Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire - Book Review

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

Series: Christie Bookshop #1 (Standalone)

Publication Date: 01 Nov 2022

Genre: Contemporary Small Town Cozy Mystery 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Uneven pacing and a bit silly but entertaining 

PC: Publisher's promotion kit

*****

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. 

#NetGalley #DeadandGondola