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of the book.

A fun beginning to a cozy mystery series. I loved all the nods to Agatha Christie novels. Plus, it's the perfect time of year for it!

I found the title, Dead and Gondola, curious. To me, gondolas are the traditional Venetian boat. So one of my surprises reading Dead and Gondola was that a gondola is a lift in a snow resort area. And that misunderstanding actually helped me really dig into the setting of a Colorado town, a quaint bookshop, and a murder. Ellie and her sister Meg help their grandmother run the bookshop. Their last name of Christie is used as a foil for so many subplots, including solving said murder.

I was about to ask Ms. Claire if she would consider a sequel when I learned that Dead and Gondola is the first in a series. Yea! I can't wait to learn more about Ellie, Meg, and the rest of the cast of characters. Great book you won't want to put down!

BOOK REVIEW: Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire
Series: Christie Bookshop Mysteries | Book 1
2022 Publication Date: November 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2022

CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP:
Eventually the clues — and the truth — will emerge...

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW:
The Christie Bookshop Mysteries — A Compelling Cozy Mystery Series Debut
In the first book of the Christie Bookshop Mysteries series, we are introduced to the Christie sisters — Ellie and Meg — who own and operate a cozy little bookshop called The Book Chalet.

When a mysterious visitor to their shop dies under suspicious circumstances, the sisters call on their literary hero, Agatha Christie, to help them solve the case. Using all they've learned from reading Christie's novels, they each transform into an amateur sleuth and set out to discover the killer's identity before they strike again.

I love a good cozy mystery, and this one did not disappoint. The characters are endearing and relatable, the plot is intriguing, and the setting is simply charming. I also appreciated the nod to Agatha Christie in both the characters' names and the plot of the book. As a fan of her work, it was enjoyable — and nostalgic — to see her influence throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dead and Gondola, the first book in the series. Ann Claire did an excellent job of creating likable characters that I easily got invested in. I also appreciate that each mystery is self-contained within each book, so you don't necessarily have to read them in order. That being said, I expect readers will get more out of the series if they start with Book One... Let's see as the series continues to develop!

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries particularly the cozy mystery genre with a literary theme.

What is a Cozy Mystery?
For those who may not be familiar with cozy mysteries... This genre often avoids graphic violence although with vivid depictions of the circumstances of the story. And often allows readers to exercise their own sleuthing skills within a relatable setting, such as a small hometown with familiar local characters. Who knows? You may find your own private investigator "life begins" moment via reading cozy mystery!

As for me, I will definitely be reading more in this series... And I look forward to supporting Ann Claire as a new author!

Curl up with this cozy mystery on a rainy day and see for yourself!... ✨😎✨

Pages: 323
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Cozy Mystery
Time Period: Present Day
Location: Colorado (US)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TV Series: Miss Marple

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
If you're a fan of Agatha Christie's novels, then you'll love the Christie Bookshop Mysteries by Ann Claire.

In this cozy mystery series debut, we start with a dead body discovered on the gondola. It turns out to be a mysterious bookshop visitor from the book club meeting earlier that evening, compelling the Christie sisters — Ellie & Meg who are the second-generation owners of the adorably cozy bookshop and mystery bookstore, The Book Chalet — and their cat, Agatha, to call on all they’ve learned about solving mysteries from their favorite novelist, Agatha Christie, as they each become an amateur detective.

All while they are suspected of being the only witness of the murder... much to their surprise.

And along the way, this puzzling murder propels dark secrets and inexplicable events to come to light from even the most unlikely of suspects in their seemingly quiet village. With "who is the prime suspect" rotating rapidly from suspect to suspect.

Clocking in at just over 300 pages, Dead and Gondola is a quick and enjoyable read that left me eager to see what Ellie, Meg, and Agatha will get up to next.

If you're looking for your next cozy mystery series to cozy up with, I highly recommend giving the Christie Bookshop Mysteries a try.

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION:
• Cozy mysteries with a literary theme can be an enjoyable and satisfying reading experience.
• Characters that readers can relate to are key to creating an engaging mystery story.
• Even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, it is possible to use the knowledge you have to solve a problem... Just like Agatha Christie.

BOOK QUOTE:
"It's a perfect day to read..." — Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is the first book in a new cozy series set in Colorado. Two sisters run a historical bookshop and it just so happens that their last name is "Christie." They are not related to Agatha Christie, but they wish they were and also love mysteries. The bookshop houses a cat named Agatha also. This is a fun story with some quirky characters which make it quite enjoyable to read.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a pleasant cozy mystery - nice people, centers around a book store and people who love books, and especially people who love to read mystery novels. El comes home to Colorado, to work with her sister Meg in running the family bookstore - and this is something that she is delighted about (not one of the "I'm forced to come back to the hometown" scenarios). Almost immediately, a strange man crashes a book discussion group at the store, then is promptly murdered.

Of course, the Christie sisters are compelled to try to solve the case, with the help of their grandmother and Meg's teenaged daughter. They actually choose to cooperate, at least somewhat, with the new police chief in town. It's a pleasant book, I found it to be a good book to curl up with on a rainy, wintery looking day, and I enjoyed it. Assuming that more books come along in this series, I'll certainly read them.

Another sweet cozy mystery full of snow! This book was a perfect winter read with lots of mysterious intrigue. I really enjoyed the Agatha Christie connection as well.

I don’t usually pick copy mysteries for my reading fare but I had a feeling about this one when it crossed my radar. I was reminded of the early Louise Penney mysteries set in Three Pines and the interesting characters that we got to know better over time and volumes. I do hope there will be follow-up books. We had a thick layer of snow on the ground here and I wasn’t going anywhere. Time to see if my hunch paid off.

The bookstore is the heart of the events. People come to ski and grab a book to read on their downtime. The shop has thrived in a ski resort over the years, staffed by members of the Christie family and their cat Agatha, and they specialize in the mystery genre.

I didn’t pick up on it right away but the author liberally sprinkles the adjective “fluffy”throughout the book. I started making a note of them: fluffy slippers, fluffy blankets and snow flakes, the phony’s fluffy winter coat, Gram knitting a fluffy hooded sweater, fluffy Siamese cat, and I could go on but I won’t. I found myself laughing out loud. It had to be deliberate and it upped the fun value. Did I mention this is a fun read? Expect to be entertained. Sit by a big winter as the flakes fly and read away.